Required Application Materials
A complete application to the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry requires all of the following items. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
ADEA AADSAS Application
ADEA Associated American Dental Schools Application Service (ADEA AADSAS) Application - must be submitted no later than 11:59pm EST on December 1, 2024.
University of Minnesota School of Dentistry Application Processing Fee
University of Minnesota School of Dentistry Application Processing Fee no later than December 22, 2024. The University of Minnesota requires a non-refundable application processing fee of $85. Your application will not be considered for admission without payment of this fee via credit card at the School of Dentistry application web page. In order to facilitate the timely processing of your application, please submit this fee at the same time as your ADEA AADSAS application. A limited number of application processing fee waivers are available. If you would like to be considered for an application processing fee waiver, please forward your ADEA AADSAS fee waiver information to [email protected].
DAT Scores
DAT scores must be received no later than December 22, 2024. You may send us your unofficial DAT scores via the documents section while you are waiting for us to receive your official DAT scores.
Letters of Evaluation
Three (3) letters of evaluation are required and must be received no later than December 22, 2024. Two letters must be from science or math faculty (who taught you in a lecture or lab course), with a third letter being submitted from a professional of your choice. We do recommend the third letter be from an employer or supervisor (from a volunteer, work, or research position). Letters of evaluation should be sent via ADEA AADSAS. You may submit additional letters beyond the three required letters through ADEA AADSAS or directly to the U of MN School of Dentistry ([email protected]) by the letter writer (we do not accept letters submitted by applicants).
Additional Materials
Application Materials that are only required if relevant to your situation (must be received no later than December 22, 2024):
- TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is required for applicants where English is not the primary language spoken at home. The scores should be submitted via email to [email protected] IF this exam is required of you
- Academic difficulties essay (OPTIONAL): Please provide context for any Incomplete "I", Withdraw "W", "D" and/or "F" grades.
Interview ProcessApplication Checklist
Holistic Review of Applications
The University of Minnesota School of Dentistry utilizes a holistic review of applications to determine who is invited to interview and ultimately offered admission.
Metrics
GPA: BCP (Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Physics), Science, and Total GPA, as reported in your AADSAS application.
DAT: Emphasis is placed on your most recent score if there are multiple attempts. We review your full DAT score history.
Minimum GPA & DAT
Starting in the 2024-25 cycle, a minimum total GPA of 2.5 and a minimum Academic Average DAT of 15 are required in order to apply to the UMN SOD. Applicants who want to request an exemption to this policy should email [email protected] prior to submitting their AADSAS application.
Experiences & Attributes
We review applicants' exposure to the dental field (shadowing, volunteering, paid work, internship, etc.) as well as their research, paid work, and leadership experience and organizational involvement. Additionally, we look at volunteer experience/service orientation, extracurricular and community involvement (athletics, music, community service, etc.), letters of recommendation, essay responses including your personal statement, and applicant background.
Reapplicant Policy
The University of Minnesota School of Dentistry (UMN SOD) welcomes applications from those who have applied to dental school previously. You are considered a reapplicant if you have applied to ANY dental school before, not just the University of Minnesota. Reapplicants will want to concretely demonstrate the ways in which they have improved their application through the reapplicant essay in the centralized application (AADSAS). Starting in the 2024-25 cycle, applicants are able to apply in three consecutive application cycles. If you are not admitted after your third application, you are required to take an application cycle off to work on areas of growth in your application prior to applying for a fourth time. Applicants who want to request an exemption to this policy should email [email protected] prior to submitting their AADSAS application.