Graduate Entry Dentistry in New Zealand
New Zealand has no dedicated 4-year accelerated graduate BDS. There is just one dental school — the University of Otago in Dunedin — and graduates enter the same 5-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery as school-leavers, almost always through Health Sciences First Year. This page explains the routes a graduate can use, why UCAT-ANZ is not required for dentistry, the structured Zoom interview, and how dentistry is funded.
Is there graduate-entry dentistry in NZ?
Not in the way the UK has it. The UK runs several dedicated 4-year accelerated graduate BDS programmes. New Zealand has none — there is a single dental school, the University of Otago Faculty of Dentistry in Dunedin, offering one 5-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery.
Graduates apply into that same 5-year BDS alongside school-leavers, so a prior degree does not shorten the course. The standard route is to complete Health Sciences First Year (HSFY) and apply for BDS from there. Graduates with a relevant New Zealand degree, or substantial allied-health experience, may instead be eligible for Otago's Graduate or Alternative admission categories.
Crucially for graduates: UCAT-ANZ is not required for Otago BDS — it was removed from dental admissions from the 2025 intake onwards. Selection rests on academic performance and a structured Zoom interview for shortlisted applicants.
Admissions test: none for BDS
Unlike NZ medicine, dentistry has no admissions test. The UCAT-ANZ was removed from Otago BDS admissions from the 2025 intake onwards and does not feature in BDS selection at any stage. There is no GAMSAT in New Zealand at all.
Otago BDS — no UCAT-ANZ
Removed from 2025. Whether you apply via HSFY, the Graduate Category or the Alternative Category, you do not sit UCAT-ANZ for dentistry. Selection is academic score plus interview performance.
Medicine differs (UCAT-ANZ required)
If you are also applying for MBChB in the same cycle, UCAT-ANZ is required for medicine (a threshold gate at Otago, weighted 15% at Auckland) — but it never affects your BDS application.
Graduate routes into Otago BDS (2027 entry)
There is no separate graduate degree — these are the 3 routes a graduate can use into the single 5-year Otago BDS. None requires UCAT-ANZ, and all feed into the same shortlisting and structured Zoom interview.
Otago BDS via Health Sciences First Year (HSFY)
Dunedin · 5 years · No UCAT-ANZ · Principal pathway
Meet Otago's undergraduate entry requirements, complete the 7 prescribed HSFY papers full-time, and earn a strong academic rank. Graduates use this route just like school-leavers.
The dominant entry route into the only NZ dental school. Selection combines academic rank with a structured Zoom interview for shortlisted applicants.
Otago BDS via the Graduate Category
Dunedin · 5 years · No UCAT-ANZ · Limited places
For applicants who have completed a relevant first degree at a New Zealand university (typically within the previous three years) covering the prerequisite science content.
A graduate-specific admission category into the same 5-year BDS — your prior degree results form the academic component instead of an HSFY rank.
Otago BDS via the Alternative Category
Dunedin · 5 years · No UCAT-ANZ · Small cohort
For experienced allied-health professionals seeking a route into a health-professional programme. Eligibility is assessed individually by the University of Otago.
Designed for career-changers with substantial allied-health experience; shortlisted applicants attend a structured interview rather than relying on a school-leaver academic rank.
One dental school, one programme. Otago is the only place in New Zealand to study dentistry, and there is no accelerated graduate BDS — a prior degree does not shorten the five years. If geography or course length matters to you, also weigh up the Australian dental schools. See the full picture of the only NZ option at /nz/dental-schools.
Selection and the Zoom interview
BDS selection combines an academic score with interview performance. For HSFY applicants the academic score is your rank across the seven prescribed papers; for Graduate or Alternative Category applicants it is built from your degree results or assessed background.
Shortlisted applicants — approximately 350 across all categories each cycle — are invited to a structured Zoom interview, typically in late September or early October. The dental interview is not described as an MMI in official Otago materials, and the exact academic-versus-interview weighting is not published.
Because the interview is decisive once you are shortlisted, prepare deliberately for the Otago dental interview format rather than a UK-style MMI. Reflective work experience observing dentistry in practice, and an understanding of oral health in Aotearoa, carry real weight.
Equity pathways for graduate applicants
Otago's equity framework — Mirror on Society, including Te Kauae Paraoa for Māori and Pacific applicants — applies across all admission categories, including graduate and alternative routes. Eligible Māori and Pacific applicants are considered within a separate equity ranking sub-pool.
Otago also supports rural-origin applicants using the Geographic Classification for Health, and there are government-funded rural dental BDS places aimed at addressing workforce shortages outside the main centres. These equity considerations are additions to — not replacements for — strong academic preparation and a confident interview.
Funding dentistry as a graduate
There is no NHS-style dental bursary in New Zealand. Domestic students pay annual tuition set by the University of Otago and can fund tuition and living costs through StudyLink — the Student Loan and, where eligible, the Student Allowance, plus Fees Free where it applies.
Because the BDS is not shortened for graduates, a prior degree does not reduce your fees: you pay for all five years of the programme. Budget for HSFY (or your gateway year) first, then the five years of BDS.
International students pay substantially higher dental fees, set annually by the University of Otago, and are not eligible for StudyLink. Most meet the cost through family funding or government sponsorship.
Fees and StudyLink terms change each year — always confirm the current BDS fee and your StudyLink eligibility with the University of Otago and StudyLink before you rely on them.
Frequently asked questions
Build a competitive Otago BDS application
HSFY strategy, work-experience reflection and Otago dental interview coaching — built for graduate dentistry applicants targeting New Zealand's only dental school.