University of Portsmouth: dentistry

The course

The BDS and how the five years run

5 years, full time · UCAS code B758

The BDS is taught at the Portsmouth Dental Academy in the William Beatty Building, alongside the university's hygiene, therapy and nursing students and visiting students from King's College London. A £5.6 million upgrade in December 2023 added haptic simulators, phantom heads and digital dentistry.

The Academy runs two clinics with 44 treatment bays under an NHS contract, and treats over 5,000 patients a year, all seen by supervised students.

UK entry from 2027

44 treatment bays

Over 5,000 patients

The Spinnaker Tower and Gunwharf Quays at sunset — Spinnaker Tower, PortsmouthPhoto: Johannes Heel, Unsplash

The five years, from Portsmouth's course page

Year 1
Foundations
Anatomy, physiology, microbiology, infection control, communication and lab-based clinical skills.
No live patients
Year 2 · Patients
Live patient clinics
Children's dental care, oral diseases, radiology, local anaesthesia and fillings.
Dental Academy
Year 3
Therapist scope
The full scope of a dental therapist, with school, outreach and hospital placements.
Outreach
Year 4
Dentist scope
Dentures, crowns, root treatment, extractions, surgery, trauma and special care.
Dental Academy
Year 5
Hospital rotations
Oral and maxillofacial surgery and orthodontics, and comprehensive care.
BDS

Published criteria

Entry requirements and how to apply

Apply through UCAS by 15 October

Standard entryAAA

A-level route

144 points from three A levels, with Biology and one other science (Chemistry, Physics, Maths or Psychology) at A.

Psychology counts. As a second science, on Portsmouth's own page.

Apply through UCAS by 15 October

ContextualABB

Contextual offer

Up to two grades lower for applicants who meet Portsmouth's contextual criteria, with extra consideration at interview.

Work experience. Desirable rather than required.

Source: Dental Schools Council 2027 guide

InterviewDec to Jan

The interview

Shortlisted applicants hear in November or December; interviews are expected in December 2026 and January 2027.

Decisions. Expected in February 2027, with offers going out in March.

Offers expected in March 2027

Contextual offers

Portsmouth's contextual offer, published by the Dental Schools Council, is up to two grades lower. See how it compares with the other dental schools.

Contextual admissions

Hands-on experience

Clinical training and outreach

Portsmouth Dental Academy

A dentist treating a patient, with a dental nurse assisting — Treating a patientLibrary photograph, not Portsmouth

A dental treatment room with a chair and overhead light — A dental treatment roomLibrary photograph, not Portsmouth

Its own clinics

Two clinics with 44 treatment bays, treating over 5,000 NHS patients a year, all seen by supervised students.

Varied outreach

Community surgeries, maxillofacial departments, supervised toothbrushing in infant schools and dental screening in the probation service.

What you pay for

Your own travel to placements and outreach, black enclosed shoes, and loupes if you want them; four sets of scrubs are provided. DBS and occupational health checks are required.

Living and community

Student life

There is no single campus: The university is spread through Portsmouth city centre. It says itself that no two buildings are more than a 20-minute walk apart.
Guildhall Campus: Park Building, King Henry Building, St Michael's Building and the White Swan Building.
Northern Quarter: Richmond, Dennis Sciama, Burnaby, Buckingham, Lion Gate and Portland Buildings.
Ravelin Park: The library, the students' union and the Ravelin Sports Centre.
The Dental Academy: William Beatty Building, Hampshire Terrace, PO1 2QG - the same street as the university's main address, not somewhere separate.
Sport: Ravelin Sports Centre cost £57 million and holds a BREEAM Outstanding rating. An eight-lane 25m pool, a 175-station gym, an eight-court sports hall, squash courts and a climbing wall.
The city: An island city. Around three-quarters of Portsmouth's 214,300 people live on Portsea Island, in about 40 square kilometres. It is the most densely populated local authority outside London.

Is a room guaranteed: Yes, if you hold Portsmouth as your firm choice and apply through the Student Home Portal by 26 June 2026. Through Clearing you have 24 hours to accept and until 9am on 19 August to apply.
What is guaranteed: A place, not a particular hall, room type or price.
Trust Hall, shared bathroom: £115 a week in 2026/27. The cheapest option.
Bateson Hall, shared bathroom: £125 a week standard, £141 large, in 2026/27.
Langstone Flats, en suite: £142 a week in 2026/27.
Harry Law Hall, en suite: £155 a week standard, £181 studio, £189 large studio, in 2026/27.
Rosalind Franklin Hall, en suite: £171 a week standard, £186 studio, in 2026/27.
Margaret Rule Hall, en suite: £177 to £182 a week standard, £193 studio. Eight minutes to the university, two to the station.
Greetham Street Hall, en suite: £193 to £200 a week in 2026/27, the most expensive self-catered option. Ten minutes to the university, two to the station.
Catered, Burrell House: £169 to £186 a week in 2026/27, shared bathroom.
Catered, Rees Hall: £197 a week, en suite. Breakfast and dinner on weekdays, pantries on every floor, a 24-hour staffed desk, and it sits on Southsea Common looking over the Solent.
Contracts: 40 weeks.
Renting privately: The university publishes £95 to £130 a week excluding bills for a house or flat share, or £120 to £160 including bills. Lodgings £110 to £150 a week with bills, sometimes meals.
The guarantor problem: You need a UK-based guarantor before the tenancy starts. Without one, some landlords ask for six months or more of rent up front.

Money and dates

Fees and key dates

In pounds · from Portsmouth's own pages

Fees, 2027/28 (B758)

UKStudents from the UK

Not yet publishedPortsmouth to confirm

InternationalSet by Portsmouth

Not yet publishedListed as TBC

Portsmouth suggests budgeting about £40 a year for printing, and up to £60 for each textbook you buy.

Source: Portsmouth: BDS Dental Surgery

Key dates

15 October, 18:00UCAS deadline for dentistry

Main

November or DecemberShortlisting for interview

Interview

Dec 2026 to Jan 2027Interviews expected

Interview

March 2027Offers expected

Outcome

Portsmouth's own expected dates for 2027 entry.Course page

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.

Scholarships and funding

Weighing it up

Strengths and things to plan for

From what Portsmouth publishes

Strengths

Its own clinics. Over 5,000 patients a year at the Dental Academy.
Team training. Alongside hygiene, therapy and nursing students.
Varied outreach. Schools, the probation service and community surgeries.

Things to plan for

A new programme. Provisionally accepted by the GDC, as every new course is.
2027 fees. To be confirmed by Portsmouth.
Entry. Use Portsmouth's own page for the offer and code.
Interviews. Expected December 2026 to January 2027.

Sources · last checked September 2026

Who to believe, and in what order

DentiSpark is not the authority on any of this, and does not want to be. University of Portsmouth'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:

Portsmouth: BDS Dental SurgeryUCASGeneral Dental CouncilDental Schools Council

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

University of Portsmouth

Key facts at a glance

A new school, with UK students starting in 2027