Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: Queen Mary University Dentistry Entry Requirements
- The Medic Life
- May 20
- 13 min read
Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) — through its world-renowned Institute of Dentistry at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry — delivers one of the UK's most sought-after Dentistry BDS programmes. Based at the Royal London Hospital site in Whitechapel, the 5-year BDS (UCAS code A200) offers early clinical exposure, state-of-the-art simulation labs, and patient care across one of the most diverse populations in the UK.
For September 2026 entry, QMUL expects to offer 67 Home places and up to 4 Overseas places — making Queen Mary Dentistry one of the most competitive BDS courses in London. This page is your complete, up-to-date guide to the Queen Mary Dentistry entry requirements, written by Dr Bakhtar Ahmad, a well-versed mentor to dentists, dental students and of course, Dentistry Admissions Lead at The Medic Life.
"Queen Mary is a results-driven school. They run a three-stage shortlisting process where UCAT 4th decile, A*AA in one sitting, and the right GCSE profile are non-negotiable. Get any of those wrong and your application doesn't even make it to the interview pile. Get them right, and a London BDS place is genuinely within reach." — Dr Bakhtar Ahmad, Dentistry Admissions Lead, The Medic Life
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: Queen Mary Dentistry (BDS) at a Glance - 2026/27 Entry
Course: Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS)
UCAS code: A200 | Institution code: Q50
Duration: 5 years (full-time)
Provider: Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London (Barts and The London)
Location: Royal London Hospital (Whitechapel) and Mile End campus
Places 2026: 67 Home + up to 4 Overseas (≈71 total)
UCAS deadline: 18:00 (UK time), 15 October
Interviews: Online, January – February
Decisions issued: March
Personal statement scored? No (but used at interview)
Resits accepted? Normally no (except agreed extenuating circumstances under the Equality Act 2010)
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: Queen Mary Dentistry A-Level Requirements
Queen Mary's A-level requirements are precise — every word matters. Here is the official 2026 entry standard:
A*AA, achieved in one sitting over a study period of no longer than two years
First A-level: Chemistry or Biology
Second A-level: A further science subject from Chemistry, Biology, Physics or Maths
Third A-level: Any other subject
The A* can be in any of the three subjects (it does not have to be Chemistry or Biology)
Further Maths is not counted if Maths is taken as your second A-level
Minimum UCAS Tariff of 152 (which A*AA delivers)
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: Important A-level rules many applicants miss
One-sitting rule: All three A-levels must be sat in the same exam series within a two-year programme
No A-level resits: Resits are normally not considered unless extenuating circumstances under the Equality Act 2010 have been pre-approved before you apply
The personal statement is not scored by QMUL — it does, however, get reviewed by the interview panel
Dr Bakhtar's tip: "I see strong candidates lose their Queen Mary place by sitting three subjects in Year 12 plus one fresh subject in Year 13 — that's not 'one sitting'. If you've had to retake or split your A-levels, talk to us before applying so we can build a list of dental schools that will actually score your profile."
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: Queen Mary Dentistry GCSE Requirements
QMUL's GCSE rule is stricter than many dental schools but very precise:
Six GCSEs at grades 777666 (or AAABBB) in any order
Must include the following four subjects:
Biology (or Human Biology)
Chemistry
English Language or English Literature
Mathematics
The Science Double Award may substitute the individual science GCSEs
GCSEs above the minimum do not earn extra points — once you meet the threshold, the selection score moves on to UCAT and UCAS Tariff
GCSEs are not required for graduate applicants
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: Queen Mary Dentistry Alternative Qualifications
Queen Mary accepts a wide range of qualifications that map to A*AA. Here are the main ones:
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: International Baccalaureate (IB)
37 points overall
Higher Level 6,6,6 including Chemistry or Biology plus one further science (Chemistry, Biology, Physics or Maths)
Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers
Three Highers at AAA including Chemistry and Biology
Two Advanced Highers at AA including Chemistry or Biology + one further science
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: Irish Leaving Certificate
H1 H1 H1 H2 H2 at Higher Level, including H1 in Chemistry or Biology and one other science
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: European Baccalaureate
85% overall including 8.5+ in Chemistry or Biology + one further science
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: US qualifications
US High School Diploma GPA 3.3+ plus three APs at 5,5,5 including Chemistry or Biology + one further science (AP Capstone Research is not accepted)
QMUL also publishes detailed equivalences for Australia, Canada (province-by-province), Germany, India, Hong Kong, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Singapore and more. If you are applying from outside the UK, check the official QMUL FMD entry-requirements page for your country.
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: Queen Mary Graduate Entry to the 5-Year BDS
Queen Mary doesn't run a graduate-only 4-year BDS like King's or Aberdeen — but graduates can apply to the 5-year A200 programme via one of two routes:
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: Route 1 — Bioscience graduate
A minimum 2:1 (Upper Second-Class Honours) undergraduate degree in a Molecular or Biomedical Sciences related subject
No further A-level qualifications required
Eligible degree examples:
Biomedical Sciences
Biomedicine
Biochemistry
Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Genetics
Human Anatomy
Microbiology
Molecular Biology
Neuroscience
Pharmacology
Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Pharmacy
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: Route 2 — Non-bioscience graduate
A minimum 2:1 in any other degree subject, plus
A-levels at BB in Chemistry or Biology + one further science (Chemistry, Biology, Physics or Maths) — or the equivalent in another accepted qualification
Note on postgraduate Dentistry at QMUL: Queen Mary offers postgraduate taught and research dental programmes (e.g. MClinDent, MSc Dental Materials, MSc Endodontic Practice, PhDs), but these are clinical specialty or research courses for already-qualified dentists — not routes into the BDS. If you are searching for "Queen Mary dentistry entry requirements postgraduate", you'll find the BDS graduate route above is what most undergraduate applicants need.
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: UCAT Requirements for Queen Mary Dentistry
The University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) is a non-negotiable part of the Queen Mary Dentistry application.
The hard rules
UCAT must be taken in the year of application
Minimum cognitive score: 4th decile or above in your overall UCAT total — anything below the 4th decile is automatically rejected at first shortlisting
SJT (Situational Judgement Test): Must be Band 1, 2 or 3 — SJT Band 4 = automatic rejection
UCAT waivers are NOT granted under any circumstances — if you cannot sit it, QMUL's advice is to reapply the following cycle
Extenuating circumstances cannot be applied to UCAT scores
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: How QMUL uses your UCAT score?
After the first shortlisting cut-off, your UCAT score is combined into a weighted score alongside your UCAS Tariff (for school-leavers) or degree weighting (for graduates). That combined score is then used to rank applicants for interview. After interview, offers consider:
Interview score
Situational Judgement Test band
UCAS Tariff / degree score
UCAT cognitive total
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: What does "4th decile or above" mean in practice?
The UCAT 4th decile threshold changes every year — QMUL deliberately do not publish a fixed cut-off because the national score distribution shifts annually. In recent cycles, the 4th decile has typically sat around the 2400–2480 mark across all four cognitive subtests. For competitive interview shortlisting, aiming for 2600+ is a much safer target.
Dr Bakhtar's tip: "A 4th-decile UCAT only gets you past the first sift — it does not guarantee an interview. The students who actually receive Queen Mary offers tend to combine a UCAT in the top 30% nationally with A*AA predictions. Treat the 4th decile as the floor, not the goal."
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: Queen Mary Dentistry English Language Requirements
If English is not your first language, or you haven't met the GCSE English minimum, you'll need:
GCSE/IGCSE English Language grade 6/B, OR
IELTS Academic: 7.0 overall with a minimum of 6.0 in every component
Equivalent tests (TOEFL, PTE, Cambridge English) accepted — check QMUL's English Language Requirements page
The test must be taken within two years of starting the course
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: How Queen Mary Selects Dentistry Applicants — The Three-Stage Process
Queen Mary uses a three-stage shortlisting process. Understanding each stage is essential to making your application competitive.
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: Stage 1 — First shortlisting (minimum thresholds)
To pass first shortlisting, you must:
Apply by the UCAS deadline of 15 October
Meet (or be predicted to meet) the academic entry requirements
Sit the UCAT in the year of application
Score within the 4th decile or above on UCAT
Score SJT Band 1, 2 or 3
Fail any one of these = automatic rejection.
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: Stage 2 — Selection for interview
Applicants who pass Stage 1 are ranked by a weighted score that combines:
UCAT cognitive total
UCAS Tariff from predicted/achieved qualifications (or weighted degree score for graduates)
Only the highest-ranked applicants in this weighted score are invited to interview. QMUL emphasises that the cut-off changes year on year and cannot be predicted.
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: Stage 3 — Offers (post-interview)
Final offers consider all assessment factors:
Interview score
UCAT cognitive total
SJT Band
UCAS Tariff or degree weighting
Outcomes are Offer, Waiting List, or Rejection, communicated in March.
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: The Queen Mary Dentistry Interview
If you make it through to interview, you will be invited to an online interview held in January or February. QMUL has not announced a major change for the 2026 cycle — applicants should still expect a values-based panel interview, typically:
2 senior academic or clinical staff
1 dental student
Sometimes a lay (non-clinical) selector
Dr Bakhtar's tip: "Queen Mary's panel will pull questions directly from your UCAS form. If you wrote it, you must be able to defend it — every line of work experience, every reflection. Our mock-panel interviews replicate the QMUL format exactly, including the lay-selector style of question that catches a lot of candidates off-guard."
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: Queen Mary Dentistry Contextual Offer
Queen Mary operates a contextual admissions scheme alongside its standard offer. Eligible applicants — those who have faced significant educational or socio-economic disadvantage — may be considered with a reduced offer compared to A*AA.
Typical contextual eligibility considerations
Attending a school or college that does not historically progress many students to medicine/dentistry
Time spent in local authority care
Postcode-based widening participation indicators (e.g. POLAR/IMD)
Eligibility for free school meals or significant household income criteria
First in family to attend university
QMUL applies contextual data after you submit your UCAS application — you do not separately "apply for" the contextual offer. All applicants are still required to meet the UCAT 4th-decile threshold and SJT Band 1–3 minimum — contextual offers reduce the academic side of the equation, not the UCAT side.
If you are searching for the Queen Mary Dentistry contextual offer, our admissions team can help you understand whether you might qualify and how to evidence it correctly on UCAS.
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: Fees and Funding (Indicative 2026/27)
Home students: Subject to the regulated UK tuition fee cap (currently £9,535 per year, rising in line with government policy)
Overseas (International) students: Approximately £49,000+ per year — confirm the latest figures on the QMUL fees page
NHS Bursary: Available from Year 5 of the BDS for eligible Home students
Bursaries and scholarships: QMUL operates means-tested bursaries; check the FMD finance and bursaries pages
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: Key Dates for 2026 Entry
Stage | Date |
UCAT booking opens | Late June 2026 |
UCAT testing window | July – Late September 2026 |
UCAS application deadline | 18:00 UK time, 15 October 2026 |
Interview invitations | December 2026 – January 2027 |
Online interviews | January – February 2027 |
Decisions issued | March 2027 |
Enhanced DBS submission | Per offer conditions |
Course start | September 2027 |
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: Health and Other Conditions of Entry
QMUL Dentistry has additional non-academic requirements that all offer-holders must meet before enrolling:
Enhanced DBS check — at the applicant's cost; you must also register for the DBS Update Service within 30 days
Hepatitis B vaccination — offers are only formalised on receipt of a doctor's declaration that vaccinations have begun
Blood-borne virus testing — required because BDS students perform Exposure-Prone Procedures (EPPs) from early in training
Occupational Health clearance — confidential health questionnaire reviewed by OHS
Fitness to Practise — ongoing requirement aligned with the General Dental Council (GDC) Safe Practitioner framework
Age: You must be 18 by mid-September when the course starts (deferred entry is possible if you'll be under 18 at enrolment)
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: Why Queen Mary Dentistry?
First in London for Dentistry (Complete University Guide 2026)
Top 10 UK for Medicine and Dentistry (QS World University Rankings, subject)
Royal London Hospital clinical facility — one of the largest dental hospitals in Europe
Curriculum aligned to the GDC Safe Practitioner framework (effective 2025)
Patient diversity from one of the most multicultural districts in the UK
Early clinical contact, state-of-the-art simulation labs, integrated case-based learning
Queen Mary Dentistry Entry Requirements: FAQs
What A-level do you need for Queen Mary University dentistry?
For 2026 entry to Queen Mary's BDS Dentistry (A200), you need:
A*AA at A-Level, achieved in one sitting over no more than two years of study
First A-Level: Chemistry or Biology
Second A-Level: A further science from Chemistry, Biology, Physics or Maths
Third A-Level: Any other subject
The A* can be in any of the three subjects
Further Maths is not counted if Maths is your second A-Level
A-Level resits are normally not accepted unless pre-approved extenuating circumstances apply
You also need a UCAS Tariff of at least 152 (which A*AA delivers), plus six GCSEs at 777666/AAABBB including Biology, Chemistry, English Language or Literature, and Maths.
Alternative qualifications include IB 37 points with HL 6,6,6 (including Chemistry or Biology plus one further science), and Scottish Highers AAA plus Advanced Highers AA.
What UCAT score is needed for Queen Mary?
Queen Mary requires you to score in the 4th decile or above of the UCAT cognitive total in the year you apply. Anything below the 4th decile is automatically rejected at the first shortlisting stage.
Crucial UCAT facts for Queen Mary Dentistry applicants:
The 4th decile threshold changes every year — QMUL deliberately does not publish a fixed cut-off
In recent UCAT cycles, the 4th decile has typically sat around 2400–2480
SJT Band 4 = automatic rejection — you must achieve SJT Band 1, 2 or 3
No UCAT waivers are granted under any circumstances
Extenuating circumstances cannot be applied to a UCAT score
Passing the 4th decile only gets you past stage one. To be invited to interview, your UCAT is combined with your UCAS Tariff in a weighted score — so realistically, a UCAT in the top 30% nationally (≈2600+) is what most successful Queen Mary applicants present.
If you want a precise, data-driven UCAT plan tailored to Queen Mary's scoring formula, Dr Bakhtar Ahmad and the team at The Medic Life can build one with you.
Page authored by Dr Bakhtar Ahmad, Dentistry Admissions Lead at The Medic Life. Information verified against the Queen Mary University of London Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry admissions pages (Selection Criteria and Entry Requirements for A200) and the current UCAS Undergraduate Admissions Policy 2026/27. Always confirm the most recent requirements directly with the QMUL Admissions Office before submitting your UCAS application.
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