North American Dental Schools

For your reference, below is a list of all dental schools in North America and some key characteristics of each school.

There are a few points I need to make regarding the overview statistics. The stats were updated during the summer of 2023 (using the latest data identified) and tend to increase marginally yearly. Therefore, by your application submission date, you should expect to see the average DAT and GPA higher than shown. Secondly, pay attention to the schools that offer in-state tuition after the first year; this can save you a lot of money. Third, some schools say they will accept international applicants but didn’t have any enrolled international applicants the previous year. These are labeled as “*Yes”. Also, it is important to note that even though I marked some schools as internationally friendly, they may have only one enrolled international candidate—keep that in mind. Fourth, Texas schools are known for being notoriously unfriendly towards OOS and international applicants. Moreover, Canadian schools tend to be very unfriendly towards out-of-province and international applicants. Lastly, some schools are unique in admitting more minorities, teaching in Spanish or French, or being religious; these are marked in the table.

Overview of North American Dental Schools

School	DAT (AA)	Average cGPA / sGPA	International Friendly	Instate Tuition After First Year
U of Alabama	21	3.78/3.72	*Yes	No
A.T. Still (AZ)	19.08	3.43/3.33	*Yes	No
MWU-AZ	20	UOP (3-year program)	Yes	No
USC	20.5	3.73/3.67	Yes	No
Loma Linda (Religious)	21.01	3.47/3.42	Yes	No
UCLA	22	3.72/3.67	Yes	Yes
UCSF	22.8	3.65/3.6	Yes	Yes
UOP (3-year program)	22	3.6/3.5	Yes	No
Western U	20	3.35/3.22	Yes	No
Colorado	20	3.5/3.48	No	No
UCONN	21-22 (sci)	3.5-3.6/NR	*Yes	Yes
Howard (HBCU)	NR	NR	Yes	No
LECOM	NR	NR	No	No
NOVA	NR	NR	Yes	No
UF	22	3.82/3.77	No	Yes
Augusta	21	3.73/ 3.68	No	No
MWU-IL	19.2	NR/3.25	Yes	No
Southern Illinois	19	3.60/3.50	No	No
Illinois at Chicago	NR	NR/NR	No	No
Indiana	20.68	3.62/3.54	Yes	No
Iowa	21	3.71/3.62	*Yes	No
Kentucky	20.19	3.63/NR	Yes	No
Louisville	20	3.60/3.46	Yes	No
Louisiana State	21	3.60/NR	No	No
New England	NR	NR/NR	Yes	No
Maryland	21	3.60/NR	Yes	Yes
Boston U	NR	NR/NR	Yes	No
Harvard (Ivy)	22	3.85/NR	Yes	No
Tufts	19	3.27/3.17	Yes	No
UDM	20	3.62/3.54	Yes	No
Michigan	22	3.81/NR	Yes	No
Minnesota	20.71	3.62/3.54	Yes	No
Mississippi	NR	NR/NR	No	No
A.T. Still (Missouri)	19.2	3.54/3.41	No	No
U of Missouri	20	NR/3.70	No	No
Creighton	20	3.67/3.58	Yes	No
Nebraska	20	3.67/NR	Yes	No
UNLV	20	3.50/NR	Yes	Yes
Rutgers	21	3.70/3.60	Yes	Yes
Columbia (Ivy)	24	3.8/NR	Yes	No
NYU	21	3.50/3.40	Yes	No
Stony Brook	21.9	3.74/3.69	Yes	No
Touro	21.4	3.53/3.43	*Yes	No
Buffalo	NR	NR/NR	Yes	Yes
East Carolina	NR	NR/NR	No	No
UNC	NR	NR/NR	*Yes	Yes
Case Western	NR	NR/NR	Yes	No
Ohio State	21	3.65/3.56	*Yes	Yes
Oklahoma	NR	NR/NR	*Yes	No
Oregon	21.09	3.74/3.69	Yes	No
Temple	NR	NR/NR	Yes	No
UPENN (Ivy)	NR	NR/NR	Yes	No
Pittsburgh	NR	NR/NR	Yes	No
Puerto Rico (Spanish)	NR	NR	*Yes	No
(SC) James B. Edwards	20	3.65/3.59	*Yes	No
Meharry (HBCU)	NR	3.25/3.03	Yes	No
Tennessee	19	3.50/NR	No	No
Texas A&M	22	3.75/3.65	*Yes	Yes
Texas – San Antonio	NR	NR/NR	*Yes	Yes
Texas – Houston	NR	NR/NR	No	Yes
Roseman (3-year program)	NR	NR/NR	No	No
Utah	22	3.79/3.73	No	No
VCU	22	3.7/3.6	Yes	No
Washington	NR	NR/NR	No	Yes
West Virginia	NR	NR/NR	Yes	No
Marquette	20.54	3.64/3.55	*Canadian Only	No
Alberta	21.5	3.8/NR	*Yes	No
UBC	NR	NR/NR	*Canadian Only	No
Manitoba	NR	NR/NR	*Canadian Only	No
Dalhousie	NR	NR/NR	NR	No
Toronto	NR	3.96/NR	*Yes	No
Western (UWO– Canada)	NR	88/NR	*Yes	No
McGill	NR	3.85/NR	*Yes	No
Montreal (French)	NR	NR/ NR	No	No
Laval (French)	NR	NR/ NR	No	No
Saskatchewan	20.6	88.82/NR	No	No

NR = Not Reported (could not be identified by our research staff)

Unique Features of North American Dental Schools

The following information outlines some unique features of each school in North America. The information was gathered from each school’s website, social media platforms, and SDN forums. The information is organized by state/territory/province.

Alabama

University of Alabama School of Dentistry (UAB)

Focus on community
DMD/Ph.D. program

Arizona

Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health (A.T. Still)

Emphasis on community service
Integrated curriculum (with mandatory fourth-year externships)
New facilities

Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine (MWU-AZ)

Focus on general dentistry
Private practice model oriented
Great clinical curriculum
Great facilities and technology
New school

California

Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC

Focus on community service
Problem-based learning style curriculum
Summer dental research program
Dual-degree options (DDS/MBA, DDS/MS)

Loma Linda University School of Dentistry

Religious university
International externships
Master’s degree tracks available

University of California, Los Angeles School of Dentistry (UCLA)

High specialization match rates
Numerous research opportunities
Pass/no pass grading

University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry (UCSF)

Pass/fail grading
High specialization rates
Numerous research opportunities

University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry (UOP)

3-year program
Humanistic model approach
Pacific helix curriculum (focus on integration)
Portfolio exam for licensing available
Great clinical curriculum
Great facilities and technology

Western University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine (California)

Focus on general dentistry
Simodont virtual reality trainer
Focus on community service

Colorado

University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine

Service learning (ACTS program)
Inter-professional education programs
Numerous research opportunities

Connecticut

University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine (UCONN)

Pass/fail grading
Medical school integrated curriculum
High specialization rates

District of Columbia

Howard University School of Dentistry

Historically Black University – Very URM friendly
Focus on community outreach
Offer combined education BS/DDS, DDS/MBA

Florida

LECOM School of Dental Medicine

Focus on general dentistry
Focus on community service
Problem-based learning curriculum

Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine

Great facilities and technology
DO/DMD dual degree option

University of Florida College of Dentistry

Community outreach rotations
Numerous research opportunities
New technology

Georgia

Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University

Great facilities and technology
Early clinical exposure (From 2nd year)

Illinois

Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine (MWU-IL)

Focus on general dentistry
Integrated curriculum
New school

Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine (SIU)

State-of-the-art facilities and technology
Community outreach opportunities
Summer research program

University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry (UIC)

Great facilities and technology
Diverse patient pool
Service learning curriculum
Dual-degree options
Innovative curriculum

Indiana

Indiana University School of Dentistry

Newly-constructed clinic
Focus on community service
Numerous research opportunities
Cast gold crowns

Iowa

University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics

Early clinical exposure (2nd year)
Clinical rotations in all specialities
Offers all speciality programs
Great facilities and technology

Kentucky

University of Kentucky College of Dentistry

Focus on community outreach
Research track program
Early clinical exposure

University of Louisville School of Dentistry

Humanistic environment
Great facilities and technology
ULEAD program (For high schoolers)
Strong clinical program
Dual-degree programs (DMD/Ph.D., DMD/MBA, DMD/ MS)

Louisiana

Louisiana State University Health Science Center School of Dentistry

Most specialty programs
Numerous research opportunities

Maine

University of New England College of Dental Medicine (UNE)

Integrated and interdisciplinary curriculum
State-of-the-art facilities and technology
Early patient exposure
New school

Maryland

University of Maryland School of Dentistry

Integrated curriculum
Dual-degree programs DDS/Ph.D., DDS/MS
D4 externship program
Great facilities and technology
Community outreach

Massachusetts

Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (BU)

Numerous community outreach opportunities
Research
State-of-the-art facilities and technology
Externships
APEX program

Harvard School of Dental Medicine

Medical school integrated curriculum
Numerous research opportunities
Pass/fail grading
Pathways curriculum
Small class size

Tufts University School of Dental Medicine

Integrated curriculum
Dual-degree programs (DMD/MPH, DMD/MS, DMD/ BS)
Research project
Externships

Michigan

University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry

Diverse patient population
Strong clinical program
Focus on community outreach

University of Michigan School of Dentistry

Numerous research opportunities
Dual-degree options (DDS/Ph.D., DDS/ MBA)
Global initiatives program
Pathways curriculum

Minnesota

University of Minnesota School of Dentistry

Numerous research opportunities
Dual-degree options (DDS/Ph.D., DDS/MPH)
Community outreach rotations

Mississippi

University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Dentistry

Focus on community service
Small class size

Missouri

Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health at ATSU

Integrated curriculum
Small class size
Great facilities
Focus on community (integrated into the curriculum)

University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry

Early clinical exposure (1st year)
State-of-the-art facilities
Research opportunities

Nebraska

Creighton University School of Dentistry

Interview not required to matriculate
Numerous community outreach opportunities
Group research part of integrated curriculum
State-of-the-art facilities (completion in 2018)

University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry

State-of-the-art facilities and technology
Small class size (50)

Nevada

University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine

Large patient pool
Early clinical experience (1st year)
Integrated curriculum (of the sciences)

New Jersey

Rutgers School of Dental Medicine

Focus on community service
State-of-the-art facilities and technology
Research

New York

Columbia University College of Dental Medicine

Pass/fail grading
Medical school integrated curriculum
Research
High specialization match rates
Externships

New York University College of Dentistry (NYU)

Large class size (375)
Very international and Canadian friendly
Research
State-of-the-art facilities and technology
Numerous global and local community outreach opportunities

Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine

Small class size
Integrated curriculum with the medical school
Selective courses
Fourth year general practice model

Touro College of Dental Medicine at New York Medical College

New school
State-of-the-art facilities and technology
Pre-clinical curriculum integrated with medical education

University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine

Early clinical exposure
Focus on community involvement
Diverse patient pool

North Carolina

East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine

Focus on community involvement
State-of-the-art facilities and technology
Small class size (52)

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry

Research
DISC program
State-of-the-art facilities and technology
Community service

Ohio

Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine (CWRU)

“REAL” curriculum
New clinic (Opening 2019)
Dual-degree options (DMD/MPH, DMD/MCRT)
Early clinical exposure via (HSSP) initiative (1st year)

Ohio State University College of Dentistry (OSU)

Focus on community service (fourth year OHIO project)
Dual-degree options available (DDS/Ph.D.)
Early clinical exposure (from 1st year)

Oklahoma

University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry

Focus on community service
Small class size (56)
State-of-the-art facilities and technology

Oregon

Oregon Health Sciences University School of Dentistry

State-of-the-art facilities and technology
Early clinical exposure (1st year)

Pennsylvania

Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry

Strong clinical curriculum
Community service oriented
Mandatory research project

University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine

Simodont virtual reality trainer
Fourth year hospital externship
Tailor your education via selectives
High specialization match rate
State-of-the-art facilities and technology
Clinical rotations from the first year

University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine

Cheapest tuition for internationals (excluding Puerto Rico)
Competency-based curriculum
Selectives
Dual-degree programs available

Puerto Rico

University of Puerto Rico, School of Dental Medicine

Spanish language instruction
Small class size
Low cost of attendance

South Carolina

Medical University of South Carolina College of Dental Medicine

State-of-the-art facilities and technology
Focus on community service
Dual-degree options (DMD/Ph.D.)

Tennessee

Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry

Historically Black School – Very URM friendly
Small class size (60)
Focus on community outreach
Integrated curriculum with medical school

University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Dentistry

State-of-the-art facilities
Early clinical exposure (second year)

Texas

Texas A&M University College of Dentistry

Strong clinical program
Contains all dental specialties
Focus on community service

University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio School of Dentistry

Fourth year externships around Texas
Tailor your education via selectives
Numerous research opportunities
Ability to learn in Spanish

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Dentistry

State-of-the-art facilities and technology
Dual-degree options (DDS/MPH)
Integrated curriculum

Utah

Roseman University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine

Block, three-year integrated curriculum
State-of-the-art facilities and technology
Dual-degree option (DMD/MBA)
New school (Opened 2007)

University of Utah School of Dentistry

New school
3+1 curriculum
State-of-the-art facilities and technology
Small class size (50)
Early clinical experience

Virginia

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry

Focus on community service
Virtual reality simulator

Washington

University of Washington School of Dentistry

Ride program
Emphasis on research
Unique pediatric division

West Virginia

West Virginia University School of Dentistry

Small class size (48)
Great technology
Mandatory research project (third year)

Wisconsin

Marquette University School of Dentistry

General practice model
Integrated curriculum
Focus on community outreach

Alberta

University of Alberta School of Dentistry

State-of-the-art facilities and technology
Comprehensive care delivery model

British Columbia

University of British Columbia, Faculty of Dentistry (UBC)

Numerous research opportunities
State-of-the-art facilities and technology
Innovative inquiry-based curriculum (Includes PBL)

Manitoba

University of Manitoba, Faculty of Dentistry

Early clinical exposure (first year)
Focus on community service
Evidenced-based approach

Nova Scotia

Dalhousie University, Faculty of Dentistry

Numerous research opportunities
Integrated curriculum

Ontario

University of Toronto, Faculty of Dentistry

Numerous research opportunities
Service learning initiatives
Interpersonal Education Curriculum

Western University School of Dentistry

Integrated curriculum
Early clinical experience
Numerous research opportunities

Quebec

McGill University, Faculty of Dentistry

Integrated curriculum with medical school
State-of-the-art facilities and technology
Numerous research opportunities

Université de Montréal, Faculté de medicine dentaire

French language instruction
Numerous research opportunities

Université Laval, Faculté de médecine dentaire

French language instruction

Saskatchewan

University of Saskatchewan College of Dentistry

Small class size (28)
Focus on community service

Once again, I recommend purchasing the ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools and constructing a list of 20 schools that you are interested in. Afterward, you can narrow down the list as you learn more about each school. You can ask for the advice of the SDN community, your professors, and your personal network to determine which schools are the right fit for you.