penn state dental school acceptance rate

Dental School Admission Statistics

Approximately 20 Penn undergraduates and undergraduate alumni apply for admission to dental school each year, and are very successful in this endeavor. Dental school admissions is very competitive, and applicants are evaluated holistically. In addition to assessing an applicant’s GPA and DAT scores, dental school admissions committees look for competencies necessary for a successful career as a dentist, such as manual dexterity, communication skills, service orientation, critical thinking, adaptability, empathy, and resilience. Potential applicants should be prepared to critically assess the overall strength of their application and are more than welcome to make an appointment with a pre-dental advisor for help with this process.

**Note: All data on this page refers to the cohort of Penn students who applied to begin dental school in Fall 2019.

Average GPA and DAT Scores for Admitted Students

*Source: ADEA for the cohort of students who entered dental school in Fall 2018. ADEA only provides statistics for enrolled or matriculated students, not students who were accepted but chose not to matriculate.

COVID-19 Admissions Update

We know that COVID has changed the landscape of education in almost every way, from how we teach and learn, how we communicate, and certainly how we plan our educations in times when what seems certain one day is up for change the next. To that end, several of the more predictable aspects of applying to dental schools have changed and created some questions from our applicants and advisors that are somewhat universal and we address here.

SHADOWING: Although we have never had “threshold” hourly requirements for shadowing at Penn, we have always encouraged our applicants to pursue a varied course in their shadowing endeavors. Certainly a good exposure in general dentistry as that is the goal of every dental program, but also an exploration as much as possible in some of the dental specialties in order to explore the breadth of the profession. During COVID, we recognize that in-person experiences have been drastically curtailed. We encourage our applicants to explore the profession in other ways, such as Zoom interviews of dental professionals where they can have one-on-one interactions with practitioners; use of the ADEA and ADA websites with recorded articles, interviews, and statistics; the two Coursera courses offered at no charge by Penn Dental Medicine; other dental-school-related Coursera courses; dental manufacturer’s websites with information and demonstrations; some volunteer clinics who are using volunteer assistants, and of course, YouTube. The point, as always, is that the applicant understands as much as possible what the profession can offer.

PASS/FAIL: We recognize that as many schools went virtual and many continued either virtually or in hybrid fashion, that schools shifted to the PASS/FAIL record of grades. If you have earned the P/F grade in a pre-requisite AND it appears for credit on your transcript by your institution, we will accept it for full credit and consider the grade in the context of the entire transcript. Penn Dental Medicine will accept P/F grades for courses taken during the Spring, Summer, and Fall 2020 and 2021 terms to meet our admissions requirements.

ONLINE COURSES: We recognize that many schools conducted their courses either virtually or in hybrid fashion. Penn Dental Medicine will accept online courses taken during the Spring, Summer, and Fall 2020 and 2021 terms to meet our admissions requirements as long as they appear for credit on your official transcript. Again, any online courses taken in the academic terms not specific to COVID will be evaluated in the context of your entire academic record.

AP/IB: Similar to P/F, if an AP (Advanced Placement) or IB (International Baccalaureate) course is listed on your transcript for credit in your institution, we will also consider it if it is in a pre-requisite course.

VIRTUAL INTERVIEWS: Currently, the Office of Student Admissions at Penn Dental Medicine is conducting our interviews and interview day as virtual events. We have made very attempt at duplicating the in-person event, with overview sessions, two half hour interviews with faculty and staff, a conversation with our Associate Director, unmonitored student panels, and a virtual tour. Please be aware that this is a complete replication of the in -person event and all questions, experiences, and observations are always encouraged and welcomed.

VISITING: We are very sorry that currently Penn Dental Medicine is not allowing any visitors to our school, even admitted students. We have been very fortunate as an institution in moving forward during COVID, keeping our clinics running at full capacity and beyond, serving our patients, graduating our students on time, and bringing our D1 and D2 students to in-person, on campus coursework in classrooms, clinics, and pre-clinics. We have been able to do this because we have been extremely cautious and observant of all CDC, state, city, and University guidelines which unfortunately do not currently allow for visitors. Be assured that we will extend invitations as soon as we are able.

Penn Dental Medicine seeks DMD applicants with a broad and strong educational background, who will have completed a four-year degree program prior to matriculation. While a foundation in science is desirable preparation for dental school, well-prepared candidates also possess course work in humanities, social science, and the arts. Non-science majors are encouraged to apply. Preference is given to those who have completed upper division science courses beyond the minimum requirements.

Applicants may apply to our program prior to the completion of predental requirements or other course work. All prerequisite courses should be completed by the spring term, prior to matriculation to dental school. Although there is no expiration date for prerequisite courses, applicants should consider new additional course work to reinforce any knowledge gained previously.

Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) course work can be credited towards predental requirements as long as the credit appears on your official college transcript.Minimum Course Prerequisites for Admissions

• Biology – Two semesters /three quarters of biology with corresponding lab. Advanced courses in anatomy, microbiology, and physiology are highly recommended.
• Chemistry – Three semesters/five quarters with corresponding lab in either combination of: two semesters/three quarters of general/inorganic chemistry and one semester/two quarters of organic chemistry or two semesters/three quarters of organic chemistry and one semester/two quarters of general/inorganic chemistry. Additional work in physical chemistry is recommended.
• Biochemistry – One semester/one quarter; no lab is required.
• Physics – Two semesters/three quarters with corresponding lab, covering the basic principles of classical physics.
• Mathematics – One semester/two quarters. Acceptable courses: calculus (preferred), statistics or any college-level math course.
• English – two semesters /three quarters. Acceptable courses: speech, composition, literature, humanities courses, freshman writing seminars, technical and business writing, and other writing intensive courses used to meet your school’s writing requirement. Courses may be taken outside of the English department.