Dental School Acceptance Rates (2024)

September 10, 2024

”Jonathan

Reviewed by:

Jonathan Preminger

Former Admissions Committee Member, Hofstra-Northwell School of Medicine

Reviewed: 7/16/24

Here’s what you need to know about dental school acceptance rates in 2024. Discover admit rates for the top dental schools in the US, FAQs, and more. 

Interested in pursuing a career in dentistry? Getting accepted into a dentistry school is one of the final major steps to becoming a dentist

See our list of acceptance rates, including each school’s average GPA and DAT scores necessary for acceptance, to see which school may be the right fit for you.

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Dental School Acceptance Rates

Dental schools are very hard to get into, so we’ve put together a list of the top ten dental schools with the highest acceptance rates in the US. In the table below, you’ll find the current average GPA and DAT score needed for admission, as well as the average acceptance rate for each school. To get into these top programs, get support from dental school admissions consulting.

Please note that these numbers are constantly changing each year as new DAT scores are calculated.

School Average GPA Average DAT Score Acceptance Rate
University of Mississippi School of Dentistry 3.73 19.3 40%
University of Minnesota 3.74 20.83 38%
LSU Health Sciences Center School of Dentistry 3.64 21.00 41%
University of Detroit Mercy 3.00 19.00 28%
Ohio State 3.65 21.00 9.9%
New York University 3.50 21.10 11.9%
University of Utah Dental School 3.78 20.90 9.8%
University of Missouri- Kansas City 3.78 20.10 12.4%
Oregon Health & Science University 3.78 21.10 10.1%
East Carolina University 3.50 20.6% 17.2%

Here are the top ten dental schools that are the hardest to get into, based on acceptance rates and average GPA.

School Average GPA Average DAT Score Acceptance Rate
Harvard School of Dental Medicine 3.89 24.70 3.5%
University of California, Los Angeles 3.84 23.10 5.6%
University of California, San Francisco 3.76 23.30 4.3%
Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine 3.48 21.10 4.5%
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine 3.43 19.00 5.0%
Nevada Dental School 3.67 20.90 4.9%
University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine 3.77 20.60 4.4%
Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University 3.70 21.00 3.8%
Buffalo University School of Dental Medicine 3.72 21.40 4.3%
Columbia University College of Dental Medicine 3.79 24.00 5.2%

Most dental schools have similar GPA and DAT requirements but are overall very selective.

Discover your chances of dental school acceptance with our calculator tool below:

FAQs: Dental School Acceptance Rates

If you have questions about getting accepted into US dental schools, keep reading as we answer some frequently asked questions. 

1. What Is the Average Acceptance Rate for Dental School?

According to the American Dental Education Association, the average dental school acceptance rate in the US is 58.6%. This means 58.6% of applicants enrolled into dental schools in 2021. 

To compare, US News reported that the average acceptance rate for all US colleges is around 71.4%. This means that dental schools are, for the most part, much more selective than the average college. 

2. How Hard Is it To Get Into a US Dental School?

Getting accepted into a US dental school is very competitive. You need to have an undergraduate degree (usually in Biochemistry, Physics, or Biology), a solid GPA, and perform well on the Dental Admission Test. 

You can also take additional steps to strengthen your dental school application and increase your chances of being accepted. 

If you're wondering which dental schools your GPA and DAT scores will get you into, take our dental school selection quiz to find out now!

3. What Dental School Has the Highest Acceptance Rate?

The University of Mississippi has one of the highest acceptance rates The school has an average acceptance rate of about 40.2%, which is much higher than many of its competitor dental schools.  

The University of Minnesota also has a high acceptance rate of approximately 38%.

Final Thoughts

Despite being very selective, getting accepted into a dental school is the first major step in achieving your dreams of becoming a dentist. 

While most acceptance rates of dental schools are competitive, having a strong application will greatly increase your chances of being accepted.

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