The graduate BDS and how the four years run
Aberdeen's graduate-entry BDS is the only one in Scotland. The Institute of Dentistry is on the Foresterhill Health Campus, shared with NHS Grampian, in a purpose-built building opened in 2010, with only about 80 BDS students in the whole Institute.
Students also spend time in purpose-built outreach facilities in Elgin, with NHS Grampian, and in Stornoway, with NHS Western Isles.
The four years, from Aberdeen's course page
- Year 1
The oral environment
Applied medical and dental sciences, anatomy and oral biology, and clinical dentistry.
Foresterhill - Year 2 · Clinic
Clinical scenarios
Clinical dentistry, applied sciences and professional skills, assessed through OSCEs.
Clinical dentistry - Year 3
Building practice
The same pattern at a higher level, with more clinical dentistry.
Outreach - Year 4
Integrated care
Bringing it all together in integrated oral care, with a structured clinical exam.
BDS
Entry requirements and how to apply
Your degree
A good honours degree in a medical or health science, such as biomedical science, anatomy, pharmacy or physiology, within the last six years.
Scoring for interview
The score is 60% academic and 40% UCAT, with no minimum UCAT cut-off.
Multiple mini-interviews
Seven stations in person, taking about an hour and a half.
Contextual admissions
Aberdeen's graduate course is scored on your degree and UCAT. See how other dental schools use contextual data.
Clinical training and outreach
Outreach in the north
Purpose-built outreach facilities in Elgin with NHS Grampian and in Stornoway with NHS Western Isles.
A small school
About 80 BDS students across the whole Institute, on a campus shared with NHS Grampian.
A PVG check, and occupational health screening by NHS Grampian for chickenpox, Hepatitis B and C, HIV and tuberculosis. Start your Hepatitis B immunisations early.
Student life in Aberdeen
Aberdeen Dental Society
Raises the profile of the Institute and organises social, educational and vocational events for students and staff.
Aberdeen: student societiesForesterhill
The Institute is on the Foresterhill Health Campus, shared with NHS Grampian.
Aberdeen: DentistryAn NHS Scotland bursary
£4,000 a year, open to all students, including from the rest of the UK, who intend to work with NHS Scotland after graduating.
Aberdeen: tuition feesFees and key dates
Aberdeen will publish its 2027/28 fees later.
Source: Aberdeen: Dentistry A201; Aberdeen: BDS tuition fees
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
- Four years. A graduate route that builds on your first degree.
- A small school. 23 places and about 80 BDS students in total.
- A bursary. £4,000 a year for future NHS Scotland dentists.
- Your degree. A 1st or 2:1 in a medical or health science.
- UCAT. Counts for 40% of the interview score.
- Outreach travel. Time in Elgin and Stornoway.
- Recent study. Qualifications within the last six years.
Who to believe, and in what order
DentiSpark is not the authority on any of this, and does not want to be. University of Aberdeen'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