King's College London Dentistry Entry Requirements 2027

King's College London's Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences is a dental school offering four routes to the BDS for 2027 entry. Its main course, Dentistry BDS (A205), asks for A*AA, GCSE English Language and Mathematics at grade 6/B, and a UCAT sat in the application year. For A205, King's ranks applications on GCSE performance, UCAT score and context before reading personal statements; in its latest complete cycle it interviewed nearly 350 of just under 1,000 A205 applications.

Which of King's four dental routes can you apply to?

King's lists four dentistry degrees that lead to a BDS, and its course pages state that their information "applies to 2027 entry only". The routes differ in length, start date and UCAS deadline, but the difference that matters first is who is allowed to apply. Eligibility is settled before merit, so read the right-hand column before anything else.

Source: King's College London course and entry-requirements pages for 2027 entry, read October 2026.

Two combinations are allowed in so many words. The A205 page says: "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." It gives the same permission for A202, and in both cases adds that each application is assessed independently. Every dentistry course still costs a UCAS choice, because King's states that "a maximum of four choices on the UCAS form may be made for courses which lead to a professional qualification in dentistry".

For how King's compares with the other UK dental schools on grades and admissions tests, see our guide to UK dentistry admissions, and our dental schools directory for the other school pages.

How does King's decide who is invited to interview?

For A205 and A206, King's describes a ranking that comes before anyone reads the personal statement. Both entry pages use the same words: "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 then "reviewed to finalise interview eligibility".

That order has a practical consequence. The GCSE requirement is short: "English Language and Mathematics grade 6/B." Meeting it makes an application eligible, but the ranking then names "GCSE/IGCSE performance" as the first of its three inputs, so the GCSE record is used twice. For a student applying in autumn 2027, GCSE results are awarded before that summer's UCAT; if King's keeps its 2027-entry rule that the UCAT "must be taken the same year you apply", the UCAT is the ranking input still open.

A202 works differently. Its page says: "Applications are ranked based on UCAT score." The UCAT is the only ranking input King's names for that route, which makes the test more decisive on A202 than on A205 or A206.

The personal statement and reference are read after the ranking, not ignored. King's says it is "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". It would normally expect "some work experience in a caring environment and/or observation in a clinical setting", and where that is not possible it looks for work "where you can interact with the general public, e.g. in a pharmacy, check-out or restaurant". It also expects the application to be "strongly supported by your referee". Our personal statement support works from those criteria. To see how other dental schools use GCSEs, read which dental schools weight GCSEs.

What UCAT score does King's dentistry ask for?

King's does not set one. The A205, A206 and A202 entry pages all say that King's "does not have a threshold UCAT score in any particular year, as it is dependent upon the range of scores received each cohort". The same paragraph continues: "The overall UCAT score averaged across the four subtests is given more consideration than the individual subtest scores, and the Situational Judgement Test (SJT) is also taken into account when shortlisting."

Read that sentence beside the UCAT Consortium's own description of the 2026 test. The UCAT format has four subtests: three cognitive subtests (Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning), each scaled from 300 to 900 for a total of 900 to 2,700, and the Situational Judgement Test, reported as a band. King's sentence is quoted here exactly as King's wrote it.

Older score tables are a poor guide. The Consortium says that "in 2025, Abstract Reasoning was removed from the UCAT. As a result, scores from 2025 are not directly comparable with those from before 2025." The gap is large: the 2024 mean total was 2,523 and the 2026 mean total was 1,918. Third-party tables of past King's interview scores for 2025 entry or earlier come from the older test and cannot be set against a 2026 result.

For national context only, the Consortium's 2026 statistics, based on 42,359 tests, put the 5th decile at 1,920 and the 9th decile at 2,250, with SJT results split 15% Band 1, 40% Band 2, 34% Band 3 and 11% Band 4. These describe all candidates, not King's applicants.

Two rules make the test unforgiving. The UCAT "must be taken the same year you apply in order to be valid", and King's says: "We are unable to consider mitigating circumstances related to the UCAT, however, you may be eligible for special arrangements via the UCAT Access Arrangements policy." King's mitigating-circumstances guidance adds that it cannot grant special consideration for issues affecting a UCAT test "unless there is no test centre in your country of residence". Our guide to how each dental school uses the UCAT sets King's beside the schools that do publish thresholds, and low UCAT score options covers what to do with a weaker result.

How many applicants does King's interview and make offers to?

King's publishes approximate figures on the A205, A206 and A202 entry pages. The A205 page describes its figures as coming from "the most recent admissions cycle for which we have complete data"; the A206 and A202 pages say "the most recent admissions cycle". None names the year, so read them as a recent snapshot, not a forecast for 2027 entry.

Source: King's College London entry-requirements pages for A205, A206 and A202 (year not stated by King's).

Worked through, with King's rounded figures as the inputs: on A205, nearly 350 interviews from just under 1,000 applications is roughly one in three, and around 160 Home plus 15 Overseas offers against nearly 350 interviews is about half. On A206, about 60 interviews from about 350 applications is roughly one in six, and about 26 offers from about 60 interviews is a little under half. On A202, about 50 interviews from just under 400 applications is roughly one in eight, and about 20 offers from about 50 interviews is about two in five.

The pattern is the same on all three routes: more applicants are lost at the shortlist than at interview. On A205 and A206 that shortlist is built from GCSE performance, the UCAT and context; on A202 from the UCAT alone. The ranking inputs therefore deserve at least as much preparation as the interview.

What is the King's dentistry interview like for 2027 entry?

For A205, A206 and A202, King's states: "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." The Dental Schools Council's 2027 booklet still records the A205 method as "yet to be confirmed"; the statement above is King's own, on its 2027-entry pages.

The change matters for preparation, because practice built for a circuit of timed stations does not rehearse a remote interview in front of two interviewers. King's says its 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".

King's says the interview period "generally runs from December to March" and that it aims to send invitations through King's Apply "with at least two weeks notice". King's operates a "fit-to-sit" policy, so it is "unable to take into account mitigating circumstances for the interview performance"; any problem on the day should be raised with the Admissions team. Offers mostly wait for the end of the round: "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."

The A204 interview is different again: in person, before "a panel of 3 interviewers, who will be a mix of faculty and Admissions staff". For practice questions by theme, see our dental school interview questions. If other dental schools on your UCAS form still run stations, our MMI interview coaching covers that format.

What does the A*AA offer require, subject by subject?

The headline grades hide conditions that remove applicants on paper. The table sets A205 beside A206; the rules after it are from the A205 page.

Source: King's College London entry-requirements pages for A205 and A206, 2027 entry.

Four further rules sit on the A205 page. "If Mathematics is being used to meet one of the subject requirements, then we cannot consider Further Mathematics as the third A-Level." Students taking linear A-levels in England "will be required to pass the practical endorsement in all Science subjects". "We do not consider the EPQ at any point of the assessment process." For the IB, the 38-point total includes TOK and the Extended Essay. Scottish applicants are covered in the Dental Schools Council's 2027 booklet, which records King's requirement as "AAB at Higher in one sitting and AA at Advanced Higher".

A first resit is considered. King's says it is "able to consider applicants who are resitting their Level 3 qualifications for the first time (i.e. completing A-levels within 3 years)". A second resit, completing A-levels within 4 years, is "usually only considered where there are mitigating circumstances". The Dental Schools Council booklet records the same position for GCSEs: a first GCSE resit can be considered, and a second usually only with mitigating circumstances.

A205 is also open to degree-holders. King's accepts "any Bachelor degree at UK 2:1/upper second class honours level", provided the applicant has at least grade B at A-level (or equivalent) in Biology or Chemistry and grade B in one of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or Psychology. A 2:2 can be considered with a Master's "with at least a merit grade profile". Partial study does not count: a qualification must be "fully completed" to count. Foundation programmes from other UK providers are "considered on a case-by-case basis", but "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."

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Where do contextual data, the Enhanced Support programme and K+ fit in?

King's contextualised-admissions page, which covers September 2026 entry, says contextual offers "may be up to two A-Level grades" below the advertised requirement, but its footnote reads: "Students applying for our MBBS courses or courses in the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences are not eligible for contextual offers." It points eligible students to the Enhanced Support Dentistry Programme instead.

The A205 page for 2027 entry says: "We do not make contextual offers for this programme, and all applicants will be required to meet the standard entry requirements." The A206 page uses the same sentence, so A206's AAB is its standard offer, not a reduced one. Context still counts at A205 as one of the three ranking inputs. At A202 it does not: "contextual consideration is not taken into account as part of the assessment process".

The route built for widening participation is the Enhanced Support Dentistry Programme (A206). Its students follow "the standard five-year Dentistry BDS course" with additional academic support, including a "dedicated enhanced support Personal Tutor". The offer is AAB, and the eligibility test is strict:

• Applicants "must have attended only non-selective state education within a London borough as determined by the UK government's Department for Education (DfE), since the age of 11".
• Schools are checked through the DfE after the application arrives, and "there is not a published list of schools to consult".
• "Applicants cannot have started or completed a degree before submitting their application, and applicants attending Grammar Schools are not eligible to apply and should apply to the standard Dentistry programme" (A205).
• Fee status: "students with Overseas fee status are ineligible to apply for this programme".
• The London-borough condition has one exception: it "is waived" for "K+ Widening Participation students".

Deferral after an offer is generally not permitted, "due to the small number of spaces". Read the details on the King's A206 entry requirements page.

K+ is King's "flagship widening participation programme for sixth form and college students", taking over 600 Year 12 students a year. Its spring pathways include Dentistry, and K+ applications open on Monday 9 November 2026 and close on 30 November 2026 (entry to K+ itself, not to the degree), for Year 12 students as of September 2026. K+ completers get "an up to two-grade reduced offer for most courses" and a £1000 first-year bursary. The September 2026 footnote excludes Faculty of Dentistry courses from contextual offers, so the reduced offer does not apply to dentistry. For dental applicants King's names two other K+ benefits: the A206 London-borough waiver and, in K+ Year 13, "support with admissions interviews (for those applying to healthcare courses)".

What do degree-holders and doctors need for A202 and A204?

The Graduate/Professional Entry Programme (A202) is a four-year BDS for people "with honours degrees in biomedical-related science subjects and healthcare professionals with a degree". It asks for a 2:1 in a Biosciences subject, or a 2:2 with a postgraduate degree at Merit or above in Biosciences, and "at least two thirds of modules completed within the degree" must be in that area. King's is "not able to review transcripts prior to you making an application", so every module goes on the UCAS form.

Selection is by UCAT rank, then the rest of the application, with no contextual consideration. The course starts "in the middle of August", and King's describes it as "the updated GPEP programme that is being introduced by the faculty in 2026/27", with a 135-credit Year 1 that includes a 15-credit GPEP Consolidation Module.

Two points on A202 differ between sources; both are reported as each source states them:

• Overseas applicants. The Dental Schools Council's 2027 booklet records A202 as "Only open to applicants from the UK." King's own A202 fees page lists an international tuition fee of £66,800 a year for 2027-28, and its entry page says: "We are unable to defer overseas fee paying applicants for this programme." An applicant with Overseas fee status should confirm eligibility with King's admissions before using a UCAS choice on A202.
• Interview method. The booklet says "The interview method is yet to be confirmed." King's own A202 page says interviews "are conducted remotely with a panel of two interviewers".

The medical-graduate programme (A204) is narrower still. King's says: "Applicants must be qualified doctors (registered with the UK General Medical Council) who have completed Foundation Years 1 and 2, and wish to pursue a career in either oral and maxillofacial surgery or oral medicine/pathology." King's own page describes "a small number of spaces"; the Dental Schools Council's 2027 booklet gives the figure: "There are 10 places available for this programme." Both add that "all applicants are treated equally", with no places ring-fenced for King's own alumni.

Other A204 rules come straight from its entry page: "applicants are not required to sit the UCAT aptitude test prior to applying to this programme"; "Interviews take place in-person before a panel of 3 interviewers"; "We are unable to consider deferred entry for this programme"; and "students with Overseas fee status are ineligible to apply for this programme". The 2027-entry deadline is 13 January 2027, with a King's information session on 10 November 2026. See our graduate entry dentistry comparison and dental routes without the UCAT.

Which rules besides grades can stop a King's application?

Several conditions are not about merit at all, and each one is stated on King's own pages:

• Age. "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."
• Evidence by August. Offer holders "must be able to evidence that they can meet our requirements by the beginning of August in year of entry", including predicted grades for qualifications that release results in mid-August.
• Four dentistry choices. The fifth UCAS choice can be any course, and King's names the programmes that will take a dentistry-focused personal statement unchanged: "Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry, Global Health & Social Medicine, Molecular Genetics, Pharmacology, Pharmacology & Molecular Genetics, Physics, Physiology or Neuroscience".
• Deferral. On A205, requests are "assessed on a case-by-case basis", but King's is "unable to defer overseas fee paying applicants for this programme", except for military or national service, and deferral beyond two years is not permitted.
• Checks after an offer. Offers depend on "a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service" check, and every offer holder completes Occupational Health Clearance, with information "usually sent out by the end of May/early June".

For the 2027-entry cycle, the UCAT Consortium's key dates were a booking deadline of 16 September 2026 and a last test day of 24 September 2026, with results delivered to universities in early November. The 2027-entry UCAS deadline for A205, A206 and A202 was 15 October 2026; for A204 it is 13 January 2027.

What should international applicants check first?

The first check is fee status, because two routes are closed to it outright. Both the A206 and A204 pages say that "students with Overseas fee status are ineligible to apply for this programme, irrespective of the criteria above". A205 does admit Overseas-fee applicants: King's made 15 Overseas-fee-paying offers on A205 in its latest complete cycle, alongside around 160 Home offers. For A202, the Dental Schools Council's 2027 booklet records the course as "Only open to applicants from the UK" while King's lists an international fee for it; see the A202 section above before applying.

The King's dentistry fees page gives "The International tuition fee for the 2027-2028 academic year is £66,800 per year", subject to annual increases in later years. International applicants also pay "a deposit of £5,000" when they firmly accept an unconditional offer, offset against the first year's fee.

King's places Medicine and Dentistry in English language Band B, except Dental Therapy and Hygiene and A204. Band B requires IELTS Academic "7.0 overall with a minimum of 6.5 in each skill". A204 is in Band A, which requires IELTS Academic "7.5 overall with a minimum of 7.0 in each skill". Students coming through King's International Foundation need grade A in the English module, because "Applicants to Dentistry, Medicine and Law require grade A to meet the English requirement."

King's A205 page converts its offer country by country, for example:

• India: CISCE or CBSE Standard XII "with an overall average of 90% across five subjects", with 95% in a required subject for an A* grade, 88% for an A and 80% for a B.
• Singapore: "Three H2 subjects with AAA (excluding Knowledge and Inquiry, General Paper and Project Work)".

International applicants who never took GCSEs are assessed on equivalent study instead: "If you are an international student who does not study GCSEs/IGCSEs as part of your qualifications, then we would not expect you to have met this requirement. However, we will look for evidence of equivalency in your studies." The full list of countries is on the King's A205 entry requirements page.

What does the five-year BDS ask of you once you are in?

This is worth knowing before an interview, because "why King's?" is a question a panel can follow up. King's Teaching and Modules page for 2027 entry says students "normally take modules totalling 600 credits over 5 years", with Body Systems (45 credits) the largest Year 1 module.

The clinical share rises steeply. On the same page, time on placements is 4% in Year 1, 55% in Year 3 and 62% in Year 5. King's says all clinical activity runs with its "partner NHS Trusts (GSTT and KCH) and the University of Portsmouth", and that in Year 5 "students are split between either KCH Denmark Hill and West Norwood Health and Leisure Centre, or the Portsmouth Dental Academy". The coursework and examinations "contribute 100% to your final mark", while competence assessments must be passed to progress but do not count towards it.

The Portsmouth placement has a cost to plan for. King's 2027-28 fees page lists "Initial funding of placement travel (can be claimed back): approximate cost £2,375.00 (Portsmouth) or £98.00 (West Norwood)", travel between campuses to Denmark Hill of up to £200 in each of years 4 and 5, a DBS check of about £50 and a DBS subscription of about £13 a year. The UK tuition fee for 2027-28 is £10,050 a year, "based on the UK Government's cap".

King's describes the school as the "largest dental school in the UK graduating around 150 dentists a year", and its course page cites the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, which place Dentistry at King's 1st in the UK and 5th in the world. The course is accredited by the General Dental Council.

How Leading Tuition prepares students for King's dentistry

Each stage of King's selection maps onto work a student can do. Our specialist tutors build preparation around the three things King's measures before and at interview:

• The UCAT ranking. King's names the UCAT as a ranking input on A205 and A206, and the only one on A202, with the SJT also used at shortlisting. Our UCAT tutoring works across all three scored subtests and the SJT for students sitting the UCAT in 2027 for 2028 entry, timed to a summer sitting ahead of the UCAS deadline.
• The remote panel interview. Our interview preparation uses mock interviews with structured feedback, so students practise sustained answers on ethics, communication and the realities of dentistry for the panel format King's describes.
• The personal statement and reference. We help students show the "commitment to, and realistic appreciation of" dentistry that King's asks for, drawing on clinical or public-facing work experience.

91% of our students achieve their desired grades. For a student who will apply to King's in autumn 2027, the UCAT is the natural place to start, because it is the ranking input that can still change; GCSE results, once awarded, cannot.

Reviewed October 2026: requirements, dates and figures checked against King's College London's course, entry-requirements and fees pages for 2027 entry, its contextualised-admissions page (September 2026 entry), K+ and mitigating-circumstances pages, the UCAT Consortium's website and the Dental Schools Council's 2027 entry requirements booklet.

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