Course summary

Our Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) course will prepare you for a dentistry career through a combination of clinical study and basic and advanced dental sciences. Once you have mastered basic competencies in the University's skills facilities , you will move on to treating patients in both the University Dental Hospital of Manchester and local outreach clinics early in the course. You will learn to work within a dental team to take a patient-centred approach to clinical care, practicing in a professional, safe and ethical manner. Our students are also trained to become reflective practitioners who are committed to lifelong learning. This course is currently being reviewed and teaching and learning may differ for 2023 entry. Offer holders will be informed and the website will be updated when any changes are confirmed.

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

UCAS Tariff - Not accepted

A level - AAA

Our standard A-level offer is AAA including Chemistry and Biology/Human Biology. You must also meet the GCSE requirements. A combination of three sciences is equally acceptable at A-level. However, our offer will not include combinations of very similar subjects, for example, Biology and Human Biology or Maths and Further Maths together. Where the science A-level syllabus is available with a practical element this also must be offered and passed. Typical Contextual Offer: Typical Contextual A-level offer: AAB (including non-science subjects).

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - Not accepted

Access to HE Diploma

We welcome applications from those taking Access qualifications if you have not previously studied at University. We do not accept Access courses to `top-up' A-level grades that do not meet the normal entry requirements at the first attempt. We also expect applicants to have had at least 3 years out of education prior to starting the Access course. If you have spent 3 or more years out of education but have previously studied A-levels or other post-16 qualifications you must contact us before applying in order to determine the suitability of an application. Your Access course must be science-based and you must have 60 credits overall with 45 credits at Level 3. We require a minimum of 15 graded credits each in Biology and Chemistry. We require Distinctions in all Level 3 credits. Applicants are also required to meet the English language requirements listed above and must offer GCSE Mathematics at Grade B (6). Due to the lack of a practical element, we do not accept qualifications from distance learning Access courses.

Scottish Higher

We require 4 Highers at grades AAAA by the end of Secondary 5. Grades should be achieved in the same sitting at first attempt. English Language and any science subject (Maths, Chemistry or Biology) not taken at Higher/Advanced Higher must have been achieved at SCQF level 5 (National 5, Intermediate II or Standard Grade Credit level grade 2 or above). Applicants also need Scottish Advanced Highers in addition to Scottish Highers.

AS

We have no specific requirements at AS-level. However, we would normally expect students to demonstrate a commitment towards achieving a broad and balanced education. Most applicants will therefore be studying beyond the 'bare minimum' in order to make the most competitive application possible. You may wish to evidence this on your application in a number of ways, for example: studying four A-level subjects; studying for an additional AS level or BTEC qualification in addition to your three main subjects; taking General Studies, Key Skills or the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) in addition to your three main subjects. We are aware that you may not be able to take the above qualifications at school or college and therefore we allow applicants to provide evidence of participating in other activities aimed at increasing social responsibility, for example, National Citizen Service (NCS) or the Duke of Edinburgh award in lieu of a formal qualification. A list of other suggested activities is provided on our FAQ page. If in doubt, please contact us. Please note that if your school is unable to offer any of the above, they should state this in the UCAS reference and you will not be disadvantaged as a result. Applicants with a WP/WP Plus flag are exempt.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - Not accepted

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Foundation Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - Not accepted

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016) - Not accepted

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (first teaching from September 2016) - Not accepted

Scottish Advanced Higher

We require at least two Advanced Highers at grades AA by the end of Secondary 6. Any of the following combinations are acceptable: - three Advanced Highers at AAA, including Chemistry and Biology plus one other subject; - two Advanced Highers at grades AA, plus one A2-level subject at grade A (subjects as above); - two Advanced Highers at grades AA, plus one new Higher at grade A (subjects to include Chemistry and Biology at Advanced Higher). You will also need Scottish Highers in addition to Scottish Advanced Highers.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme - 37 points

Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)

Extended Project

The University recognises the benefits of the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and the opportunities it provides for applicants to develop independent study and research skills. Although the Extended Project will not be included in the conditions of your offer, we strongly encourage you to provide information about the EPQ in your personal statement and at interview. A number of our academic Schools may also choose to take your performance in the EPQ into account should places be available in August for applicants who narrowly miss the entry grades for their chosen course.

Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal

We consider applicants offering Pre-U Principal Subjects, or a mix of Pre-U and A Level subjects, provided a minimum of three distinct subjects overall is taken. The same subject specifications as A-level apply. We require a minimum Pre-U grade of D3 and the standard A-Level grade and subject combination as listed above. If you require further clarification about the acceptability of this qualification please contact the Academic School(s) you plan to apply to.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

We require at least seven GCSEs at grade 7 (A) or above. English Language, Mathematics and at least two science subjects are required at GCSE minimum grade 6 (B). If Dual Award Science or Core and Additional Science are offered, the minimum required is 66 (BB). For applicants whose status has been confirmed as WP+ or WP++ using the University's Contextual Data Eligibility tool, we will accept 6 GCSEs at Grade 7 (A) or above. We permit GCSE resits. If you are resitting any GCSEs at the point of application, we require you to list it as a pending qualification on your UCAS form. We do not currently accept short courses; however, Level 2 BTEC qualifications are acceptable (at distinction grade or above) in lieu of one GCSE. If you are offering an international equivalent to GCSEs and this is not listed on our international entry requirements page, please contact the School of Medical Sciences Admissions Office to check the suitability of the qualification.

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma - Not accepted

OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma - Not accepted

OCR Cambridge Technical Foundation Diploma - Not accepted

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate - Not accepted

Additional entry requirements

Admission tests

Criminal records declaration (DBS/Disclosure Scotland)

Health checks

Interview

Other

Institutions Own Test Non-Academic Information Form. For entry in 2019, every applicant for A204 and A206 must complete an online information form with respect to non-academic activities. The information required will include details of work experience roles undertaken, main hobbies, interests and/or extracurricular activities, team working and motivation to pursue a career in dentistry. Access to this form will be provided by email once we have received your UCAS form.

University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT)

All applicants for the BDS programme(A204 and A206) will be required to sit the UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT). See the UKCAT website for more details and exemptions.

English language requirements

Test	Grade	Additional details
IELTS (Academic)	7	A minimum average score of 7.0 and with no less than 6.5 in any one component taken at the same sitting.

In most cases, we expect applicants to satisfy our English Language requirement by offering English language at GCSE grade B (6) or above (or a score of 5 in the International Baccalaureate diploma). Applicants from outside the UK (including non-native speakers) need to meet specific English language requirements to study at Manchester. We accept: - IGCSE English first language at grade B or second language at grade A; - International English Language Testing Service (IELTS): A minimum average score of 7.0 and with not less than 6.5 in any one component taken at the same sitting; - Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic: An overall score of 65 with no less than 65 in each of the communicative skills domains taken at the same sitting; - Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE), or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE): An overall score of 185 with no less than 185 in each of the scoring domains taken at the same sitting; - a score of 5 at Standard or Higher level as part of the International Baccalaureate diploma. You must declare your English qualification (including those which are pending) on the UCAS form. Please contact us prior to application if you are unsure how to satisfy these language requirements. Graduates: Graduates who have completed a degree conducted entirely in English at a UK institution may be exempt from the English language requirements. Please contact us if you are unsure. At interview, if we have any concerns about your English language capability regardless of your origin, country of upbringing or existing qualifications, we may require you to take an additional English language test as a condition of any offer we make to you.

England	£9250	Year 1
Northern Ireland	£9250	Year 1
Scotland	£9250	Year 1
Wales	£9250	Year 1
Channel Islands	£9250	Year 1
Republic of Ireland	£9250	Year 1

Degree level: Undergraduate

Dentistry (BDS first-year entry)

Course options

Open days