Using a dental school application checklist can make you feel more confident that you have considered every detail and fulfilled all the requirements when applying to dental school. With dental school acceptance rates being so competitive, you would not want to miss a deadline or face rejection because you didn’t know what to expect or prepare in advance.
By following the checklists provided in this article, you’ll be sure you’ve got everything covered and can move on to more exciting tasks, such as preparing for dental school interview questions and answers.
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Dental School Application Checklist Overview
Applying to dental school is a lengthy process that begins long before application season opens. If you’re an American student enrolled in a four-year undergraduate program, you’ll want to start planning for dental school before or during your freshman year. Canadian students will follow about the same timeline, despite some differences in the provincial high school and university systems.
Undergrad Year 1 (0–29 credit hours) Freshman
In Year 1 of your undergrad, you’ll want to see an advisor to discuss your interest in pursuing dental school so that they can help you choose your courses. You should also start getting involved in pre-dental activities and thinking about how you will cover the cost of dental school.
Undergrad Year 2 (30–59 credit hours) Sophomore
In Year 2, you will continue the same activities as in Year 1, but you should start taking the necessary science courses and aim for more intensive, in-depth experiences in dentistry and health care-related work.
Undergrad Year 3 (60–89 credit hours) Junior
Year 3 of your undergrad is a crucial year for completing any academic requirements, taking tests, such as the DAT, and preparing to submit your application for dental school in the summer.
Undergrad Year 4 (90+ credit hours) Senior
If all goes well, you will know midway through Year 4 of your undergrad where you have been accepted and can focus on completing any remaining coursework in anticipation of graduation.
The following checklists are based on a four-year undergrad schedule and the ADEA recommendations for students preparing to apply to dental school.
Academics Checklist
Undergrad Year 1 (0–29 credit hours) Freshman
1. Meet with an advisor: the very first thing to do when considering how to become a dentist is to meet with a health professions advisor. Ideally, you would meet with an advisor at your school, who can recommend courses, such as biology or chemistry, depending on your objectives, and provide you with other essential information. You may also want to consider dental school admissions consulting, especially if you feel you have inadequate support, either from your school or in your region. Online services such as these can provide much-needed guidance without barriers to access.
2. Register in any recommended or required courses.
Undergrad Year 2 (30–59 credit hours) Sophomore
1. Focus on your major: although you don’t have to be a science major to go to dental school, you will need to complete specific science courses. 2. Meet with your advisor again: check in with your advisor about course progression, summer workshops, and any programs at your university focused on improving study skills, preparing for the DAT, and learning more about dentistry and dental research.
Undergrad Year 3 (60–89 credit hours) Junior
Complete required courses: take the biology, chemistry, and physics courses you will need for the DAT in the spring of your junior year.
Undergrad Year 4 (90+ credit hours) Senior
1. Complete advanced science courses: although all dental students must take biology, chemistry, and physics, certain schools will require other advanced science courses, such as biochemistry, anatomy, and physiology. Check with every school on your list to see whether they require advanced science courses and which ones. 2. Finish all required courses for your degree. 3. Fulfill any language competency requirements: some schools consider English, especially intensive reading and writing (composition) courses, a prerequisite. Other schools, particularly dental schools in Canada, will require a language competency test in English or French.
Extracurriculars Checklist
Undergrad Year 1 (0–29 credit hours) Freshman
1. Join clubs: many schools offer pre-dental or pre-health professions clubs which you can join to connect with like-minded students, network, participate in study groups for your science classes, and engage in volunteer work. Meeting with more advanced pre-dental students is a great way to learn more about dental school prerequisites, the best dental school extracurriculars, and application procedures.
2. Learn about dental profession careers: talk to dentists (including your own!) to explore the profession’s advantages and challenges. Discuss their day-to-day, dental care delivery, and issues impacting the profession. If you discover that a career in dentistry still appeals to you, you can begin preparing for dental school in earnest.
3. Start shadowing: learn how to shadow a dentist and begin engaging in this activity regularly. When you work alongside a dentist, you get to see how they manage their office, interact with patients, and carry out various procedures. You can also use the occasion to learn more about terms and techniques used in dentistry. The connections you make with your dentist or dentists – some dental schools require that you shadow up to three different dentists – may ultimately help with other aspects of your application, such as acquiring letters of recommendation. If you plan to apply to schools that require up to 300 shadowing hours, you’ll want to get started as early as possible so that it doesn’t become a burden in your final two years of undergrad.
4. Participate in a summer academic enrichment program: free programs like the Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP) offer personalized medical and dental school preparation. The six-week SHPEP covers the student’s full tuition, housing, and meals.
Undergrad Year 2 (30–59 credit hours) Sophomore
1. Get more involved in your pre-dental club: join committees and help organize events.
2. Summer: take a summer job and continue volunteering in dental care.
3. Participate in a summer academic enrichment program.
Undergrad Year 3 (60–89 credit hours) Junior
Continue to actively contribute to your pre-dental club activities.
Undergrad Year 4 (90+ credit hours) Senior
1. Prepare to enroll: only you can decide how to best spend your time before officially starting your dental school career. You might want to take a short break and travel, spend time with friends and family, save up some money, or participate in more pre-dental activities. Two skills to work on during this period will be your reading speed and comprehension and your manual dexterity. If you play an instrument, make crafts, or play sports, keep up those activities, so that you remain fit and flexible as you begin your studies.
Financial Checklist
Undergrad Year 1 (0–29 credit hours) Freshman
1. Plan your finances: dental school is expensive, so the first year of your undergrad is a good time to start planning for financing. You’ll need to plan for several years of a sparing lifestyle that balances a demanding academic schedule, work, and personal life. You can look at scholarship and fellowship options as well as student loans if necessary.
2. Find a summer job: think about which summer jobs will be most lucrative and beneficial to your pre-dental career. Look for work or volunteer opportunities in a health care setting, ideally, at a dental clinic or office.
Undergrad Year 2 (30–59 credit hours) Sophomore
Create a budget: start setting aside funds for:
- Tuition
- DAT fees
- ADEA AADSAS application fee
- Supplemental application fees
- On-site interview travel and other costs
Undergrad Year 3 (60–89 credit hours) Junior
Summer: continue your dentistry-related work, volunteering, pre-dental club, and other dental school application experiences.
Undergrad Year 4 (90+ credit hours) Senior
Apply for financial aid: initiate the financial aid application process for the dental school you choose to attend. Many financial aid awards depend on the date of application, so check with your school’s financial aid office to find out everything you need to know and benefit from any scholarships or loans you may be entitled to.
Dental School Application Checklist
Undergrad Year 3 (60–89 credit hours) Junior
1. Get to know the dental school application process: look over the ADEA AADSAS application and start collecting your application information.
2. Plan letters of evaluation: meet with your advisor to find about the school’s letters of evaluation protocol. Identify individuals who would be willing to write dental school letters of recommendation for you and inform them of the submission deadlines. Document your dental office observation experiences.
3. Research dental schools: start thinking about the qualities that are important to you in a dental school, such as the curriculum, program features, student profile, and location. Visit school websites, take notes, list your favorites, and reach out to current students and alumni. Participate in open houses and campus visits from dental school admissions officers.
4. Prepare for the DAT: start practicing with a free sample DAT test from the American Dental Association. You can purchase a DAT review book, which includes sample tests, and/or enroll in a DAT review course or workshop offered by a dental school, college, university, or private company. Whatever preparation method you choose, make sure the content you are being offered matches the actual content of the test.
5. Register for the DAT: the American Dental Association offers the Dental Admission Test. In Canada, the Canadian DAT (Dental Aptitude Test) is generally required. You can take this computerized exam at a date and time of your choosing. Once you register, you will be sent instructions for scheduling your test date with a Prometric Testing Center. Your registration will be valid for six months. The DAT is best taken at the end of the spring semester in your junior year, or right after you have finished your prerequisite courses.
There are no dental schools without prerequisites, even if some have fewer required courses; taking key science courses, such as biology, chemistry, and physics, along with specific advanced science courses required by certain schools, or English and humanities prerequisites, will both contribute to the knowledge you will need for the DAT and enhance your dental school application.
6. Draft your personal statement: your dental school personal statement is an essential and influential component of your application to dental schools, as it gives admissions committees a sense of you as a person and why you are motivated to study dentistry. Give yourself plenty of time to write this essay over a period of a few weeks or months and seek any necessary help you may need with editing and proofreading. Medical school personal statement editing services can adapt their advice to dental school documents, so don’t hesitate to reach out if writing is not your strong suit. Your GPA, academics, DAT score, and even your CV won’t give a clear picture of who you are unless you introduce yourself effectively in your personal statement.
7. Submit your ADEA AADSAS, TMDSAS, or other applications: be ready to submit your ADEA AADSAS application as of June 1 to have your application materials sent to the dental schools you have selected. Applying early significantly enhances your chances of having your application reviewed quickly and earning yourself an interview spot. Each school will have its own deadline for when your application must be complete. Submit your TMDSAS application as of mid-May and before the deadline of November 1. Note that if you are applying to early decision programs (EDPs), your application will need to be completed earlier, for August 1, in the case of dental schools in Texas.
8. Submit your supplemental applications: some schools on your list will ask for a dental school supplemental application. The required materials you must submit will depend on the school and can include short answers to questions, such as “why this dental school?”, essays, or simply the payment of a fee. Interview invitations are part of the supplemental application process; you may be invited to one right away, or an invitation may only be extended if you are successful during the supplemental phase. Pay attention to specific deadlines imposed by the individual schools for submission of any supplementary materials or fees.
9. Retake the DAT: if you were unhappy with the results of your DAT and want to retake the exam, you must wait 60–90 days. You can only retake the DAT three times, so ideally, you will prepare to succeed on your first attempt.
Undergrad Year 4 (90+ credit hours) Senior
1. Prepare for interviews: there are good reasons to prepare for your interviews well in advance. Mock medical school interviews are the best way to prepare for any interview for health care programs and jobs. Given that many dental schools use multiple mini-interviews, MMI interview prep will also be a good idea. You can look at options offered by a pre-dental organization or career center at your school, or engage the services of a dental school advisor to learn how to prepare for your dental school interview. Remember that professional business attire is required, even if it is a video interview.
Before your dental school interview, you can study the ADEA competencies for students entering dental school and prepare your answers to common interview questions, such as "why do you want to be a dentist?" and the "tell me about yourself" dental school interview question.
2. Accept admission offers: after December 1, if you receive offers of admission, be sure to accept within the specified response time. Most schools will require a deposit to reserve your place in the class.
How to Apply
Most dental schools in Canada and the US use the centralized ADEA AADSAS (Associated American Dental Schools Application Service). By enabling students to submit a single application for several dental colleges, this service seeks to streamline the application process for dental programs. Although it will save you time and effort, it's critical to recognize the level of dedication required to guarantee a complete application for each of your schools.
Dental schools that do not participate in the AADSAS dental school application process manage their own separate application processes. Students applying to dental schools in Texas must apply through the Texas Medical & Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS), for example. Depending on the school, Canadian applicants may use AADSAS but face additional requirements. Foreign-educated dental graduates will apply through the ADEA Centralized Application for Advanced Placement for International Dentists (CAAPID) if they are interested in advanced dental programs in the US. For non-DDS programs, such as an undergraduate degree with four years of dental education, students may use the Common Application.
FAQs
1. When should I start planning for dental school?
If you did not start to think about dental school in high school, you should start preparing during your undergraduate degree. Most dental schools require a bachelor’s degree or at least 90 credits for entry into their programs. In each year of your undergrad, you should take steps to advance your plans for dental school: take prerequisite courses, acquire shadowing hours, improve your manual dexterity, research dental schools and programs, start the application process, and work out a DAT study schedule.
2. How many credits do I need to apply to dental school?
To increase your chances, plan to complete an undergraduate degree. You’ll need at least 90 credits for many dental schools, but most will require a completed 3- or 4-year degree.
3. When do I apply to dental schools using AADSAS?
Apply early! You can send in your application as soon as June. Early applicants have a better chance of receiving an interview.
4. When do I apply to dental schools using TMDSAS?
The application opens in May and closes on November 1.
5. When do I apply to Canadian dental schools?
If you use the AADSAS application to apply to Canadian dental schools, follow the instructions. If you apply directly, follow the instructions given by the specific school regarding their application deadlines.
6. Can I use the AADSAS application to apply to Canadian dental schools?
Yes, several Canadian dental schools accept applications via ADEA AADSAS, but be sure to check any additional requirements, such as language competency testing, deadlines, and CASPer test criteria.
7. Do I need biology and chemistry to apply to dental school?
Yes, you will need to fulfill prerequisite course and lab work requirements to apply to dental school. In addition, you will need these courses to perform well on the DAT, which is mandatory.
8. What DAT score do I need to get into dental school?
Out of a possible total of 600, a score between 420 and 470 is good, and a 440 and above is considered competitive for dental school hopefuls. It's a good idea to create a solid DAT study schedule and take practice tests to prepare.