Taught Postgraduate Admissions Policy - School of Dentistry 2023-24

Please see Course Search for the course list, typical entry requirements, and accepted qualifications.

Exceptions to the typical academic requirements may be made when an applicant demonstrates significant relevant experience and their potential for benefiting from the course is clear.

Applicants to MSc Oral Surgery, PGCert Oral Surgery and MSc Paediatric Dentistry must pass suitable occupational health checks and provide a clear Disclosure and Barring Service checks.

Occupational Health

Due to the nature of some of our postgraduate courses, and to meet statutory and professional requirements, all candidates who are offered a place on these courses will be required to complete an occupational health questionnaire and, where necessary, assessment. Offers made for these courses are conditional upon a satisfactory occupational health assessment and clearance.

Applicants with a health-related issue should contact the School of Dentistry as soon as possible if their health is likely to impact on their ability to engage with the admissions process or subsequent course. Please see the Useful contacts and resources section for contact details.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and Fitness to practise

Applicants to these courses will be required to declare a criminal conviction at the application stage in order that certain checks with the DBS can be undertaken. Admission may not be possible where satisfactory results are not achieved. The University will send further instructions as part of the admissions process where such checks are required. 

The School of Dentistry is obliged to refuse admission to applicants for certain courses which are regulated by national or statutory bodies where enhanced DBS checks, Certificates of Good Conduct or other criminality checks reveal prior criminal behaviour giving rise to concern for the protection of the public. 

International students: The DBS check can only include background checks on your time in the UK. If you have been resident in the UK for less than 3 years, then a criminal record check from outside the UK is required in addition to the UK DBS check. This may be referred to as an international criminality check but the name varies.

It should be noted that the General Dental Council also considers criminal convictions in relation to fitness to practise and the School has no control over this process. It is possible that certain criminal convictions could pose difficulties at the point of registration. See the GDC Fitness to Practise Guidance (PDF).

A full outline of the School of Dentistry’s policy in relation to criminal records is available in the School’s Criminal Records Policy.

In addition to the documents listed in the corresponding section of the University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy, a detailed CV must be submitted as part of an application to the School of Dentistry. 

For each role, the applicant should include:

• the name of their employer
• their official job title
• the exact dates of employment
• their personal responsibilities for each role
• whether the role is paid/unpaid and full-time/part-time. 

Please refer to the University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy for information on references.

The School of Dentistry does not accept applications from those who are seeking advanced entry on postgraduate courses. All applications must be made for the full programme of study.

Accreditation of Prior Learning Accredited prior learning (APL) is a process undertaken by the University in order to assess and, as appropriate, recognise prior experiential learning or prior certificated learning for academic purposes. For further information see the Advanced entry section of the University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy.

All applicants for taught postgraduate courses should apply online via the applicant portal. If an application deadline is in place, this is stated on Course Search and the completed application must be submitted by this date.

Applications for part-time postgraduate courses offered by the School of Dentistry should be made via the applicant portal in the same way as for full-time courses.

In addition to the information relayed in the corresponding section of the University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy, please note that the General Dental Council (GDC) stipulates that the lower age limit to practise clinical dentistry is 21. Therefore, the School of Dentistry is not able to admit any students below the age of 20 at the commencement of study.

The School of Dentistry will consider applications from those who have previously applied to the institution. The School of Dentistry considers applications from candidates who have previously studied at the institution in line with the University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy.

The personal statement of the application form helps us to assess the nature of the applicant’s interest in the academic subject and is an important part of the selection process. It is essential that applicants take this opportunity to demonstrate their enthusiasm and aptitude for the academic subject. We wish to hear about why you want to study this course, what your expectations from this course are in relation to your future career, and what personal skills or experience you have that will equip you to succeed on the course.

An applicant may be assessed based on the strength of their statement relative to others in their cohort, and/or based on criteria set by the academic school. 

Applicants for the School of Dentistry may be required to attend an interview. These interviews take place virtually. For further details please check the Course Search pages.

Where possible, the School of Dentistry will accommodate requests for alternative interview dates; however, an alternative cannot be guaranteed.

Some courses within the School of Dentistry may operate a gathered field approach to selection. Further explanation can be found in the University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy. Please check for details of deadlines on the relevant Course Search pages.

Relevant voluntary or work experience may be taken into account when an application is assessed. Some courses require a certain amount of work experience in a relevant field, as detailed on Course Search.

Please refer to the University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy for information on how decisions are communicated by the University.

Unsuccessful applicants who wish to request feedback on the reason for the outcome of their application should do so in line with the Feedback section of the University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy, using the relevant email address contact in the Useful contacts and resources section of this page. Generally, where applicants request feedback on why they have not been admitted, feedback will be given. However, please note that initial feedback is given as standard to all unsuccessful candidates who apply via the applicant portal.

As per the University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy, applicants who have sought feedback and wish to challenge the decision made on their application should contact the Head of School, whose details can be found in the Useful contacts and resources section of this page.