BDS (Hons) Dental Surgery Bachelor's degree at the University of Liverpool
BDS (Hons) Dental Surgery at University of Liverpool. Dentistry at Liverpool is built around a research-connected learning environment, where the emphasis sits firmly on developing you as an individual rather than pushing everyone through an identical mould.
About this course
The University of Liverpool School of Dentistry offers a unique research-connected learning environment that is primarily focused on developing each individual, so that they can each realise their personal potential as well as qualify as a professional capable of providing compassionate, evidence-based, holistic dental From the provider’s course page.
BDS (Hons) Dental Surgery is a Bachelor's degree (BDS (Hons)) at the University of Liverpool, based in Main Campus. It runs 5 years, studied full-time.
For Medicine and dentistry graduates from this provider, 100% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 95% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £37,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Medicine & Dentistry, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Stronger evidence Published sample: 140. Cohort 2022-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 100% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 100% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
A typical UK Medicine & Dentistry degree builds from foundations to specialist options and a final project. An indicative structure:
| Stage | Module |
|---|---|
| Years 1–2 | Biomedical Sciences Core Anatomy, physiology and pathology, usually taught by body system. |
| Years 1–2 | Clinical & Communication Skills History-taking, examination and talking with patients from early on. |
| Years 1–2 | Population Health & Ethics Epidemiology, public health and professional ethics. |
| Years 3–4 | Clinical Rotations Hospital and GP placements across medicine, surgery and specialties. |
| Years 3–4 | Specialty Attachments Paediatrics, psychiatry, obstetrics and more, applied at the bedside. |
| Years 3–4 | Student-selected Components Deep-dives into areas you choose, often with research. |
| Year 5 | Assistantship & Preparation for Practice Working as part of the team ahead of foundation training. |
| Year 5 | Elective A placement of your choice, often abroad. |
| Year 5 | Finals & professional registration Integrated assessment leading to provisional registration. |
Typical structure for this subject (indicative). Modules vary by university. Check the provider's course page for the exact curriculum.
Specialisations & pathways
Tip: click a specialisation → current jobs in that area.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
Across the five years, the course is structured to take you from foundational understanding through to independent clinical competence. You'll work through core theory before moving into research & methods, where you learn how dental knowledge is generated and tested rather than simply memorised. Applied practice runs throughout, giving you the chance to translate classroom and laboratory learning into patient-facing skills under supervision. As you progress, specialist options such as areas of clinical dentistry allow you to build knowledge in particular directions, alongside an independent project that lets you investigate a question in depth and develop your research skills further. Professional skills are woven through the whole course, covering the communication, ethics and holistic patient-care approach that the School places at the centre of its teaching philosophy. Because the learning environment is research-connected, you're taught by people actively engaged in generating dental knowledge, not just delivering it.
Who it's for
This course suits someone who is genuinely curious about people as well as science, you'll need to be comfortable with detailed biological and clinical theory, but also willing to sit with patients, listen carefully, and think about care holistically rather than just clinically. If you're the sort of person who wants to understand why a treatment works rather than just how to perform it, the research-connected nature of the teaching here will appeal to you. Patience matters, since dentistry involves fine motor skill built up gradually over years, and resilience matters too, because clinical training can be demanding and slow before it becomes second nature. Most entrants arrive having studied A-levels or equivalent, with the typical UCAS tariff among accepted students falling between 144 and 159 points, useful as a sense of what past cohorts have brought with them rather than a fixed requirement. If you're motivated by the idea of qualifying as a professional capable of compassionate, evidence-based care, and you like the idea of your own personal development being taken as seriously as your exam results, this environment is built with that in mind.
Careers & job market
Dentistry leads towards professional clinical practice, and national labour-market data for Medicine & Dentistry courses gives a sense of what graduates in this field typically go on to do. Fifteen months after graduating, 89% of graduates across Medicine & Dentistry nationally are in work or further study, and 75% of working graduates are in highly skilled work or further study. These figures describe national outcomes for the field rather than results specific to this university or a guarantee for any individual student. National Graduate Outcomes (LEO) earnings data for the field show starting salaries, measured 15 months after graduation, ranging from £27,000 to £32,000. After three years this national range shifts to £24,650 to £34,800, and after five years to £29,325 to £41,400. Again, these are national figures for the field, not university-specific salary promises. Separately, 90% of students nationally continue past their first year, either still enrolled or having completed their course, which gives a broad sense of course retention in this area of study.
University & format
The course is delivered full-time over five years at the University of Liverpool's Main Campus, in English, under UCAS course code A200. Liverpool is a public university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities, with a total student body of 28,693. Founded in 1903, the University holds Gold for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023 and was. The University's funding pages are worth checking directly for details of any bursaries and scholarships that may apply.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Provider-published requirement; check the linked course page before applying.
Year in industry. Availability, selection and pay can vary.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 88% |
| a previous degree | 11% |
| No / unknown prior qualifications | 2% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Accepted students typically held strong UCAS tariffs. Check how your predicted grades compare and whether a contextual offer applies.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course (code A200). One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Standard capped home fee at English providers (2026/27); Scotland, Wales & NI differ.
Check fees at University of Liverpool →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
National funding for this subject
- NHS Bursary: Eligible medical and dental students can receive NHS support in the later years of study. Official guidance
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Medicine & Dentistry graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £37,000 | £33,000 – £42,000 | 140 |
| 3 years after | £48,000 | £41,500 – £55,500 | 370 |
| 5 years after | £52,500 | £46,500 – £59,000 | 370 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Stronger evidence. Published sample: 140. Cohort 2022-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in medicine & dentistry · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Medicine & Dentistry nationally
National figures for Medicine & Dentistry graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Stronger evidence. Published sample: 140. Cohort 2022-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Medicine & Dentistry courses at the same study level.
Compared with 804 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Other Health ProfessionalsSOC 2020 225 · 95% of published destinations · ASHE median £42,902
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 50; response rate: 60%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Medicine & Dentistry graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Medicine & Dentistry graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- The NHS
- Private practice
- Research & academia
- Public health
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Medicine & Dentistry graduates.
Medicine-Focused Veterinary Surgeon | Patient Care LeaderMedivet & PartnersMedicine Service Delivery Manager - Operations ImprovementNHSMedicine Occupational Therapist - StaffordshirePulse HealthcarePart-Time Palliative Medicine Consultant | 1-in-5 On-CallEvora Hospice (formerly Southern Area Hospice Services)Consultant Medicine - ElderlyPertemps Medical ProfessionalsSpecialty Doctor in Acute MedicineTriple West MedicalIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
100% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £37,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 9.9 out of 10: NSS 96% · in work or study 100% · continued 100%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
The University of Liverpool
Medicine and dentistry across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around Main Campus
5,175 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Medicine & Dentistry right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to University of Liverpool from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is set per course by University of Liverpool; international fees are typically £12,000–£30,000/year for classroom subjects and higher for lab/clinical ones. You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check University of Liverpool’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with University of Liverpool and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at University of Liverpool
Common questions
How competitive is entry?
What are the entry requirements?
What do graduates go on to do?
What will it cost me?
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