Best Universities for Dentistry in the UK 2027
University of Bristol tops our 2027 dentistry ranking with 42 points, achieving 98% teaching quality and 96% academic support — jointly the highest course delivery scores in this field. University of Liverpool comes second with 41 points (99% academic support, 98% teaching quality) and University of Glasgow third with 37 points. We ranked all 8 UK dental schools across eight metrics: graduate earnings, teaching quality, student satisfaction, academic support, safety, cost of living, social life and sustainability.
There are only 8 dental schools in the UK offering the BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) qualification. Every place on this list matters. Graduate earnings range from £36,000 (Queen Mary) to £47,500 (King's College London) — the highest of any subject in our dataset. King's ranks 7th overall despite producing the highest-earning graduates: its academic support score of 50% is the lowest of any dental school by a wide margin, and its teaching quality of 64% is also the lowest in the field. University of Dundee (4th) produces graduates earning £40,000 with 97% teaching quality and a low cost of living.
For how these universities compare across all subjects, see the Unifresher best universities overall ranking and our best universities for employability.
Dentistry University Rankings 2027
| # | University | Grad Earnings | Satisfaction | Teaching Quality | Academic Support | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Bristol Bristol |
£37,000 | 73% | 98% | 96% | 42 |
| 2 | University of Liverpool Liverpool |
£37,000 | 71% | 98% | 99% | 41 |
| 3 | University of Glasgow Glasgow |
£38,500 | 75% | 96% | 95% | 37 |
| 4 | University of Dundee Dundee |
£40,000 | 75% | 97% | 95% | 36 |
| 5 | University of Manchester Manchester |
£38,000 | 70% | 75% | 79% | 30 |
| 6 | University of Birmingham Birmingham |
£36,500 | 72% | 95% | 96% | 27 |
| 7 | King's College London London |
£47,500 | 67% | 64% | 50% | 24 |
| 8 | Queen Mary University of London London |
£36,000 | 69% | 79% | 71% | 19 |
What the ranking tells you about studying dentistry
There are only 8 dental schools in the UK. Competition for places is among the most intense of any undergraduate degree — UCAS application to offer ratios run at approximately 10 to 1 at most schools, and entry requirements are uniformly high. Every school on this list leads to the same BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) qualification and full GDC registration, but the student experience, clinical training infrastructure, city cost of living and course quality vary substantially between them.
Bristol and Liverpool: the strongest all-round packages
University of Bristol tops this ranking with 42 points, the joint-highest teaching quality (98%) and 96% academic support. Its student satisfaction of 73% is the joint-highest at any dental school in this table. Bristol produces graduates earning £37,000 and benefits from strong safety scores, reasonable cost of living and a genuinely excellent city environment. University of Liverpool comes second with 41 points — 99% academic support (the highest of any dental school in the UK), 98% teaching quality and joint-highest graduate earnings of £37,000. Liverpool's lower ranking relative to Bristol reflects slightly lower scores on social life and city-level metrics. For course delivery quality specifically, these two schools lead the field.
Dundee: the value case for dentistry
University of Dundee ranks 4th with 36 points, producing the second-highest graduate earnings (£40,000) behind King's. Its teaching quality is 97% and academic support 95% — both among the highest in the field. Dundee's cost of living index is 65 — one of the lowest in this table — and the city has consistently strong safety scores. The university's dental school has one of the highest ratios of dental technology and clinical simulation infrastructure in the UK. For applicants who want genuinely strong course delivery, high earnings and low costs, Dundee's overall data package is the most compelling case for a dental school outside the South of England.
King's College London ranks 7th despite producing the highest-earning graduates in the UK at £47,500. King's achieves 50% academic support — the lowest of any dental school in this ranking by a significant margin. Liverpool achieves 99%, Bristol 96%, Glasgow 95%, Dundee 95%, Birmingham 96%, Manchester 79% and Queen Mary 71%. King's teaching quality of 64% is also the lowest in the field. London's cost of living index (91 — the most expensive in this table) is a contributing factor to its low ranking, but the course delivery scores tell a specific story about the student experience at King's dental school that the £47,500 graduate earnings figure does not. Those earnings reflect the London dental market rather than course quality.
Manchester: the course quality concern
University of Manchester ranks 5th with 30 points. Its teaching quality of 75% and academic support of 79% are the second-lowest in the field (above King's and above Queen Mary on support). Manchester benefits from the highest social life score in this ranking (85/100) and solid graduate earnings (£38,000). It is the largest city in this ranking and consistently ranks well for student experience in general. But for a five-year clinical degree where the quality of your clinical training and supervision directly determines your competence as a dentist, Manchester's course delivery scores are worth examining alongside the city's attractions.
For a broader view of how these universities compare across all subjects, see the Unifresher overall best universities ranking.
