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Student membership


Advice and support to help you succeed as a dental student and make the right start in your career.

Lobbying for better terms and conditions

We are your trade union. The NUS is for all students, but we exist only for dentistry. We negotiate on your behalf and through the Student Committee, we lobby for positive change to create the best experience possible at dental school.

Supporting your studies

We’re proud to have Europe's largest dental library – with 1000s of dental textbooks, including over 700 eBooks to read and download, that’s a huge resource to complement your university’s. We also have collections of recent article packages available on key dental topics related to your curriculum.

You can access our new Career hub, designed to help you with future career choices. With insights from over 50 contributors on key topics, experienced dentists and specialist societies advise on a range of careers including general practice, specialisation and community dentistry. GDPs share the lowdown on working for NHS and mixed practices and give advice on special interests while working in practice and private dentistry.

Final year dentists can access timely career information on next steps, and what’s required for getting your first job. Information covered includes Dental Foundation Training (DFT) and Dental Vocational Training (DVT), key dates and the application process, preparing for the national recruitment DFT Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs), preparing for practice interviews in Scotland, and what to do if you don’t secure a place.

Preparation is everything so you’ll want to do our SJT mock exam to polish up your skills for the dental foundation training assessment.

Keeping you up to date

Join your future peers and colleagues enjoying the UK's leading dental journal, BDJ, online twice a month; stay up to date with what's happening in dentistry around the UK.

You can access our new Career hub, designed to help you with future career choices. With insights from over 50 contributors on key topics, experienced dentists and specialist societies advise on a range of careers including general practice, specialisation and community dentistry. GDPs share the lowdown on working for NHS and mixed practices and give advice on special interests while working in practice and private dentistry.

Final year dentists can access timely career information on next steps, and what’s required for getting your first job. Information covered includes Dental Foundation Training (DFT) and Dental Vocational Training (DVT), key dates and the application process, preparing for the national recruitment DFT Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs), preparing for practice interviews in Scotland, and what to do if you don’t secure a place.

Our online magazine BDJ Student informs on developments, trends and issues affecting students' journeys to, through and after university.

Hold your own in conversations about dentistry with our monthly newsletter giving you the latest news and views.

Supporting you on the ground

If you, your spouse or a dependant need counselling or emotional support, call Health Assured whenever you need it. You can access the helpline free of charge 24/7, 365 days a year. You’re not alone.

We know you can’t get enough information about careers and what’s ahead for you, so we’re out and about giving talks at dental schools. For fourth years, that’s introducing you to where you can practise dentistry and how to get there, and for final years we concentrate on interview skills needed for DFT applicants.

Saving you money

The ever-popular BDSA events are unmissable but to sweeten the deal even more, members get £30 off BDSA Sports Day and Conference tickets.

Get access to specialist insurance covering your home, tuition fees, loupes and more through Lloyd & Whyte. Start as you mean to go on.

And the biggy… Save £300 on membership when you graduate!

All for less than £35 per year

The minimum membership period is 12 months. 
Learn more about our fees.

Choose Student

We're delighted that you want to join us! If you are new to the BDA and our website, you will need to register with us and confirm your email as a first step in the join process. If you already have a user account, you can head straight to My BDA to set up your membership.

Want to join over the phone?

For membership queries or to join over the phone please call: 020 7563 4550. We may record telephone conversations to offer you additional security, resolve complaints, for regulatory compliance and to improve our service standards. Conversations may also be monitored for staff training purposes. You will be alerted to this when you call.
BDA advice

Careers in dentistry

There are a wide variety of careers and many different training paths and specialities open to you as a dental student. We can offer advice on the options and how to pursue a career in dentistry.