The graduate BDS and how the four years run
Lancashire, formerly the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), runs its BDS on a hub-and-spoke model. The Preston school is the hub, with its own on-campus dental clinic and phantom head training areas.
From the third year, students move out in groups of about eight to Dental Education Centres in Accrington, Blackpool, Carlisle and Morecambe: purpose-built surgeries with tutorial and study facilities, returning to Preston for skills workshops and lecture days.
The four years, numbered as years 2 to 5
- Year 2
Medical sciences
Basic medical sciences, with skills training in Preston.
Preston - Year 3 · Patients
Into the centres
Direct patient contact begins, in groups of about eight at the Dental Education Centres.
Dental Education Centres - Year 4
Oral diseases
Oral diseases and their management, with secondary care placements.
Hospital placements - Year 5
Integrated care
Integrated clinical care across the centres and training practices.
BDS
Entry requirements and how to apply
Your degree
A 2:1 in a biomedical discipline, plus three A levels at C or above including two sciences.
Ranked before interview
The UCAT ranks applications before interview. Personal statements and work experience are no longer used.
Mini-interviews and tasks
Multiple mini-interviews and group tasks.
Contextual admissions
Lancashire's graduate course asks for a degree class and A levels. See how other dental schools use contextual data.
Clinical training across the region
Working in pairs
Students start in pairs, one treating under one-to-one supervision while the other nurses.
Wider placements
Training practices in general dentistry, and secondary care placements in maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics and special care.
A clear enhanced DBS check and occupational health clearance. Placement travel can be claimed towards, though not in full.
Student life in Lancashire
Small groups
At the Dental Education Centres you train in groups of about eight.
Lancashire: Dental SurgeryThe Preston hub
The school, its dental clinic and phantom head training areas are on the Preston campus.
Lancashire: Dental SurgeryTravel support
Lancashire says you can claim towards mandatory placement travel.
Lancashire: additional costsFees and key dates
Lancashire will confirm fees for the September 2027 intake.
Source: Lancashire: Dental Surgery BDS; UCAS: Lancashire A202
Key dates
Funding and support
No funding specific to this school is listed here. What you can get depends on where you live and where you study.
Strengths and things to plan for
- Community training. Four Dental Education Centres across the region.
- Small groups. About eight students per group.
- No personal statement. Selection uses your degree, UCAT and interview.
- Your degree. A 2:1 in a biomedical discipline.
- A levels too. Three at C or above, including two sciences.
- Travel. Budget for placement travel from year 3.
- English. IELTS 7.0 in every component.
Who to believe, and in what order
DentiSpark is not the authority on any of this, and does not want to be. University of Lancashire'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.
Check these before you apply:
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