King's College London

Applications are ranked based on GCSE/IGCSE performance, UCAT score and contextual information. We then review the rest of the application including achieved/predicted grades, 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 March, and we aim to send out invites via King's Apply with at least two weeks notice of an interview date. 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 nearly 350 applications and made around 160 Home-fee-paying offers and 15 Overseas-fee-paying offers on the programme. We received just under 1000 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 Dentistry programmes. 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.

Applicants may be interested in applying for the Enhanced Support Dentistry Programme, which is a programme that provides an opportunity for talented students from non-selective state schools within a London borough to pursue a career in dentistry. Please see the Enhanced Support Dentistry Programme website for more details and eligibility.

Applicants can apply to both A206 (Enhanced Support Dentistry Programme) and this programme via the UCAS application system, if they wish to maximise their chances of studying at King's. However, each application is assessed independently and you should ensure that you check the entry requirements and eligibility clearly for both programmes.  

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

Deferral requests are assessed on a case-by-case basis. We are unable to defer overseas fee paying applicants for this programme, however, we are able to make an exception for those who defer due to military/national service. For Home fee paying applicants, applications can be submitted for deferred entry if you have extenuating circumstances by choosing the appropriate year of entry on the UCAS application.

If your circumstances change and, therefore, you need to request a deferral after an offer has been made, then we can generally permit these for this programme. However, each deferral request will be considered on a case-by-case basis and we reserve the right to decline any post-offer 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. 

Fifth choice

A maximum of four choices on the UCAS form may be made for courses which lead to a professional qualification in dentistry. You may add any programme as your fifth choice, however, some programmes will require a personal statement relevant to the programme. The following programmes will consider students with a dentistry focused personal statement without the need for a new statement: Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry, Global Health & Social Medicine, Molecular Genetics, Pharmacology, Pharmacology & Molecular Genetics, Physics, Physiology or Neuroscience.

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.

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. 

Applicants can apply to both A202 (Graduate entry) and this programme via the UCAS application system, if they wish to maximise their chances of studying at King's. However, each application is assessed independently. Please see here for further information on the Graduate entry programme: Dentistry Graduate/Professional Entry Programme - King's College London (kcl.ac.uk)

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 offerholders 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 dentistry 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 dentistry 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 Dentistry.

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

Home Transfers

Dental Schools do not accept transfers of students from other schools. This is because the requirements for graduation defined by the GDC are not taught and assessed in a similar order. Government capped places would also be disrupted by student transfers.

Schools may consider transfers for students in unforeseen exceptional circumstances with approval of both the sending and receiving programmes. In most cases the student would need to re-start from year one for the reasons described previously.

DSC encourages prospective students to consider the intensity of oral healthcare courses and their potential geographical distance from their support networks, when applying for dental school.

International transfers

Students from a dental school outside the UK are unable to transfer into a programme in a UK dental school. This is because international programmes follow their local regulatory requirements which are likely to differ from those in the UK.