Indian dental graduates invited to compete for valuable scholarships in the UK

The scholarships are being offered by the prestigious College of Medicine and Dentistry (CoMD)—the UK’s leading independent dental college. 150 of the highest-scoring dental graduates in CoMD’s online MCQ exam, will secure a 30% tuition fee scholarships, with the fifty top-performing students invited to compete for scholarships worth at least 50%, including two x 100% tuition fee scholarships,

The competitive appraisal to secure sponsorship will start with a secure 2-hour online MCQ exam which can be taken between 9 and 14 June.  The most successful applicants will then be invited to a practical assessment on a phantom head, an MSA exam, followed by a viva voce (oral) exam. The practical assessments will be conducted in India in late June for the September 2023 entry, at the PMS College of Dental Sciences and Research in Trivandrum, (Kerala) and at CoMD in Birmingham.

The scholarships are based on academic merit and aimed at supporting the highest performing dentists who meet CoMD’s eligibility criteria, which include:

• A first-class or upper-second class BDS (dentistry transcript)
• A first-class or upper second in the online examination set by CoMD, with the top 150 candidates eligible for the 30% scholarship
• Excellent performance in the programme interview
• An English language score of 7.0+ (for the 30% scholarship, CoMD will accept IELTS 6.5m with no score lower than 6.0. Higher value scholarships demand a minimum of IELTS 7.0)
• Strong academic references from their international dental school

The CoMD’s new scholarship programme not only helps fund the £37,500, 12-month AGDP Master’s, it also offers a unique opportunity for overseas dentists to secure high earning potential working as a UK dentist with one of CoMD’s corporate dental partners. The scholarships are being offered by CoMD’s sister organisation, Healthcare Talent, which seeks to connect healthcare professionals with UK healthcare employers.

The UK currently faces an acute shortage of UK registered dentists, meaning newly registered dentists can expect to earn between £36,000 and £50,000 in year one, rising to between £70,000 and £100,000 in year two, based on a five-day week and depending on if they work solely as part of the National Health Service (NHS) or a combination of NHS and private practice.

Professor Almasri, CEO and Dean of the College of Medicine and Dentistry says: “There is a shortfall of dentists in the UK and CoMD wants to help the top-performing BDS graduates to secure vital financial support towards the costs of postgraduate study, which focuses heavily on UK registration exam success.  Our scholarships are not only an enormous help to students studying in the UK, they are also a key route towards securing a lucrative job in the UK when they graduate.”

Dr Mohammad Habta qualified as a dentist is Belarus in 2019 before returning to his native Lebanon to work. Last year he arrived in the UK and completed CoMD’s MSc course in Advanced General Dental Practice. He said: “The beauty of this course is that it’s given me lots of exposure to UK dentistry, as well as teaching me clinical skills and competency.”

He added: “I really do recommend CoMD to others because it’s the best way to come to the UK to prepare to become a dentist. You not only get a foot in the UK, but also exposure to things you don’t already know. For instance, it has taught me that things are done differently here and addresses the three key pillars I needed to focus on; how to ace the dental registration exam, advanced dentistry to meet UK standards, and preparation for clinical communications and the UK working landscape.”

Scholarship application forms are live now. For full information about CoMD’s scholarship programme and terms and conditions, please visit: MSc in Advanced General Dental Practice with Scholarship Programme - comd.org.uk

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