King's College London

We review the whole of the application including achieved/predicted grades, GCSE/IGCSE performance (where applicable), personal statement and reference. Further contextual consideration and eligible mitigating circumstances are reviewed to finalise interview eligibility.

The interview period generally runs from December to April, and we aim to send out invites via King's Apply with at least two weeks notice of an interview date. It is likely that invites will not be sent out until February at the earliest. Spaces are limited, therefore, we will consider reschedule requests on a case-by-case basis, however, please note that we may be unable to accommodate all requests.

We generally release a small number of offers throughout the admissions cycle. However, the majority of applicants who are invited to interview will be placed on hold until we have conducted all interviews. All decisions will be released by the UCAS decision deadline in May.

In the most recent admissions cycle for which we have complete data, we interviewed approximately 150 applicants and made around 50 offers on the programme. We received just under 800 applications.

 

Further information

Age restrictions

King’s is only able to accept applicants who will be 18 years of age on 1st January on the first year of the Dental Therapy programme. This is due to a minimum age requirement for placements. Applicants who will not be 18 by the 1st January of the first year of the degree, should submit an application the following year.

Contextual consideration

We do not make contextual offers for this programme, and all applicants will be required to meet the standard entry requirements. However, as part of the assessment process, we do take into account contextual information to gain a more complete picture of each application. More information can be found on the Contextualised admissions website.

Criminal conviction disclosure

Due to the nature of this programme, UCAS requires all applicants to declare on their UCAS application if they have any spent or unspent convictions, cautions or reprimands. All offers of a place, and continued enrolment, are made subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly Criminal Records Bureau) check. 

Deferrals

Applications can be submitted for deferred entry by choosing the appropriate year of entry on the UCAS application.

It should be noted that deferrals can only be accepted in extenuating circumstances for this programme, due to a limited number of spaces and extreme competition.

We will consider each deferral request on a case-by-case basis, and we reserve the right to decline any deferral request. Requests should be submitted via a message on King’s Apply with an explanation of the reason for making the request.

Please note, second deferral requests will only be considered where the request is due to extreme unforeseen extenuating circumstances, for example, health reasons. We are unable to permit deferral requests that go beyond two years and you would need to apply again.

Foundation courses

Applicants studying Foundation Year programmes in the UK are welcome to apply for this programme. Foundation programmes from other universities and further education providers in the UK are considered on a case-by-case basis. Whether or not we can consider a particular foundation year as suitable for study at King's depends on the content of the syllabus and modules studied. In the past we have accepted foundation programmes from a number of other institutions.

We are unable to accept Foundation programmes that are integrated as part of a main degree at another institution. These may be called Year 0 or Integrated Foundations. We are also unable to accept non-UK Foundation courses.

Once you have submitted an application, the Admissions Office may contact you via King's Apply to ask for further details on your qualification, such as a list of modules and course specifications.

Foundation Degrees, Certificate in Higher Education, Diploma in Higher Education

Applicants studying/who have studied either a Foundation Degree, or a Cert HE, or Dip HE are welcome to apply for this programme, as long as the subject requirements are met. To meet the subject requirements, there must be at least one third of the content of the FDeg, Cert HE, Dip HE in Biology or Chemistry, and at least another one third in one of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics or Psychology. We would be looking for a high grade profile of at least 60% overall and 60% in the required subjects. 

Graduates

Graduates who have achieved/are predicted to achieve any Bachelor degree at UK 2:1/upper second class honours level can apply to this programme, provided they have achieved/are predicted to achieve a minimum grade B in A-Level (or equivalent) Biology or Chemistry, and grade B in A-Level (or equivalent) in one of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or Psychology. We can also consider those who have achieved a 2:2/lower second class honours Bachelor degree, and have additionally achieved/are predicted to achieve a Master's degree with at least a merit grade profile, as long as the above stated A-level grades have been achieved/are predicted to be achieved.

Graduates who have a sufficient quantity of Biology or Chemistry as part of their degree may not need the A-Level (or equivalent) in the subjects.  As part of the application, the Admissions team may request further information to assess whether the level of Biology and Chemistry is sufficient.

Incomplete degree study

We are unable to consider partial degree study as part of the assessment and applicants must have fully completed a qualification for it to be considered towards the entry requirements. However, any partial degree study must be included in the application information, and the Admissions team will request further information regarding the incomplete degree as part of the assessment process.

Interviews

Interviews are an essential part of the assessment process, and our interviewers are assessing communication skills, exploring general social and ethical issues, normally health related, and assessing the interviewee’s general suitability for the programme and as a health professional, as well as how the interviewee will contribute to the university as a whole.

Interviews are conducted remotely with a panel of two interviewers. In previous years, interviews have taken the form of Multi Mini Interviews (MMIs) in person, with six interviewers.

We operate a “fit-to-sit” policy for interviews, therefore, we are unable to take into account mitigating circumstances for the interview performance. If there are any issues within the interview which you consider affected your performance, you should ensure these are raised with the Admissions team.

Occupational Health clearance

Due to the nature of this programme, all offer holders will be required to complete the Occupational Health Clearance process. Once your application is firmly accepted, the application will be set-up for the Occupational Health Clearance checks. Information is usually sent out by the end of May/early June. Occupational Health Clearance is a requirement for enrolment onto our Dentistry programmes.

Personal Statement

Your personal statement is one of the many factors in the overall assessment of your application. We are looking particularly for evidence of appropriate commitment to, and realistic appreciation of, the academic, physical and emotional demands of a dental therapy degree programme and career. We would normally expect that you will have undertaken some work experience in a caring environment and/or observation in a clinical setting. If this is not possible, we look for evidence that you have worked in a setting where you can interact with the general public, e.g. in a pharmacy, check-out or restaurant.

Communication skills and the ability to work successfully in a team are of great importance. We look for applicants who have participated as fully as possible in school or college life, making the most of the opportunities available to them and also demonstrated some experience of society beyond their immediate environment.

Your interests, achievements and contribution to your community are taken into account in addition to academic ability. We aim to ensure that all of our students can cope with the heavy academic workload of the programme and display those professional qualities, skills and attitudes that help to make competent and caring dental therapy professional.

We would expect your application to be strongly supported by your referee both in terms of academic achievements/potential and in terms of your character and suitability for dental therapy.

Qualified Dental Nurses

We offer an additional entry route for Dental Nurses registered with the GDC. If you are a Dental Nurse with a Nursing qualification and registered with the GDC at the point of application, you can apply with grades BB in two A-levels, including Biology or Chemistry, and one of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics or Psychology, in addition to meeting the GCSE requirements for the programme.

Resits

We are able to consider applicants who are resitting their Level 3 qualifications for the first time (i.e. completing A-levels within 3 years).

Applicants resitting for a second time (i.e. completing A-levels within 4 years) are usually only considered where there are mitigating circumstances and will be referred to the faculty.

Transfers

Transfers into this programme are not permitted.