Get to know the newest DDS, Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy students

Beginning their orientation work over the summer and starting their classes by September, 133 new students entered the Doctor of Dental Surgery, Dental Therapy and Dental Hygiene programs as first year learners. 

Doctor of Dental Surgery

DDS Class of 2025, 105 students, 33% ethnically diverse, 29 majors represented, 36 students speak a language other than english, 65.5% Minnesota residents, 16% rural, 27 first-generation students, average age is 23.9, age range is 21 through 45, 62% female, 38% male

The DDS class consists of 105 students who will study for the next four years and graduate in 2025 as dentists. They boast an overall average GPA of 3.67 and an academic average DAT of 20.8. Of them, 69 reside in Minnesota and eight come from within the upper midwest, including North and South Dakota, Montana and Wisconsin. Fifteen students call areas of rural Minnesota their home. Twenty-three languages other than English are spoken among 36 students. All 105 students have received a prior degree, with 99 holding a bachelor’s level degree, four with a master’s, and two with a PhD or MD. Their degrees span 29 majors, with the most popular being biology, biochemistry and biomedical science. They bring vast diversity to the school, with 33% ethnically diverse, 13% from under-represented populations, 27 who are first generation students and 25 who are or were non-traditional students. 

Dental Hygiene

Dental Hygiene Class of 2023, 21 students, 29% ethnically diverse, 1 rural student, 20 urban/suburban students, Average GPA 3.53, Prerequisites 3.51, Sciences 3.20, 95% Minnesota residents, 95% female, 5% male, 9 first generation students

Twenty-one Dental Hygiene students enter with a graduation year of 2023. Of them, all but one are female. One student hails from Wisconsin, while the rest of the class call Minnesota home. Nine students, or 43% of the class, are first-generation college students, while one student comes from a rural background. They boast a total average GPA of 3.53, with an average prerequisite GPA of 3.51 and a science GPA of 3.20. 

Dental Therapy

Dental Therapy Class of 2024, 7 students, 57% ethnically diverse, Average GPA 3.39, Prerequisites 3.58, Sciences 3.37, 86% Minnesota residents, 58% female, 43% male, 5 first generation students, Age range 18 through 30, Average age 23, 29% rural

Seven Dental Therapy students will pursue a dual Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene and a Master of Dental Therapy, graduating in 2024. Of them, four are female and three are male. Five of the seven, or 71%, are first-generation college students, with two (29%) hailing from rural areas. Their average total GPA is 3.39, with a prerequisite GPA of 3.58 and a science GPA of 3.37.

We welcome these 105 DDS, 21 Dental Hygiene, and seven Dental Therapy students, and wish them all the best of luck in their studies.