BSc in Dental Therapy 2025 Entry (B750)

There are approximately 18 places available on this three year course that is delivered at the University of Liverpool. All applications are considered together with no differentiation between Home, EU and international students.

Admissions procedures

Applications should be made through UCAS by 29th January 2025. Late applications will not be considered. It is the applicant’s responsibility to complete the UCAS form fully and failure to do so will result in rejection. It is particularly important to enter all qualifications taken, including those failed. Factors that are assessed on an application form include:

  • Academic attainments, to ensure that they meet the minimum entry criteria.
  • Predicted grades for examinations/degrees still to be taken or awarded and only those applicants likely to achieve the entry criteria are invited for interview.
  • References should be clearly supportive and preferably indicate that the applicant has the necessary attributes for the chosen career. An academic reference should be supplied whenever possible.
  • We do not require applicants to take any aptitude tests e.g. UCAT or BMAT.
  • Re-applications from candidates who have been unsuccessful following an interview for the B750 BSc course will not be considered.

Academic qualifications

Applicants are required to meet the GCSE and A level (or the equivalent qualification criteria). Distance learning and BTEC qualifications are not accepted.

A levels

  • 3 A levels at grades ABB or above one of which must be Biology. General Studies and Critical Thinking are not accepted as one of the 3 A levels. Pending A level qualifications will be considered. We do not consider AS level grades when making decisions.
  • We will consider A level grades taken over 3 years (this includes one resit attempt per subject).
  • For Science A levels that include the separately graded practical endorsement, a Pass is required.

GCSE
Applicants who have not taken GCSEs are required to have completed equivalent qualifications and to have achieved the equivalent to the below in terms of subjects and grades.

  • We use GCSE grades when shortlisting for interview so it is important to provide full details of these examinations and failure to do so will lead to rejection of the application.
  • All applicants must have 6 GCSEs at grade C/5 or above which must include English Language, Maths and a Science; if Dual Science has not been taken Biology GCSE is required.
  • Applicants should distinguish between full and short courses on their application form. Two short courses will be counted in lieu of one full course.
  • Functional skills will not be considered as an alternative to GCSE Maths or English Language. Vocational/Applied GCSEs such as BTECs, Cambridge Nationals etc. will not be considered.
  • We do not accept GCSE Maths Numeracy.
  • BTEC Science will not be considered as an alternative to a GCSE in Science.
  • The GCSE requirements should be in place at the time of application. We are unable to consider pending grades at GCSE.

Degree candidates applying for B750

  • Degree in any subject (at the discretion of the Admissions Tutor) at a minimum of a 2:1 classification. Only the first full degree that the applicant is awarded is considered. Foundation degrees are not accepted. Those with a degree that is not classified should have achieved an overall grade of 70% or above.
  • A minimum of 3 A levels at grades BBB or above including Biology. General Studies, Critical Thinking and Vocational/Applied A levels are not accepted.
  • A minimum of 6 GCSEs at grade C/grade 5 or above including Maths, English Language and a Science; if Dual Science has not been taken Biology GCSE is required.
  • Vocational/Applied GCSEs such as BTECs, Cambridge Nationals etc. are not accepted. The GCSE requirements should be in place at the time of application. We are unable to consider pending grades at GCSE level.
  • We are unable to accept applications from individuals who are enrolled on another university degree course unless that course will be completed, and the results known, by the 14th August 2025.
  • If an applicant has commenced a degree but not completed it, full details of the circumstances for non-completion should be submitted to dhdtenq@liverpool.ac.uk by 29th January 2025.

Access Course candidates

  • We consider Access Courses to be suitable for adult learners who should normally have been out of education for at least 5 years.
  • Applicants offering Access to Higher Education Diplomas should present from courses with a minimum of 12 units in Biology and 12 units in Chemistry content at Level 3.
  • Candidates are expected to achieve a distinction in 45 credits at level 3. We would expect the equivalent of a score of 80% to be achieved overall.
  • Further information will be requested from the applicant at the time of application to ensure the Access Course being taken meets the required academic criteria. Not all Access Courses meet the required entry criteria.
  • We do not consider Access Courses to be appropriate for students who have failed to achieve the necessary A level grades in the last 5 years.
  • At least 5 GCSE subjects at grade C/5 including Maths, English Language and a Science; if Dual Science has not been taken Biology GCSE is required.
  • Vocational/Applied GCSEs such as BTECs, Cambridge Nationals etc. are not accepted. Functional skills qualifications will not be considered in place of GCSEs.
  • The GCSE requirements should be in place at the time of application. We are unable to consider pending grades at GCSE level.
  • The Access Course should be completed in one year.
  • Students are required to begin our Dental Therapy course within 2 years of completing their Access programme.
  • Only the first full Access qualification that the applicant is awarded will be considered.
  • We do not accept online or distance learning Access courses.

European and International Qualifications

  • The onus is on the applicant to demonstrate equivalence of International and European qualifications and we would expect achieved or predicted grades to be equivalent to our GCSE and A level entry requirements.
  • In addition to the information submitted as part of the UCAS application we also expect applicants to send a transcript of the qualification(s) in English via email (dhdtenq@liverpool.ac.uk).
  • It is the applicant’s responsibility to supply this information by 29th January 2025. Failure to provide this information will result in rejection.

Candidates whose first language is not English

We require IELTS with no less than 7.0 in every component. Pending IELTS will be considered, however applicants are required to have registered for this test prior to application and listed the details of their upcoming test on their UCAS form.

Contextual Data

The University of Liverpool is committed to making our admissions process as fair and equal as possible. To do this we look at the information applicants provide during the UCAS application process.

A contextual offer is made when information you provide tells us that you have experienced barriers to your educational progression. To find out if you are eligible, please submit the information required into the Contextual Admissions Indicator Tool to find out if you meet our criteria: Contextual Admissions - Undergraduate - University of Liverpool.

Learn more about Contextual Admissions at the University of Liverpool. If you are eligible for a reduced contextual offer, you do not need to do anything further. All of the information we need is provided in your UCAS application form.

Personal Statement/Work Experience

The Personal Statement is assessed to ensure that the applicant has knowledge of and insight into the profession with emphasis on work experience/observation. Evidence of a caring attitude and awareness of the values embedded within the NHS constitution is also sought. Applicants must demonstrate motivation and commitment to a career in dental therapy. Candidates are expected to show a range of skills and it is desirable on all dental programmes that candidates have completed a period of work experience/shadowing in a local dental practice or hospital and preferably in more than one establishment.

Plagiarism

The University is notified by UCAS of any Personal Statements that are considered to be plagiarised. The Dental School will automatically reject such applications. Applicants may apply in another admissions cycle if they submit an application that UCAS does not deem to be plagiarised.

Extenuating Circumstances

Potential applicants who narrowly fail to meet our academic criteria because their education and/or examination performance was affected by significant extenuating circumstances may submit an application. They should send a full account of the extenuating circumstances and how their studies were affected, together with supporting documentation from their school, college, GP, hospital etc. directly to dhdtenq@liverpool.ac.uk. Please note that information related to extenuating circumstances that is included in the reference section of the UCAS form will not be taken into account; all information should be submitted directly to our office as outlined above.

All cases will be considered by the Dental School’s Extenuating Circumstances Committee. As cases and reviewed on a case-by-case basis we are unable to guarantee that an applicant’s extenuating circumstances will be accepted by the Panel. If the extenuating circumstances are accepted, the application will progress to the next stage of our Admissions process. All documentation will need to be submitted by the application deadline of 29th January 2025. For applicants who are resitting their A levels due to extenuating circumstances, it is unlikely that we would consider an applicant who achieved less than BCC at the first A level sitting.

Applicants who have experienced significant extenuating circumstances between 30th January 2025 and 30th June 2025 that may have affected their studies should submit supporting documentation (as detailed above) by 1st July 2025. Information received after this date will not be considered.

Interviews

  • We do not make an offer without first interviewing an applicant.
  • Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs) will be held in January and February 2025 (at Liverpool Dental School).
  • All qualifications detailed in the application form will need to be verified at interview. Applicants are required to bring the original copies of their academic qualification certificates to interview. Only original certificates will be considered sufficient for this purpose. Failure to do so will be considered in our selection processes. Please note that letters from schools and exam boards will NOT be accepted.

Decisions and Feedback

All applicants will be notified of our decision by the end of March 2025. Requests for feedback should be made in writing to dhdtenq@liverpool.ac.uk before the end of May 2025. We will not respond to feedback requests after this date. We will endeavour to respond to requests as soon as is practicably possible.

Other department specific information

  • All applicants must be 18 years old by 1st October in the year of entry to the programme.
  • We use GCSE grades, or equivalent, when shortlisting for interview so it is important to provide full details of these examinations and failure to do so will lead to rejection of the application.
  • Applicants who have not met the academic conditions of an offer but are seeking a remark will have their place deferred until the next academic year of entry, if the grade required is confirmed.
  • There should be evidence of recent academic endeavour i.e. in the last 5 years.
  • The School of Dentistry tries to accommodate students with disability or learning support needs, but it can only accept students who would be able to practise dental therapy without detriment to patients. Students who have a disability that is likely to significantly affect their ability to practise dental therapy, or who will need significant support to enable them to do so, are encouraged to write to the admissions tutor at dhdtenq@liverpool.ac.uk to discuss this informally in the first instance. As far as possible, admissions procedures are kept separate from Fitness to Train assessments which are carried out by the University Occupational Health Department for all students entering the School.
  • The School of Dentistry has an obligation to undertake health screening of all prospective dental therapy students. Any offer of a place is conditional on completion of a health questionnaire and a satisfactory assessment of fitness to train from the University Occupational Health Service. This includes some obligatory immunisations and blood tests, in line with recommendations by the Department of Health.
  • All potential students need to undergo an enhanced DBS check before admittance to the programme.

Applicants are advised to check the website for the latest information prior to application and throughout the admissions cycle.

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