Dental Entrance Exams 2027: At a Glance
Key Exam Dates tracks 1 dental entrance exam for the 2027 admission season in India.
Official 2027 dates have not yet been published for any exam in this stream. Each row below shows the previous cycle's confirmed dates as reference, labelled as such, and is updated the day an official notification appears.
All dates verified against official exam-authority notifications. Last updated . How we verify.
Dental – Dental Entrance Exams 2027
| Exam | Application Start | Application Deadline | Exam Date | Mode | Target Colleges | Official Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
NEET (UG) - BDS 2027
National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate Dental
|
To be announced 2026 cycle: 08 Feb 2026 |
To be announced 2026 cycle: 11 Mar 2026 |
To be announced 2026 cycle: 21 Jun 2026 |
Offline | Top Dental Colleges | Official |
Dental Admissions 2027: Frequently Asked Questions
BDS has no fixed cut-off score. Seats are allotted on the same NEET UG rank, in the same MCC and state counselling as MBBS, and closing ranks change every year. You must reach at least the 50th percentile (40th for SC/ST/OBC) to qualify. Compare previous-year closing ranks for the colleges you want, and list both MBBS and BDS choices so you don't miss seats.
It depends on your rank gap and your goals. A drop year makes sense only if you can pinpoint what went wrong and realistically improve your rank. NEET UG has no upper age limit, so another attempt is allowed. If you prefer dentistry, BDS is a full professional degree in its own right. Weigh total fees, the college's recognition and clinical exposure before deciding.
Both. MCC (mcc.nic.in) counsels 15% All India Quota BDS seats in government colleges and 100% of deemed-university seats. It also counsels central seats such as Jamia Millia Islamia's Faculty of Dentistry. State-quota government seats and private-college seats are filled by your state counselling authority. Register for both. Dates are on the NEET UG (Dental) page.
Yes. Under the Dentists Act and DCI BDS regulations, no one can be admitted to BDS without qualifying NEET UG. There is no separate state or college dental entrance. Government, private and deemed-university seats are all filled from NEET-based All India and state merit lists, through MCC and state counselling. Qualifying alone does not guarantee a seat: your rank, category and choices decide it. See the NEET UG (Dental) page.
Under DCI rules, you must pass Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology and English individually in Class 12. You need at least 50% marks in PCB taken together (40% for SC/ST/OBC). You must also qualify NEET UG (50th percentile; 40th for SC/ST/OBC) and be at least 17 by 31 December of the NEET year. There is no upper age limit.
Usually not for state-quota government seats. Each state sets its own domicile rules, and these seats generally go to that state's eligible candidates. Outside your home state, your main route is the 15% All India Quota and deemed universities through MCC. Whether any private or management seats are open to other-state candidates depends on that state's counselling bulletin, so check it.
Government dental colleges cost much less and usually fill first in counselling. For any college, confirm DCI recognition on dciindia.gov.in, and look at patient flow, because hands-on clinical work matters most in BDS. Check total course fees in the counselling authority's notices or on the college's official site, not from third-party lists.
BDS is a 5-year program: 4 academic years plus a 1-year compulsory paid rotating internship in a dental college. The degree is awarded only after the internship. You need it to register with the State Dental Council and practise as a dentist.
Yes. NTA's NEET UG bulletin says Indian citizens and OCIs who plan to study an undergraduate medical or dental course at a foreign institution must also qualify NEET UG. If you plan to practise in India later, check the Indian recognition rules for foreign dental degrees on dciindia.gov.in before you enrol.
Yes. A recognised BDS degree with State Dental Council registration lets you practise general dentistry, including in your own clinic. Your state's clinic-registration rules may also apply. MDS is needed to practise as a specialist, such as an orthodontist or prosthodontist.
BDS admission runs on NEET UG. In recent cycles, NTA opened applications in February for an exam scheduled in May, and MCC and state dental counselling followed the result. Nothing for 2028 or 2029 is official until NTA publishes it on neet.nta.nic.in. The NEET UG (Dental) page adds verified dates as soon as they are out.