BDS Admission 2025-26: BDS or Bachelor of Dental surgery is a 5 year undergraduate course who aspires to become a dentist or wants to practice oral healthcare. The curriculum is divided in such a way that out of the 5 years, for 4 years you study and gain theoretical knowledge and in the last one year you have your rotatory internship where you use that knowledge in real patient simulation and gain insights on how to treat patients. The top colleges that offer BDS are Saveetha institute of medical and technical studies, Manipal college of dental sciences, Maulana institute of dental sciences. The basic requirement for admission is that the candidate must have passed its 10+2 with a minimum of 50% having physics, chemistry and biology as compulsory subjects. Colleges want you to give the entrance test i.e. NEET and seats are allotted to you based on the NEET scores through counselling.
Quick Updates BDS 2025-26:
- Approved by: BDS course is approved by the Dental Council Of India (DCI).
- Eligibility: The candidate must have passed 10+2 from a recognized board with Physics, chemistry and Biology as compulsory subjects with a minimum of 50%.
BDS Admission Highlights 2025-26
| Highlight table: | |
| Course | BDS |
| Full form | Bachelor of Dental surgery |
| Course level | Undergraduate |
| Duration | 5 years |
| Eligibility | Must have passed 10+2 with a minimum of 45% |
| Top colleges | Saveetha Institute of medical and technical sciences, Manipal college of dental sciences, Maulana institute of dental sciences |
| Admission criteria | Merit based and entrance exam based |
| Entrance exam | NEET UG |
| Salary | INR 3-5 LPA |
| Job positions | Dentist, researcher, professor, Assistant dentist |
| Top recruiters | Dental clinic, Corporate Hospital chain, Government oral health departments, International healthcare organizations |
BDS Admission 2025-26
Admissions to BDS are through NEET scores and seats are allotted on the basis of NEET scores(National eligibility cum entrance test). The minimum requirement for admission is that the candidate must have passed class 12th from a recognized Board with a minimum of 50% and having Physics, Chemistry and Biology as compulsory subjects. The counselling is conducted by the Medical Counselling Committee(MDC) based on your NEET scores for the 15% All India quota. The rest of the 85% seats are managed by every state separately. Even if you want to study in a private Medical college you need to give NEET. Private colleges fees are generally higher as compared to Government colleges. In the counselling process you have to fill your preferences of colleges and if your rank and marks are above that college’s cut off then only you are allotted that college. If not then you have to appear in the second round of counselling. The last round is the mop up round where colleges are allotted to the students. If you are selected then you have to proceed for document verification. Make sure that the documents are correct and then you have to pay the required fees of the course according to the college.
BDS Eligibility Criteria:
- Minimum qualification: The candidate must have passed it’s 10+2 with Physics, chemistry and Biology as the mandatory subjects.
- Minimum Percentage: The candidate must have got a minimum of 50% in physics, chemistry and biology combined.
- Age limit: The Minimum age to pursue BDS is 17 years and there is no upper age limit.
BDS Syllabus:
BDS is a 5 year undergraduate course. It has 4 years of academic knowledge and 1 year of rotatory internship. Around 80% of the BDS course is about theoretical knowledge where you study human anatomy, physiology, microbiology, oral pathology and periodontics etc. The other 20% is practical knowledge where you test your theoretical knowledge and have patient simulation.
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Top 10 Dental Colleges & Fees:
Underneath is the list of top 10 dental colleges according to 2024 NIRF ranking. These colleges require you to appear for the NEET exam and sit through the counselling process. The basic eligibility criteria for all these colleges is that the candidate must have completed 10+2 with a minimum of 50% and having Physics, chemistry and Biology as compulsory subjects.
| S.No. | Colleges | Fees* |
| 1 | Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical sciences, Chennai | INR 36,40,000 |
| 2 | Manipal college of Dental sciences, Manipal | INR 19,70,000 |
| 3 | Mulana azad institute of dental sciences, Delhi | INR 18,000 |
| 5 | Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune | INR 26,00,000 |
| 7 | SRM Dental college, Chennai | INR 15,50,000 |
| 8 | Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi | INR 1,55,000 |
| 9 | Siksha `o` Anusandhan, Bhubaneswar | INR 27,50,000 |
| 10 | Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and research, Chennai | INR 22,00,000 |
Career Opportunities After BDS:
After obtaining a BDS degree you have a wide range of career options, you can choose from. You can go for clinical as well as non-clinical roles. You can also study forward and do MDS(Masters of dental surgery) where you can specialize in particular areas of dentistry such as orthodontics, endodontics and periodontics etc. In clinical roles you can practice dentistry and in non clinical roles you can do research, teach, do MBA and can become an entrepreneur.
Clinical roles:
- You can practice general dentistry after completing your BDS degree and you can also go for specialized dentistry after doing fellowship. You can do practice in private and government hospitals.
- You can also become an entrepreneur by making your own clinic and practicing dentistry. It is advised to practice dentistry for a few years and then open your clinic.
- If you want to serve the nation you can also work in the army as an army dentist by giving NEET-MDS.
Non-Clinical roles:
- You can do research in dental areas and find new techniques and advancements in the field.
- You can also teach students after completing your graduation.
- You can also pursue an MBA in skills and business management where you learn hospital management and business skills to operate hospitals.
- You can pursue your higher education and do MDS(Master of Dental Surgery) where you can specialize in various fields such as orthodontics, endodontics and periodontics.
BDS Admission Process 2025-26:
STEP 1: Check for the eligibility criteria of the college that you desire to take admission in. Also keep checking for the NEET application form. Once the forms are out apply for it.
STEP 2: Appear in the NEET exam and wait for the results.
STEP 3: When the results are out, apply for the counselling by filling your desired course and colleges. You also need to pay for the counseling.
STEP 4: You can choose from the preferred colleges and the available seats till the last round of the counselling process.
STEP 5: You need to submit the documents for verification once you are allotted the college.
STEP 6: Once the documents are verified you can proceed to the final admission formalities and pay the admission fee to the college.
FAQs:
Q1. What is the Rank at which one can get admission in BDS college?
Ans. To get admission in a top medical college for pursuing BDS you rank needs to be under 10,000 and marks should be above 590+.
Q2. What is the salary of a BDS fresher?
Ans. The entry level salary of a BDS graduate is 3-5 LPA. The salary increases as the experience increases.
Q3. What is the highest degree after BDS?
Ans. The highest degree after completing BDS is a MDS degree i.e. going for masters. IN MDS you can specialize in a particular area of dentistry.
Q4. Which is difficult: MBBS or MD?
Ans. MBBS is believed to be more difficult as compared to MD as MBBS is a general course and BDS is specialized into dentistry.