Dental schools in the U.S. require a minimum of two years of college to enter dental school, but most schools only accept students who have a four-year degree with a major in biology, chemistry or other life sciences. The course requirements include one year of organic and inorganic chemistry, biology, physics and English. Individual dental schools may require further study in these or other classes. (See Resources.)
An applicant who chooses a dental school located in the state in which she resides may have an easier time gaining admission to the school. Not all states have dental schools, but can have reciprocal agreements with other states to accept students into their programs. Private dental schools do not have residency requirements or give priority to a student based on where she lives. As of February 2011, approximately half of the states in the U.S. do not have dental schools.
Dental school applicants have to take the Dental Admission Test (DAT). The test has four sections including multiple-choice questions regarding biology, chemistry, reading, quantitative reasoning and perceptual abilities. The quantitative reasoning section includes questions regarding higher math and the reading section measures the applicant's ability to reason and analyze information. The American Dental Association administers the test at Prometric testing stations throughout the U.S.
Dental schools closely examine the applications and consider the grades the student received, as well as the course loads that the applicants took each quarter or semester. The schools are more likely to consider candidates who took heavier course loads and achieved acceptable grades than choosing students who achieved higher grades but took just a few classes at a time.