Demonstrate your
knowledge, skills and
preparation
Service to the Community
Demonstrate a commitment to
humanity by selessly serving others.
Interacting with people from dierent
backgrounds and experiences than
your own will strengthen your
interpersonal and communication
skills. No specifc hours or number of
activities required.
Get involved! Visit the Bennion
Center (bennioncenter.utah.edu)
Leadership & Teamwork
Dentists are both leaders and team
members with patients, colleagues,
etc.
Demonstrate your leadership skills
by participating in a variety of
experiences leading dierent people
in dierent situations. No specifc
hours or number of activities required.
(Eg: coach, teacher, tutor, mentor, TA/
LA, supervisor, ocer role in a club,
student advisory board, and many
more.)
Academic Preparation
Ensure you’re academically prepared for the intensity of dental school
• Complete a bachelor’s degree and prerequisites
• Competitve applicants have high GPAs, so build and strengthen your time management skills
• Any major is appropriate; make sure to pick the right t for you, and study what you love!
PREDENTAL INFORMATION SUMMARY
PreProfessional Advising Information
Website: ppa.utah.edu | Instagram: @UofUPPA
Email: [email protected] (Quick Questions)
Oce Location: Building 44 (Second Floor)
Advisors:
• Shelley Nicholson, Director
• Zach Earl
• Quentin Hodges
• Amy Urbanek
• Alessandra Zamora
Dental School Basics
Dental School
• Year 1-2: Didactic Years (Class Instruction)
• Year 3-4: Clinical Study & Practice Management
Residency (optional)
• Pursue one of nine dental specialties
Degree Conferred:
DDS (doctor of dental surgery) or
DMD (doctor of dental medicine)
Make an appt!
Get involved in activities (in-and outside the classroom) to help you develop knowledge, skills,
and experiences to be a competitive applicant to dental school.
Dentist Shadowing & Dental Experience
Dental experience is critical to your success as a predental student. Observing multiple dentists will help you commit to the profession
while learning various specialties. Don’t wait! Start shadowing now!
Competitive Applicants Complete:
• 200 hours of shadowing and dental experience combined
• 40 of the 200 should be shadowing; recommended 4 dentists for 10 hours each
• Balance shadwing general and specialty dentists
Most students gain this dental expereince by shadowing a general dentist for more than a semester. Consider taking KINES 3080 & 3081:
Dental School Prep & Lab, as well as KINES 4080: Dental Observation to structure your experience and earn course credit.
Research
More and more dental schools recommend
students have research experience to
demonstrate understanding that dentists
must stay current on the latest in dental
advancements!
Competitive Applicants Complete:
• Participate in hypothesis-based research,
under the supervision of faculty/researcher
Check out the Oce of Undergraduate
Research: our.utah.edu
Preparing for dental school can be complex and nuanced. But you don’t have to do it alone! PPA offers a variety of services
to aid you during this time. From application workshops, to application and personal statement reviews, we want to help you
with this process.
Meet with a PPA advisor at least once a semsester to help guide you along the way.
APPLICATION PROCESS AND INFORMATION
Start Saving NOW!
Applying to dental school is very expensive. The application fee for AADSAS is over $260, which includes applying to one
school; each additional school is $115. These fees will increase each year. Supplemental applications carry their own
fees, commonly ranging between $50-$100 each. Factoring in application fees, DAT registration and prep, the cost of
traveling for in-person interviews, and more, we recommend students to prepare to spend about $5,000 for the application
process. AADSAS offers a limited number of fee waivers through their Fee Assistance Program for those who qualify.
PPA is here to help!
APPLICATION DETAILS
Dental programs admit students once a year, for fall only. Plan on taking the DAT and submitting your application at least 12
months in advance of the year for which you are applying.
Do your research!
It is your responsibility to ensure you are meeting all requirements for the schools you are interested in. When selecting
dental programs, we recommend that you look at schools that align with your interests: location, size, student/faculty ratio,
representation, etc. You can search for dental schools on the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) website.
AADSAS (Associated American Dental Schools Application)
There are 70 accredited dental schools in the US, and all of them utilize AADSAS, which is availble at aadsas.liaisoncas.com.
For additional resources, visit Go Dental (adea.org/godental)
• Application requirements include transcripts, extracurricular experiences, personal statment, and fees
• Many schools use a rolling admissions process (meaning they begin reviewing applications and admitting before the
deadlines). It will benet you greatly to submit your application early, regardless of when you take the DAT.
• The application will take most students several weeks to complete. Ensure you have plenty of time to ll out the
application.
DAT
Some programs require the Dental Admissions Test (DAT). The DAT is administered throughout the year, and taking the exam
by the spring of the year before you wish to enter dental school will enable you to apply earlier. The exam may be repeated
and taken a maximum of three times. It is always best to prepare thoroughly and take the DAT once. It has four sections:
Natural Sciences, Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Reasoning, and Perceptual Ability. Additional information, including
registration, can be found at adea.org.
COST and PREP: The exam costs over $500. There are a variety of ways to prep for taking the DAT. You can purchase a test
prep book, utilize free resources online, or purchase a study course.
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR
Register & Study Take the DAT
Request & Get LORs
Prep Application
Submit App. UUSD’s deadline is October 1
Supplemental
Interviews
Ideal Acceptance Notications
Possible
APPLICATION TIMELINE
Letters of Recommendation (LORs)
PLAN AHEAD: Dental schools require LORs as part of your application. Get to know the people you interact with (professors,
supervisors, etc.) You’re not looking for good letters; you need excellent letters. Get these by building and maintaining your
relationships. Letters must be current, signed, dated, and on letterhead. To facilitate this process, most students should use
the free AADSAS Letter Service.
LETTER TYPES: AADSAS allows students to submit a maximum of four letters. The following are common types of letters
required by most dental programs. However, requirements vary by program, so do your research.
• Science Professor
• 2nd Professor letter (science or non-science)
• Dentist
• Dentist/Supervisor
POLICIES and CONSIDERATIONS
AP/IB CREDIT Depends on program. Check each school’s requirements
COMMUNITY
COLLEGE COURSES
Manyl schools limit credits taken at community colleges to 60 credits. Check each program’s reqs.
REPEATS All grades will be counted in your AADSAS calculated GPA
WITHDRAWALS Although W’s will not affect your GPA, W’s should be used sparingly. Work with your advisor.
GPA
Minimum requirements for total GPA is 3.0, but this varies by program. However, competitive
applicants usually have a total GPA of 3.6 or higher. Some programs may also look separately at
prerequiste or science GPA.
UUSD: No minimum GPA. Average GPA for accepted applicants is 3.74 total, 3.66 science
Roseman: Minimum science GPA: 3.0 in last 30 science credits, average total GPA 3.4
Helpful Resources
• Go Dental: (adea.org/godental)
• University of Utah School of Dentistry: dentistry.utah.edu
• Roseman University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine: roseman.edu
PreDental Prerequisite Course Guide
Requirements vary by school. It is your responsibility to do your own research on each dental school you wish to apply to.
AP coursework may or not be accepted. If accepted, coursework beyond AP is often required.
Shaded boxes indicate the classes most commonly required by dental schools.
Bolded classes may be taken at a community college. However, not all dental schools will accept community college prereqs.
BIOLOGY
BIOL 1610 (4)
Fundamentals of
Biology I
PreReq: MATH
1010
BIOL 2325 (4)
Human Anatomy
PreReq: BIOL
1610
BIOL 2420 (4)
Human Physiology
PreReq: BIOL 1610
and CHEM 1210
BIOL 2020 (3)
Cellular Biology
PreReq for 2020: BIOL
1610 and CHEM 1210
BIOL 3210 (3)
BIOL 3205 (1)
Microbiology and Lab
PreReq: CHEM 1210 and BIOL 2020
OR OR*
BIOL 1620 (3)
Fundamentals of Biology II
PATH 3100 (3)
Medical Microbiology
• Most dental schools require two biology labs. BIOL 2325 (Human Anatomy) or BIOL 2425 (Human Physiology lab) can count for one lab at most
schools. The second lab can be fullled by any other biology lab.
• *One microbiology course is required by UUSD & some other dental programs. The microbiology lab may or may not be required and can be taken
with either BIOL 3210 or PATH 3100.
NON-SCIENCE REQUIREMENTS
WRTG 2010 (3)
Intermediate Writing
PreReq: WRTG 1010
Any CW Course offered
through ENGL or WRTG
PreReq: WRTG 2010
OPTIONAL SUGGESTED COURSES
KINES 3080 (3)
KINES 3081 (1)
Dental School Prep and Lab
PreReq: BIOL 1610
KINES 4080 (3)
Dental Observation
PreReq: KINES 3080
MATH
MATH 1050 (4)
College Algebra
MATH 1060 (3)
Trigonometry
NOTE: MATH 1050/60 can be
substituted with higher math
Please note: Consult both your major and PPA advisors to determine appropriate placement and course selection.
CHEMISTRY
CHEM 1210 (4)
CHEM 1215 (1)
General Chemistry I
and Lab
PreReq: MATH 1050
CHEM 1220 (4)
CHEM 1225 (1)
General Chemistry II
and Lab
PreReq: CHEM 1210
CHEM 2310 (4)
CHEM 2315 (2)
Organic Chemistry I
and Lab
PreReq: CHEM 1220
CHEM 2320 (4)
CHEM 2325 (2)
Organic Chemistry II
and Lab
PreReq: CHEM 2310
CHEM/BIOL 3510 (3)
Biochemistry
PreReq: CHEM 2310
Recommended: CHEM
2320 and BIOL 2020
Optional Chemistry Prep Courses
• CHEM 1200 (4): Prep for College Chemistry
• CHEM 1208 (1): Intro to Periodic Table
• CHEM 2308 (1): Intro to Organic Chem
PHYSICS
PHYS 2010 (4)
PHYS 2015 (1)
General Physics 1 and
Lab
PreReq: MATH 1060
PHYS 2020 (4)
PHYS 2025 (1)
General Physics 2 and
Lab
PreReq: PHYS 2010
OR
PHYS 2210 (4)
PHYS 2215 (1)
Physics for Scientists
& Engineers 1 and Lab
PreReq: MATH 1210
PHYS 2220 (4)
PHYS 2225 (1)
Physics for Scientists
& Engineers 2 and Lab
PreReq: MATH 1220,
PHYS 2210
Please note: Consult both your major advisor and a PPA advisor for the correct lecture and lab sequence.
Updated: May 2024
