London, UK•Est. 1829

King's College London (KCL) Dental School — Entry Requirements & Interview Format

London-based dental institute with a heavily weighted GCSE and contextual-points scoring system, plus combined undergraduate and graduate-entry routes.

Entry Requirements

What you need to apply to King's College London (KCL).

A-Level requirements

A*AA — A* in biology or chemistry, plus A in another of biology/chemistry/physics/maths/psychology. Resit considered for first-time L3 resitters. Second resits only with mitigating circumstances.

UCAT Requirement

Home

~2050+/2700 (consider 2050+ minimum threshold with 8+ grade 8/9s and band 1 SJT). 2024 average at interview ≈ 2170+/2700.

Contextual: Lower thresholds for POLAR/ACORN/IMD-flagged, care-experienced, or KCL WP scheme attendees.

International

Target of 15 overseas places

Notes

Likely scoring: 0.45×UCAT + 0.05×SJT + 0.40×GCSE + 0.10×contextual. SJT band 4 → automatic rejection. KCL has refused to share exact weightings; figures are FOI-derived.

SJT Band

Band 1 ideal; band 4 appears to be automatically rejected. SJT contributes ~5% of scoring.

Specialties offered

Dentistry (BDS), Graduate Entry Dentistry (4-year), Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (3-year, post-FY2)

Work experience

Reflect on past experiences and link them to dentistry. Match KCL Dentistry website's listed skills and qualities to things you've done (work, volunteering, personal). No need for endless dental shadowing — quality of reflection matters more.

Interview Format

How King's College London (KCL) interviews applicants.

Format

Two-interviewer panel, remote (no longer 6-station MMI)

Interview window

January – February

Decision date

March onwards

Post-interview chances

Non-contextual home students without degree: 98/171 = 57% (2025). Overall 2025: 175/350 = 50%.

What to expect at a King's College London (KCL) interview

Two-interviewer panel format conducted remotely. Tests communication skills while exploring general health-related social and ethical issues. Many questions overlap with the SJT-style scenarios. Build a "bank" of examples (work, volunteering, personal experiences) you can adapt across questions rather than memorising answers.

What makes King's College London (KCL) different

Combined scoring: ~45% UCAT + 5% SJT + 40% GCSE + 10% contextual factors (FOI-derived; subject to change). 8+ grade 8/9s at GCSE typically required. SJT band 4 appears to be automatically rejected. Also runs a 4-year and 3-year graduate-entry programme (see Graduate Entry section).

Tutor insight

KCL interviews are remote two-interviewer panels testing communication and assessing how you contribute to the university. Build a "bank" of examples that you can adapt — clear bullet-point examples beat memorised answers. Interview notice can be short, so keep preparation active. — Jeevan, KCL tutor