BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) Admissions 2024

Bachelor of Dental Surgery or BDS Admissions are generally opted by medical science students who are interested in securing a profitable future in the field of Dental Sciences. Admission to BDS is considered as the second most desired option after MBBS courses. Post seeking BDS admissions, which is a 4 year dental course programme, selected students are also required to participate in the 1 year mandatory rotatory internship. The admission process for BDS is usually conducted based on the qualification of entrance examinations like NEET UG. However, there are several private institutions who conduct their individual entrance examinations for BDS admissions as well. Students wishing to apply for BDS admissions must have passed their 10+2 with an aggregate 50% score, along with Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English as their major subjects. Candidates may check out BDS Syllabus to get an idea of the course curriculum. 

The scope of BDS course post completing the course is also evidently vast. The average BDS admission fees may range from anywhere between INR 50,000 to INR 10 LPA. To give an example, popular colleges such as Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dental Sciences (IMS BHU), Dr R Ahmed Dental College and Hospital, etc., offer BDS admissions with a course fee ranging between INR 50,000 to INR 1.5 LPA. Similarly, BDS job opportunities post completing the degree are widespread with lucrative BDS salary packages, therefore, making it one of the most sought-after courses today in the field of Medical Sciences. Therefore, to understand the BDS Admissions process in detail, students must go through every little detail such as the eligibility criteria, fee structure, selection process etc., as mentioned below. 

BDS admission highlights provide an overview of the important details about the BDS admission process, for students to glance through. In order to make an informed decision, candidates must be aware of all the important aspects of the admission process, including the course fee, top colleges, course duration, job prospects, specializations etc. Thus, the table below provides a complete summary of BDS Admissions:

To apply for BDS admissions, all candidates are required to satisfy all the specified eligibility criteria to be deemed qualified for the same. Those who fail to meet either of the eligibility criteria mentioned below, will not be deemed eligible to apply for BDS admissions. Thus, it is important to get a clear perspective of the requirements to apply for admission to BDS. The eligibility criteria for BDS course admission are mentioned below:

• All candidates must have passed their 10+2 with an overall 50% score, along with Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English as mandatory subjects.
• The minimum age to apply for admission to BDS degree is 17 years. 
• The maximum age to apply for admission to BDS degree is 25 years.
• Candidates must qualify the equivalent entrance exam, NEET-UG, to be eligible to apply for BDS Admissions. 
• Candidates may apply for direct admission to BDS at the few private institutions which offer individual admissions to BDS through merit. 

In order to apply for the BDS admissions, students are advised to keep a regular check on the official website of NTA - nta.ac.in. All the important notifications and updates pertaining to the BDS admissions and counselling process are released by NTA on their official portal. Therefore, students who wish to pursue BDS must follow the below mentioned steps: 

• Visit the official portal of NTA - nta.ac.in. Fill out the NEET UG Application Form. Ensure that the information provided by you is correct.
• While filling the Application Form, you are required to upload digital copies of a number of documents. Keep a check on the maximum permissible limit and upload the documents/images. Once you pay the application fee, your application will be submitted.
• Post the conclusion of NEET UG Exam, NTA will release the Cutoff and NEET UG Rank List on their website. 
• NEET UG Rank List will include the details of the candidates who have qualified the cutoff. These candidates can now participate in the counseling process. 
• Based on the choice filled in by candidates and their NEET UG Score, candidates will finally be allotted their colleges. 

Prior to applying for BDS admissions, candidates must compare the top BDS colleges in thd country based on their fee structures. There may be a significant difference in the BDS admission fees due to a number of factors such as the candidate’s choice of institution, location of the institution and the NIRF Rankings. Thus, a list of top BDS Colleges in India along with their admission fees has been mentioned below in the table below:

The only Entrance Exam which is accepted by colleges offering BDS admissions is NEET UG. NEET UG is conducted by NTA (National Testing Agency) every year for aspirants who wish to pursue a career in the field of medical sciences. To apply for BDS Admissions, students must meet the NEET UG Cutoff. Earlier this year, NTA announced the NEET UG 2023 Cutoff as 50th percentile for general category students and 40th percentile for other categories. Students must acquaint themselves with the exam pattern for NEET UG in order to score well in the same. Starting this year, NEET UG will now consist of 200 questions and candidates will be given 200 minutes to attempt the exam. However, candidates need to attempt only 180 questions. The total marks for NEET UG is 720. For every correct answer candidates are awarded a +4, while -1 are deducted for every incorrect answer. 

BDS Entrance Exams Schedule

While the NEET UG exam for 2023 has already concluded, students can refer to the schedule to have an idea about the exam dates for the year 2024. Therefore, the NEET UG 2023 exam schedule as released by NTA has been provided in the table mentioned below:

NEET Cutoff 2023

NTA recently announced the NEET UG Cutoff 2023 on their official website. Students who score the same or more than the cutoff can find themselves in the NEET Rank List. Candidates must understand that the NEET UG Cutoff is announced in terms of percentile scores rather than the actual score. There are a number of factors that determine the NEET Cutoff such as the seat intake of colleges, difficulty level and the total number of students appearing for the exam, etc. Thus, find the NEET Cutoff 2023 for different categories in the table mentioned below:

To secure BDS admissions in the renowned institutes of the country, students must ensure to meet the NEET UG Cutoff. In order to apply for the exam, candidates must fill out the NEET-UG Application Form available on the official website of NTA. It is essential that students adhere to the deadlines for eligible criteria to take part in the further process. After filling out and submitting the NEET-UG Application Form, candidates must prepare well and appear for the entrance exam. Next, candidates must await the announcement of the NEET UG Rank List. Candidates who appear in the Rank List will be eligible to participate in the counselling rounds, conducted by Ayush Admissions Central Counseling Committee (AACCC) of Ministry of Ayush, Govt. of India. Therefore, students can thereafter exercise their choice of college in which they wish to apply for BDS Admissions. The final institute will be allocated according to the choices of the candidate and seat availability. 

During the BDS admission application process, all candidates are required to produce and submit a set of important documents, verifying their academic proof, personal details, residential address, etc., to complete the admission formalities set by the authorities of the institutions. Document verification is generally conducted to ensure that the information provided by the candidates at each stage of the BDS admissions process is correct. In case any candidate fails to present the required documents within the stipulated time, he/she cannot participate in the further rounds of the admission process. Thus, given below is the list of all the documents that students must have with themselves while applying for BDS Admissions:

• Class 10th Marksheet
• Class 12th Marksheet 
• Migration Certificate 
• Caste Certificate (Only if applicable)
• Transfer Certificate 
• Identification Proof (Aadhar Card, Passport, Pan Card)
• Date of Birth Certificate 
• NEET UG Scorecard

Based on the performance in the entrance examination, the institutions prepare an individual merit list of the eligible candidates for admission to BDS. Candidates who qualify the examination and meet the eligibility criteria, will be called for the counselling process. During counselling, candidates are placed with the opportunity to select their preferred college or course based on their rank and availability of seats. After the counselling rounds conclude, candidates are allotted seats based on their rank and choices. Finally, one must pay the required admission fees within the stipulated time to secure the allotted seat, and complete the admission formalities, including document verification and submission of additional necessary documents.

BDS Counseling is conducted by Ayush Admissions Central Counseling Committee (AACCC) for students who have qualified the NEET UG Exam. While the AACCC is responsible for overseeing the counseling process of 15% AIQ Seats, the 85% State Quota Counseling is conducted by the respective state education/examination bodies. In the counseling process, students are required to put forward their choice of college and course. Since their choice filling largely determines the college that they will be finally offered BDS admissions into, candidates must ensure that they deal with this process with utmost sincerity and cautiousness.