Study at Cardiff | Undergraduate

Dentistry

Admissions Criteria

This information will assist applicants in assessing whether they have the skills, attributes and qualifications which Cardiff School of Dentistry has identified as being important if students are to succeed on its undergraduate programmes of study. It also summarises the process which the School uses for selecting students and making offers, so that applicants understand how the School considers their applications.

Scope of the Criteria

This policy supports the aim of our undergraduate curriculum which is ‘to educate individuals to safely practice dentistry in a training environment appropriate to their professional aspirations. They should be able to combine and use knowledge, skills and judgement and have appropriate attitudes to deliver a high standard of professional care’. This policy also underpins Cardiff University’s Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy.

The Admissions Policy of the School of Dentistry intends to ensure that the process of student selection is objective, transparent, open, fair and free from discrimination. It is reviewed and revised annually by the Admissions and Monitoring Committee (Taught Courses) of the School of Dentistry at the commencement of the admissions cycle; it is not normally modified thereafter during that cycle.

This Policy has been written with reference to UCAS guidelines and recommendations outlined in the Admissions to Higher Education Review "Fair Admissions to Higher Education: Recommendations for Good Practice" (the Schwartz Report, 2004), the General Dental Council’s ‘First Five Years’ (2002) and the QAA Code of Practice: Admissions to higher education (2006). It has been approved by the Board of Studies (Undergraduate & Diploma) and the School Board.

Profile of applications

Entry to Dental Programmes throughout the UK is subject to strict quotas. The purpose of these quotas is to allow the Government to control entry to the Dental profession as part of its manpower planning strategy.

The School currently offers 76 Home/EU and 4 Overseas places for the Bachelor of Dental Surgery programme.

The number of applications to each of the programmes is monitored closely on an annual basis. For entry in 2012 the School of Dentistry received approximately 732 Applications for the BDS (Hons). Of these, approximately 240 applicants were interviewed and following interview 174 offers were made. There were 432 applications for DCP programmes with 64 interviews and 33 offers made. In common with other Dental Schools competition for places is extremely high.

Opportunities to learn more about the School and its programme of study

A University Open Day is held in April each year and provides the opportunity to visit all academic schools in addition to the residences, the Students’ Union and sports facilities. Please see our Open Day webpage for further details.

Applicants to the School will be invited to a UCAS Visit Day to discuss their application with staff and to see the School and its facilities.

Feedback, Complaints and Appeals

The University has agreed procedures for dealing with requests for feedback which is outlined in the Admissions Framework:

• Complaints & Appeals Procedure for Applicants [52.5 Kb]

School Contact Details

Cardiff School of Dentistry

Email: dentaladmissions@cardiff.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)29 2074 2468
Extension: 74656
Address:
School of Dentistry
Cardiff University
Heath Park Campus
Cardiff, Wales
CF14 4XY