Internationally qualified dentists face a 65% increase in the cost of sitting Part 2 of the Overseas Registration Examination (ORE), the General Dental Council (GDC) has confirmed.
The regulator also announced exam dates and capacity for the first year of its new contract with UCL Consultants Ltd (UCLC).
The Part 2 ORE fee rises from £4,235 to £6,967, an increase of £2,732. The Part 1 fee falls 17% from £584 to £485, and the application processing fee rises 20% to £115. The GDC said VAT now applies to the ORE fee and is reflected across the revised 2026 structure.
The regulator attributed the Part 2 ORE fee increase to the cost of specialist clinical facilities, experienced examiners and capital investment by UCLC in facilities and equipment. It said the fee has been set with a view to remaining broadly stable over the next five years.
Theresa Thorp, executive director of regulation at the GDC, said: ‘We know that candidates have been waiting a long time and that this is stressful. We are determined to make things better, and this is a substantial step in the right direction.’
ORE fees to end year-to-year uncertainty
The changes form part of a wider overhaul of the ORE system announced earlier this year. The GDC has said the UCLC contract will provide a more consistent and predictable framework for candidates, replacing the year‑to‑year uncertainty that has long surrounded ORE capacity.
Once fully scaled, the new arrangements could support up to 1,500 internationally qualified dentists joining the register each year, a significant increase on the 354 who joined via the ORE in 2024. Around a third of UK register qualified overseas, making ORE capacity a key part of the dental workforce pipeline.
The first sittings under the new contract are scheduled from August 2026, with the contract year running from 31 May 2026 to 30 May 2027. Four Part 1 sittings will offer 600 places each; five Part 2 sittings will offer between 144 and 200 places. Total capacity stands at 2,400 Part 1 places and 944 Part 2 places in year one, up from 1,800 and 720 respectively in 2025.
Demand to outstrip supply
The GDC acknowledged that demand will continue to outstrip supply in the short term. Part 2 capacity is set to increase to 1,500 places per year by year three of the contract.
UCL Consultants Ltd (UCLC), a consortium including UCL Eastman Dental Institute, University College London Hospitals, Queen Mary University of London, AlphaPlus and the Royal College of Surgeons of England, was appointed last year to deliver the revamped ORE. The GDC has previously stressed that any expansion must be delivered safely and to the required standards, and that it will not compromise on patient safety or the candidate experience.
For the first time, candidates will book sittings through their MyGDC account. The booking window for the August Part 1 sitting opens on 30 June 2026. Priority access will be offered to candidates nearing the five‑year Part 2 limit and those with refugee status.
Exam sittings for 2026/27
The first contract year runs from 31 May 2026 to 30 May 2027. Confirmed Part 1 sittings are as follows:
- 25-26 August 2026 (600 places)
- 14-15 October 2026 (600 places)
- 2-3 February 2027 (600 places)
- 6–7 April 2027 (600 places).
Part 2 sittings:
- 10–13 September 2026 (144 places)
- 26–29 November 2026 (200 places)
- 21–24 January 2027 (200 places)
- 4–7 March 2027 (200 places)
- 15–18 April 2027 (200 places).
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