What ATAR do I need for dentistry at Adelaide?

Adelaide University sets a minimum adjusted ATAR-equivalent selection rank of 90.00 for eligibility. It says the ATAR actually required is typically much higher but does not disclose past cut-offs, and its profile for the Semester 1, 2026 intake reports fewer than five ATAR-based offers, so no lowest or median rank is published.

Is the Adelaide BDS undergraduate or graduate entry?

Undergraduate. Applicants are selected on the UCAT-ANZ, an online MMI and their academic results, and no prior degree or GAMSAT is required. The school gives no credit for prior study, so every student starts in Year 1.

Australian Dentistry · Entry Guide

Dental schools in South Australia

Q: Do Adelaide dental students do rural placements?

Yes. Final year includes a compulsory 12 to 13 week rural or interstate block, at SA Dental Service rural clinics or in Canberra, Tasmania or Wyong in New South Wales. Students arrange their own travel to placements.

1 schoolUCAT-ANZ route

South Australia’s only dental program is Adelaide University’s 5-year undergraduate Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS), taught at the Adelaide City Campus on North Terrace and anchored at the Adelaide Dental Hospital. Adelaide University was formed in January 2026 from the merger of the University of Adelaide and UniSA. Interview invitations are ranked on UCAT-ANZ performance alone, and domestic offers then combine academic results (40%), an online MMI (40%) and the UCAT-ANZ (20%).

Overview

Studying dentistry in South Australia

Adelaide’s dental school dates from 1920. Each year of the BDS is a single integrated course, Dental Science and Practice, and patient care starts in first year with a weekly clinical class and a placement day. Most patients are public patients of the South Australian Dental Service, treated under supervision at the Adelaide Dental Hospital. Final year is mostly placement, including a compulsory 12 to 13 week rural or interstate block at SA Dental Service rural clinics or in Canberra, Tasmania or Wyong in New South Wales. Adelaide reserves approximately four BDS places for rural-background applicants, and applicants on its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pathway are exempt from the UCAT-ANZ.

Funding + places. Adelaide’s domestic BDS places are Commonwealth supported, with HECS-HELP available to eligible students. Adelaide University does not publish a place count; its student profile records 76 students starting the BDS in Semester 1, 2026, 29 of them international. Approximately 300 domestic applicants are invited to interview, with at least 50% of school-leaver invitations going to South Australians.

Schools

Dental schools in South Australia

1 dental school in South Australia — click for the full school profile including admission tests, ATAR, interview format and place types.

Adelaide Dental

Adelaide · Established 1920

Multi-Mini Interview, domestic applicants (minimum 6 stations × 10 minutes, one interviewer per station, online via Zoom; Adelaide notes the format is reviewed each cycle and may change)

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

One. Adelaide University, formed in January 2026 from the merger of the University of Adelaide and UniSA, runs South Australia’s only dental program: a 5-year undergraduate Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) taught at the Adelaide City Campus.

Interview invitations are ranked on UCAT-ANZ performance alone; Adelaide says they do not consider academic record. The interview is an online MMI over Zoom, with at least six 10-minute stations for domestic applicants, and Adelaide notes the format is reviewed each cycle and may change. Domestic offers are then ranked on academic results (40%), the interview (40%) and the UCAT-ANZ (20%). Applicants also need a minimum adjusted ATAR-equivalent selection rank of 90.00 to be eligible.

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UCAT-ANZ and GAMSAT prep, written-application coaching, and interview practice for the South Australia dental programs that interview applicants.

Get started All Australian dental schools

Reviewed by Isaac Butler-King, medical student at the University of Glasgow. Last reviewed: 14 September 2026

Dental schools in South Australia

Studying dentistry in South Australia

Dental schools in South Australia

Frequently asked questions

How many dental schools are there in South Australia?

What does Adelaide use to select dental applicants?

What ATAR do I need for dentistry at Adelaide?

Do Adelaide dental students do rural placements?

Is the Adelaide BDS undergraduate or graduate entry?

Apply to dentistry in South Australia with NextGen MedPrep