How many dental schools are in Northern Ireland?

One: Queen's University Belfast, which runs the 5-year BDS programme. Ulster University does not run a dental school.

Is Queen's Belfast dentistry easier to get into for NI applicants?

Relative to GB-wide competition, yes - the NI-domiciled quota at Queen's gives NI applicants a higher offer rate than they would face applying RUK to mainland schools. For Rest-of-UK applicants the Queen's quota is small and the bar is comparable to Cardiff or Glasgow.

How much is dental school in Northern Ireland?

NI-domiciled applicants pay £4,710/year. Rest-of-UK applicants pay £9,250/year. International applicants pay overseas fees (varies by year). Living costs in Belfast are materially below London or Edinburgh.

What UCAT score do I need for Queen's Belfast dentistry?

Queen's weights UCAT alongside academic attainment. Cut-offs vary by tier and cycle - see the Queen's detail page for the latest applicant statistics. RUK applicants typically need a meaningfully higher UCAT than NI applicants.

Where do Queen's dental graduates work?

Most Queen's BDS graduates enter the Northern Ireland Dental Foundation Training scheme. The scheme has high retention and strong satisfaction scores, and many graduates remain in NI for the early stages of their career.

NextGenMedPrep

UK Dentistry · 2027 Entry

Dental schools inNorthern Ireland

1 school2027 entry

Northern Ireland has one dental school: Queen's University Belfast, which runs the 5-year BDS programme. Clinical training is delivered at the Royal Victoria Hospital and the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust dental services, with community placements across NI. Queen's weights academic attainment heavily alongside UCAT, and the NI-domiciled quota makes the route disproportionately accessible for Northern Ireland applicants relative to GB-wide competition.

Overview

Studying dentistry in Northern Ireland

NI-domiciled applicants funded by Student Finance NI pay £4,710/year (substantially below the £9,250 RUK rate). Rest-of-UK applicants pay the standard £9,250/year and International applicants pay overseas fees. The NI quota at Queen's is sized for the local population so NI-domiciled applicants have a meaningfully higher offer rate than RUK applicants competing for a smaller RUK quota. Graduates predominantly enter the Northern Ireland Dental Foundation Training scheme.

Northern Ireland funding. NI-domiciled: £4,710/year (Student Finance NI rate). Rest of UK: £9,250/year. International: overseas rates. NI Dental Foundation Training retains a high proportion of NI graduates.

Schools

Dental schools in Northern Ireland

1 dental school in Northern Ireland for 2027 Entry. Click for the full how-to-get-in guide.

Queen's University Belfast

Belfast · Established 1845

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

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Reviewed by Isaac Butler-King, medical student at the University of Glasgow. Last reviewed: 3 July 2026