Admissions Requirements

Admissions Criteria

Admission to the program is competitive. We review your academic records, personal statement, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, interview assessment and other information you provide.

Preferred consideration

Preferred consideration is given to applicants who are residents of these states:

  • Arkansas
  • Hawaii
  • Kansas
  • Missouri
  • New Mexico

However, we welcome applications from highly qualified candidates from other states as well.

General Requirements

  • U.S. citizen or a foreign national with a visa permitting permanent residence (except for candidates who are part of the UMKC-Kuwait Dental Agreement)
  • Ninety college credit hours toward completion of a bachelor’s degree and be eligible to enroll after completing 120 hours of college credit or a bachelor's degree
  • DAT Academic Average (AA): 350 (16 old scale) minimum but 370 (17 old scale) or above preferred. 420 (20 old scale) is the average for accepted students.
    • Multiple subscores below 17 (old scale) will impact a candidate’s competitiveness.  See new score scale condordance table here.
  • Science and Math GPA (SGPA): 3.0 minimum but 3.4 or above preferred. 3.7 is the average for accepted students. 

Not required, but these attributes reflect positively on a candidate’s application:

  • At least 100 hours of ongoing dental shadowing or work experiences in three or more different practices
  • At least 100 hours of ongoing community service in at least three different organizations, exhibiting evidence of service and compassion
  • Demonstration of critical thinking and problem-solving ability
  • Evidence of strong personal character (maturity, self-reliance, leadership, understanding of diversity and justice)
  • Effective interpersonal and communication skills
  • Ability to balance a demanding academic schedule with extracurricular activities or employment (time management and organization)

Internationally trained dentists

Are you a U.S. citizen or permanent resident with international dentistry training who wants to earn a DDS degree from a program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation. Read the requirements for our advanced standing entry to the DDS program. 

Academic Prerequisites

Prerequisite courses must be completed by the end of the Spring Semester right before the Fall Semester in which you are enrolling.

One semester with lab, if lab is offered:

  • General biology
  • Anatomy (or Anatomy and Physiology I and II sequence)
  • Physiology (or Anatomy and Physiology I and II sequence)
  • Biochemistry
  • One of the following courses: Cell biology, histology, microbiology, molecular biology

First and second semesters with lab, if lab is offered:

  • Chemistry I and II
  • Organic Chemistry I and II
  • Physics I and  II
  • English Composition I and II (or other writing intensive courses)

Additional recommended courses: cell biology, histology, microbiology, molecular biology, immunology, genetics, ethics, statistics, public health, social sciences, psychology, nutrition, business, communications, art, ceramics, 3D design and Spanish or other language course

Technical Standards

Candidates must attest to having the abilities and skills to satisfactorily complete the curriculum:

  1. Observation
  2. Communication
  3. Motor
  4. Intellectual-conceptual, integrative and quantitative abilities
  5. Emotional and behavioral attributes

Technical standards

Criminal Background Check

Following acceptance, successfully pass a criminal background check.

Costs and Aid

The DDS program is a four-year professional degree program. Students are required to attend and pay tuition and fees for classes during the Summer Semesters, including the Summer Semester following the first year of dental school, year 2.

We offer a full waiver on the nonresident tuition to a limited number of residents from Arkansas, Hawaii, Kansas and New Mexico. Qualified candidates from other states may be eligible for an award that waives 50% to 100% of the nonresident tuition rate.

DDS students are not eligible for federal, state or institutional grants, but can apply for financial aid each year of the program. The majority of financial aid is in the form of loans from a range of sources. However, we provide a limited number of scholarships.

How to Apply

Candidates submit a centralized application through the American Association of Dental Schools Application Service, which includes your personal information, experiences, personal statement, coursework and recommendation letters. A minimum of three letters of recommendation or one pre-health advisory committee letter is required. If there is not a pre-health advisory committee at least one letter from a faculty member and one from a dentist is required.

Priority deadline for applications is September 1. It can take up to six weeks to process and deliver an application. Therefore, competitive candidates should apply the June or July of the year prior to anticipated entry into dental school.

Admissions information