The AADSAS (Associated American Dental Schools Application Service) is the dental school application service for most dental schools in the U.S. and is administered through the American Dental Education Association (ADEA). Becoming a dentist requires a lot of time and effort, with an admissions process as challenging as any professional program. In this blog, our dental school advisors will help you understand the AADSAS process and its timeline, help you navigate each section of the dental school application, and provide tips to ensure you’re on track with all of the application’s various components.
>>Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free initial consultation here <<
What is the ADEA AADSAS?
The AADSAS is the American Dental Education Association's primary application service for most students applying to dentistry programs in the United States. You'll often see this application referred to as the ADEA AADSAS or simply AADSAS. Most schools require students to submit their applications through AADSAS, although some schools in Texas utilize the state-specific TMDSAS application service. Additionally, dental graduates from outside the U.S. utilize the ADEA's Centralized Application for Advanced Placement for International Dentists (CAAPID).
Applying through TMDSAS? Here's how to approach the Personal Characteristics Essay:
Completing the ADEA AADSAS: Dental School Application Components
By now, you should already have your prerequisites done, your DAT behind you, and enough dental exposure to speak meaningfully about why you want to join the profession. With those pieces in place, you’re officially ready to take on the AADSAS application. So, you’ve wrapped up your prerequisites, taken the DAT, shadowed a dentist or two, and stayed active in meaningful experiences. Now it’s time to tackle the ADEA AADSAS itself. Here’s what the application includes, and how to get through each part smoothly.
AADSAS Personal Information
In this section you’ll enter basic details about yourself: contact information, citizenship, demographics, languages, and basic family information.
You’ll also see an “Environmental Factors” area where you can briefly note any major challenges or context (for example, financial hardship, rural/underserved background, significant family responsibilities) that shaped your path.
Other Information
- DENTPIN (your unique testing ID)
- Felony and Misdemeanor Convictions
- License and Academic Infractions
- Other Sections
AADSAS Academic History
Here you’ll list every school you’ve attended after high school (including community college, summer courses, and study abroad).
You will:
- Generate Transcript Request forms for each institution.
- Ask your registrar to send official transcripts directly to ADEA AADSAS (not to you).
- Monitor the “Check Status” page until all transcripts show as received.
My Programs
After adding your schools, you’ll select the dental programs you want to apply to. You must choose at least one. Many applicants apply to around 10 schools, but your number will depend on your stats, goals, and budget. Remember that each additional school adds application and often supplemental fees.
Transcript Entry and Coursework
Next, you’ll enter your coursework and DAT details:
- Coursework: Enter course titles, numbers, terms, credits, and grades. You can do this yourself or pay for professional transcript entry, but either way, review carefully before you submit; completed coursework usually can’t be edited afterward.
- DAT: Manually enter your scores from your official report and request that the ADA send your scores electronically to AADSAS. Indicate if you plan to retake the DAT so schools know to expect new scores.
Standardized Tests: DAT
As with your transcripts, your DAT scores are reported twice as well, once by you manually entering scores from your official score report and again through the official DAT score reporting. You must also contact ADA to have your official scores reported electronically to ADEA AADSAS. AADSAS Supporting Information
This section lets you show who you are beyond numbers: evaluations (letters), experiences, achievements, certifications, and your personal statement.
AADSAS Supporting Information
Now for the fun stuff! This section allows you to support your application with evidence of your strengths as an applicant. Such support comes in the form of a personal statement essay, details of your work and experiences so far, and letters of recommendation (though in the ADEA AADSAS, these are referred to as “Letters of Evaluation”). These are all challenging components of the application, but they provide the opportunity for admissions committees to see who you really are beyond quantitative data like scores and grades.
Evaluations
You’ll request letters from professors, dentists, and/or a pre-health committee, depending on what your school offers and what your target programs prefer. Make sure to monitor your application to make sure your letters arrive on time.
Experiences
In the Experiences section, you’ll list key activities and roles that support your application. For each entry you’ll provide basic details (organization, supervisor, dates, hours, and title) and a short description of your responsibilities and impact.
For each entry, you will need to fill out a description of your key responsibilities in this role. You will have 600 characters (including spaces) to craft a concise sketch of your position so that the admissions committee has a fuller idea of your duties, as well as the ways in which this experience contributed to your growth and development as an aspiring healthcare provider. Additionally, once you’ve entered your responsibilities, you will be given the option to designate 6 experiences as “Most Important Experiences”, by clicking a star next to the experience.
Achievements
In this section, you will have the opportunity to categorize and list highlights from your academic and professional life, in the form of awards and achievements. As with “Experiences”, above, you may enter any relevant achievements from your professional and academic life, but it’s best to focus on those that took place during (and after) your time in college/university.
There are 3 categories for achievements:
For each, enter the name, granting organization, date, and a brief description. If you’ve received the same honor multiple times, you can mention that in one entry rather than repeating it.
Certifications/Licenses
If you hold relevant certifications or licenses (for example, CPR or dental assisting credentials), list them here with:
- The type of certification
- License or certificate number (if applicable)
- Date and country of issue
Some schools may later request official verification, so keep your documents handy.
AADSAS Personal Statement
Your AADSAS dental school personal statement is the core narrative of your application. You’ll have 4,500 characters (including spaces) to answer one big question: Why do you want a career in dentistry? Looking at personal statement examples for dental school can make it easier to see what a strong response looks like.
A strong dental school personal statement will usually do a few key things:
AADSAS Program Materials
In the Program Materials section, each school you select can ask for extra information. This may include:
- Prerequisite matching: Selecting which of your courses fulfill their prereqs.
- School-specific questions: Multiple-choice items, short answers, or mini-essays about your experiences and fit with the program.
These requirements are part of what makes your file complete for that school, so don’t skip them. Read instructions carefully and keep track of any separate supplemental applications or fees each program might require.
After the AADSAS Application: Dental School Interviews
After submitting your application, it’s time to... well, it's time to wait, to be honest. You'll want to keep an eye on your application to ensure all components arrive in a timely manner, but other than that, there's nothing you can do to speed up the process. So be patient, re-focus your efforts on any remaining coursework, continue with your volunteering, shadowing, and other professional development activities, and take good care of yourself as you await those interview invitations.
As noted above, each school has different deadlines for their applications, and those who submit earliest are likely to have their applications reviewed first. With the AADSAS opening in mid-June, that means that most interviews will take place during the Fall of your Senior year of undergrad (if you’re a traditional applicant, and thus still in school).
Dental School Interviews
Dental School interviews can be of a number of different varieties, including traditional, panel, group, and MMI to name a few. For the most part, admission offers tend to come out after December 1st.
In preparation for your interview, be sure to check out our repository of 300 sample MMI questions to help you prepare for the intimidating (but conquerable!) Multiple Mini Interview.
To help you prepare for your dental school interview, go through sample dental school interview questions and expert answers. You can also reach out to us about our dental school interview prep packages for realistic mock interviews and tons of resources to help you perform at your best.
Check out our tips for acing your MMI:
1. When does the AADSAS open?
The application opens in mid-May, and submissions open in early June. The ADEA recommends using the downtime between these two dates to review and strengthen your application materials, and we do too!
2. Can I update any information after I submit my application?
Unfortunately, you can only update your contact information once your application has been submitted.
3. When should I take the DAT?
The ADEA recommends that students take the DAT at the end of the Spring semester of the junior year, immediately after completing their organic chemistry courses.
4. How many schools can I select to receive my DAT score?
As many or as few as you’d like! You can select to have your DAT scores made available to all schools in the ADEA AADSAS system at no cost, and we strongly recommend you do so. Adding additional schools after the fact will incur a fee for each additional school, so it’s better to go the universal route from the start.
5. Can I submit my application before my transcripts arrive?
You can submit your application prior to the arrival of your transcripts and evaluation letters, though review of your application will not commence until these have been received.
6. Do I need to submit Letters of Evaluation with my application materials?
Officially, no, but most dental programs request these (similar to the MSPE for medical residency programs). As with most things, check with both your current school and those schools to which you’re applying in order to determine if a formal Letter of Evaluation is required and, if so, how it should be structured. There is no one template for this, so you must seek additional information from your schools.
7. Does the ADEA AADSAS accept Canadian DAT (CDAT) scores?
Yes! You will need to manually enter your CDAT score in the DAT Scores section of your application, as well as arrange for your official score reports to be sent directly to your designated dental schools (not the ADEA AADSAS). For more information on the CDAT please contact the CDA directly.
To your success,
Your friends at BeMo
BeMo Academic Consulting
Image Credit: EVG photos
Like our blog? Write for us! >>
Have a question? Ask our admissions experts below and we'll answer!
Comments