Plans to establish a new dentistry school at the University of East Anglia (UEA) could be delayed for at least a year due to government approval processes, with the school not set to open until September 2026.
The UEA has secured the necessary funding and received initial approval for its business case. However, the government has stated that a final decision on the project will not be made until after this year’s deadline for registering new courses. This means that the university’s plans may not be able to move forward as originally scheduled.
The delay comes because ministers have announced that approval will be contingent on the outcome of the government’s spending review, which is not expected to be completed until June—well after the Office for Students (OfS) deadline of May 2 for course registrations.
Despite this setback, UEA officials have pledged to continue advocating for the project. The new dentistry school is seen as a critical step in addressing a long-standing shortage of dental professionals in Norfolk and the surrounding areas. Local leaders have often referred to the region as a “dental desert” due to the difficulties many residents face in accessing NHS dental services.
There has been ongoing support from MPs and members of the House of Lords, who have been lobbying the government to approve the school sooner in order to help alleviate the dental crisis in the region.
However, the dental minister clarified in parliament this week that a final decision on new dental training facilities cannot be made until after the spending review, which sets out the government’s budget for the next five years. As part of this process, the OfS will determine how many dental school places can be funded and will allocate those spots to qualifying institutions.
The UEA had hoped to begin its dentistry program in 2026, but now, with the spending review not due until June, the university may miss the opportunity to meet the May 2 deadline for course registration. The delay has led the UEA to quietly engage in lobbying efforts, meeting with regional MPs and government ministers to highlight the importance of the project.
In a session in the House of Commons on Tuesday, James Wild, the Conservative MP for North West Norfolk, urged the dental minister to allow the OfS to allocate new dental training spots to the East of England starting in 2026. However, the minister, Stephen Kinnock, emphasized that while the government supports the creation of new dental schools, they are unable to proceed until the financial situation is clear following the spending review.
Wild responded by stressing the urgent need for more dental training opportunities in Norfolk, emphasizing the importance of beginning the courses as planned next year. He expressed his commitment to continuing to push for approval in order to meet the pressing demand for dental professionals in the region.
