Pre-dental Application Procedures

How and when do I apply to dental school?

The application process for dental school begins more than a year before the proposed matriculation (expected entrance into dental school) date. The DAT may be scheduled for any time during the year, and scores should be included with the AADSAS (see below) application. AADSAS will begin accepting applications in May or June, and interviews normally take place between October and January for acceptance the following fall.

You would begin by completing the AADSAS application and mailing it to the centralized service along with official college and university transcripts and DAT scores. Letters of evaluation may also be included with the AADSAS application, or they may be mailed directly to the individual dental schools. AADSAS begins accepting applications in May or June, and the specific deadline for each dental school varies (deadlines are published in the AADSAS information booklet). The deadline for Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry is September 1st. AADSAS standardizes the information from the application and forwards it to the dental schools that you indicate. The individual dental schools then review your application.

If you meet their minimum criteria for acceptance, they will send you a secondary application in which they requested updated personal statements, updated transcripts, and an additional application fee. Once your file is complete, your application is forwarded to an admissions committee for review.

How do I get letters of evaluation?

Letters of evaluation are an important part of your application to dental school. Since the admission committee members at the dental schools do not know you personally, they rely heavily on the comments from people who do know you and are in a position to comment on your potential to complete the dental school curriculum and become a competent and caring member of the dental profession.

Most dental schools require a minimum of three letters of evaluation, or a composite letter of evaluation prepared by a committee from your undergraduate institution if such a committee exists. Committee letters of evaluation are generally preferred, but if a student opts to obtain individual letters of evaluation, it is advisable to include at least two academic evaluations (at least one from the sciences) and at least one non-academic evaluation (employer, volunteer coordinator, a dentist under which you have worked or for whom you have volunteered). Portland State University does have a Health Sciences Advising Committee.

PSU Internal Request for Letter of Evaluation

What is the Health Sciences Advising Committee?

The Health Sciences Advising Committee (HSAC) consists of faculty members from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences that will, for qualified students, review the student’s file and write a composite letter of evaluation to support the student’s application to dental school.

Early in your college career, you should begin distributing instructor evaluation sheets to professors for evaluation of your academic performance and personal characteristics. These sheets are kept on file in the Health Sciences Advising Office and become part of your permanent advising file. The year before you wish to start dental school, you will need to request a review by the HSAC. Your file should contain evaluations from six or more instructors, non-academic letters of evaluation (employers, volunteer coordinators, dentists, etc.), transcripts, personal statement, and DAT scores (if available). Based on the information on file, HSAC members will rate each student using the following categories:

Recommended: Worthy of admission to dental school; comparable to other students who have been admitted.

Highly Recommended: Comparable to the top 50% of students admitted to dental school.

Outstanding: Comparable to the top 15% of students admitted to dental school.

The individual votes by the Committee members will be included on the cover sheet of the letter of evaluation. The body of the letter includes a statement from your adviser, comments from the instructor evaluation sheets, and copies of any outside letters of evaluation.

The HSAC may also vote not to recommend, in which case a committee letter will not be prepared and you may request a chair letter instead of a committee letter. If you have not completed a minimum of 45 credits at PSU, you do not qualify for a committee letter and may request a chair letter be prepared for you (requires 25 credits from PSU). A chair letter includes comments from instructor evaluations, copies of non-academic letters of evaluation, and comments from your academic adviser (at your request).

Packet for Students Applying to Dental School (PDF)

What is AADSAS?

AADSAS is a centralized service sponsored by the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) to facilitate the process of applying to participating U.S. dental schools. AADSAS does not render any admission decisions or advise applicants where to submit applications. Each school is completely autonomous in its admission decisions. Most dental schools participate in AADSAS.

The AADSAS application becomes available in mid-May at

https://aadsas.adea.org/

What are the important dates and deadlines?

For the fall matriculation at U.S. dental schools, here are some important dates:

DAT: The DAT may be scheduled at any time throughout the year, but scores should be ready for inclusion with the AADSAS application. Don't wait any later than August the year prior to matriculation to take the test. The DAT is a computer-based test. To register for the DAT, go to

http://www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/index.asp

AADSAS: The ADSAS application becomes available in mid-May at https://aadsas.adea.org. The OHSU School of Dentistry deadline is November 1st, but the priority deadline is September 1st and you should try to submit your AADSAS application in early summer if possible.

Health Sciences Advising Committee: Information and request packets are available in January in 491 Neuberger Hall. The deadline to submit a request for a Committee letter of evaluation is generally the end of April and for a Chair letter of evaluation, generally the end of June. Instructor evaluations should be submitted by those deadlines, as well.

What GPA and DAT scores do I need to be competitive?

There is no set of magic numbers that guarantee acceptance to dental school. Successful applicants have a background which supports an ability to complete the dental school curriculum. Dental school admission committees use college GPA and DAT scores as an indicator of student potential for success.

Competitive applicants typically have a GPA of 3.4 or better and average 19 or better on the DAT.

Does it matter where I do my undergraduate degree?

No. dental schools consider applicants from any accredited college or university that satisfy the dental school prerequisites.

How do I choose which schools to apply to ?

Information regarding specific U.S. and Canadian dental schools can be found in the ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools.

Residency: Public dental schools give significant preference to residents of that state. Residents also pay lower tuition rates.

Cost: The cost of dental school can vary a great deal.

Location: Are you willing to and able to relocate?

Curriculum: The focus and approach of the curriculum should be investigated to ensure it matches your philosophical views. Curricular approaches vary among institutions.

Religious Affiliation: Some schools give preference to applicants of particular religions.