Dentistry at Aberdeen Dental School (Graduate Entry) 2026

The Institute of Dentistry is conveniently located on the Foresterhill Health Campus in Aberdeen. The University of Aberdeen School of Medicine and Dentistry UK campus is jointly owned by NHS Grampian and the University of Aberdeen is one of the largest clinical sites in Europe with superb teaching and extensive research facilities. Dental students are part of a wider community of students who study on the Foresterhill site, including Medical and Science students; undergraduates and postgraduates. There are excellent student support systems and access to other shared facilities such as the library and Suttie Centre for Teaching and Learning in Healthcare.

Founded in 1495, the University of Aberdeen school of medicine and dentistry universities is rooted within the midst of a lively and vibrant city that has an excellent social scene and night life, superb sporting opportunities and cultural interest. The city and university offers a ‘home from home’ with a strong and supportive community. Many people come here, like it here, and build their careers here.

4 year graduate entry pathway which allows for direct entry into year 2 and the programme is then completed in four years.

With only 20 places available each year, applicants to Aberdeen must demonstrate that their prior formal qualifications have covered relevant biomedical subjects. The dental curriculum uses a variety of teaching methods including case-based learning.

The curriculum aims to: build on the transferable skills that you bring encourage independence of learning and thinking using enquiry-based learning methods centre on the clinical, social and emotional needs of the patient have patient contact early in year 1 of the programme fully integrate the non-clinical sciences within the clinical curriculum

Universities revise entry requirements between cycles, usually in August and September. Always confirm with the university before you apply.

Still sitting your GCSEs? Protect the grades this course screens for with 1-1 GCSE Maths, Biology and Chemistry tutoring from medics.

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Undertake as much work experience/shadowing as possible- Applicants to fill in a work experience form before the interview

• Talk with dentists about their career
• Speak to dental students about their experiences
• Choose your schools for positive reasons, having found out as much about different schools' curricula, facilities, patient availability, location etc. as possible
• You may be asked to justify your choice at the interview
• Your research should include the use of university websites, prospectuses and leaflets; and discussions with dental students and dentists.

Yes

The personal statement is used in selection for interview and assessed through MMI. Tell us all about yourself, why you want to study dentistry; your hopes for your career and a summary of the points discussed above. Rather than just list all the work experience that has been undertaken, it is more revealing if you can inform us of what you have now learned about a dental career and its implications. If you have had difficulty in undertaking research, then you should inform us of these difficulties and concentrate on researching your careers in other ways.

See our dentistry personal statement examples: model statements in the new UCAS format, each with commentary on what works and why.

Yes

No. Aberdeen runs a four-year graduate-entry BDS (A201) only, open to UK graduates who enter directly at Year 2 of the degree. It is a shortened graduate course rather than an extended one, so there is no foundation or gateway year.

University of Aberdeen
King's College,
Aberdeen,
AB24 3FX

Phone: +44 (0)1224 272000