Dental School Acceptance Rates (2023) (2024)

FAQs

What percentage of dental school applicants are accepted? ›

According to the American Dental Education Association, the average dental school acceptance rate in the US is 58.6%. This means 58.6% of applicants enrolled into dental schools in 2021. To compare, US News reported that the average acceptance rate for all US colleges is around 71.4%.

A GPA of 3.7 is generally considered competitive for dental school admissions. However, the average GPA needed can vary depending on the specific school and the number of applications they receive.

Pomona, Calif. -based Western University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine has a 2.5 percent acceptance rate — the lowest among U.S. dental schools — according to academic consulting website BeMo.

30-40% acceptance rate follows the interviews, with dental schools carefully considering both DAT scores and CGPA.

In other words, dental school acceptance rates may be low because schools accept very small cohorts, or because they have a high volume of applications, or both. That said, don't let these numbers intimidate you. If your application is strong, your odds are good.

*Note: In general, dental school admissions committees will only examine the DAT score if the GPA is high enough; they will only admit or conduct a dental school interview if the combination of GPA + DAT score is high enough.

Generally speaking, you can only miss around 5 questions in each individual science and math section to score a 20, the average for acceptance. Scores of over 23 are very rare.

To be competitive applicant, a 3.5 or higher GPA is recommended ● Courses: Grades of the following prerequisites have to contain an average grade of C or higher.

Yes, MCAT is much more complicated and more challenging than the DAT.

Is dental school harder than medical school? ›

However, the curriculum for medicine is generally more intense, with more hours spent in the classroom and clinical rotations. In contrast, dental students often have more flexible schedules and less time in class. Based on the curriculum alone, you can consider medicine the tougher educational path.

One of the most important is your academic record. Dental schools typically look for students with high GPAs and DAT scores. But they also consider other factors such as extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and research experience. They want to see that you're well-rounded and committed to making a difference.

Oral and maxillofacial surgery often ranks as the hardest due to its length of training, physical and emotional demands, and the complexity of the procedures.

One of the best ways to compensate for a low GPA is by getting a high score on the Dental Admissions Test (DAT). Although GPA is a crucial factor when it comes to dental admissions, the DAT is a way for applicants to show that they possess the necessary knowledge and skills.

In general, most dental schools have a minimum DAT score requirement, often around 16 to 18 for the Academic Average (AA) score. However, meeting this minimum does not guarantee admission. Applicants with lower DAT scores may still be considered if other aspects of their application are strong.

According to the Levin Group's Annual Practice Survey, the most common target for dental case acceptance is 90%. Unfortunately, the actual number for case acceptance in the modern dental practice is approximately 34%, according to Melissa Marquez of Jarvis Analytics.

The national freshman enrollment of US dental schools can be expected to have approximately a 7% attrition rate by the time of graduation. The reasons for student withdrawal are evenly divided between personal and academic problems.

6. What should my GPA be? Many schools make their minimum GPA score a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. However, a competitive score should be much higher, at least somewhere near 3.5 or more.

According to data available on their websites, the average overall GPA of accepted students at different dental schools ranges from 3.25 to 3.85 and the average science GPA of accepted students ranges from 3.17 to 3.81.