The BDS and how the five years run
King's is the largest dental school in the UK, graduating around 150 dentists a year. Teaching is at Guy's Campus by London Bridge, where clinics run on floors 21, 25 and 26 of Guy's Tower, with further facilities at Denmark Hill and the London Dental Education Centre at Waterloo.
Time on placement rises from 4% in year 1 and 10% in year 2 to 55%, 57% and 62% in years 3 to 5. BDS students learn alongside dental therapy and hygiene students, and an intercalated BSc is available.
The five years, from King's teaching page
- Year 1
Foundations
Biomedical science, public health, oral biology and the foundations of clinical practice.
4% on placement - Year 2
Building skills
Clinical and scientific teaching continues, with more time in clinic.
10% on placement - Year 3 · Clinic
Mostly clinical
More than half your time on placement, at Guy's and St Thomas' and King's College Hospital.
55% on placement - Year 4
Clinical practice
Clinical work at Guy's and St Thomas' and King's College Hospital.
57% on placement - Year 5
Final year
Placements at Denmark Hill and West Norwood, or at the Portsmouth Dental Academy.
62% on placement
Entry requirements and how to apply
A-level route, A205
An A in Biology or Chemistry and an A in a second subject from Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths or Psychology.
Enhanced Support, A206
A five-year route for students in non-selective state education in a London borough since the age of 11.
The interview
Invitations come through King's Apply with at least two weeks' notice, and cover communication and health-related ethical questions.
Contextual admissions
King's uses contextual information when ranking applicants for interview, and runs the Enhanced Support Dentistry Programme. See how that compares with the other dental schools.
Clinical training and placements
Final-year placements
In year 5 you are placed either at Denmark Hill and West Norwood Health and Leisure Centre, or at the Portsmouth Dental Academy.
Guy's Tower
Undergraduate clinics run on floors 21, 25 and 26 of Guy's Tower, next to Guy's Hospital.
A DBS check (about £50, then £13 a year), travel between campuses in years 4 and 5 (up to £200 a year), and placement travel, reclaimable, of about £2,375 for Portsmouth or £98 for West Norwood.
Student life at King's
Dental Society outreach
King's dental students visit schools to talk about applying, with personal statement guidance and interview tips.
King's: Dental SocietyThree sites
Guy's Campus at London Bridge, Denmark Hill beside King's College Hospital, and the London Dental Education Centre at Waterloo.
King's: teachingMany routes in
Alongside A205 there are graduate, medical-graduate and Enhanced Support routes, each with its own code.
King's: Dentistry BDSFees and key dates
Home fee for 2026/27 entry: £9,790.
Source: King's: Dentistry BDS fees; King's: Dentistry BDS entry requirements
Key dates
Funding and support
- KCL Dental Institute Fund · £5,000
Strengths and things to plan for
- Largest in the UK. Around 150 dentists graduate each year.
- Heavy clinical time. More than half of years 3 to 5 on placement.
- Routes for everyone. School-leaver, graduate, medical-graduate and Enhanced Support.
- The code. The five-year BDS is A205.
- Interviews. December to March, with decisions by May.
- Placement travel. Paid up front and reclaimed.
- International fee. £66,800 a year for 2027/28.
Who to believe, and in what order
DentiSpark is not the authority on any of this, and does not want to be. King's College London's own pages are the authority on what it will ask of you; where anything here disagrees with them, the school is right and we are not. Entry requirements, deadlines and course codes change from one cycle to the next.
The regulator
The General Dental Council decides which degrees lead to registration as a dentist in the UK. Its list of approved providers is the only place to confirm where a programme stands.
GDC approved providers