Applicants to the Doctor of Dental Surgery program must have completed at least three years of pre-dental college work, including four semesters of lab biology, two semesters of lab physics, two semesters of lab inorganic chemistry, two semesters of organic chemistry and two semesters of English. While the school requires a minimum DAT score of 17 in all sections for admission, the average DAT score on all sections for students admitted in 2011 was 21. The average GPA for students admitted in 2011 is 3.37.
Applicants to the undergraduate Dental Hygiene Program who have less than 15 college credits are required to complete an undergraduate application. Applicants must have competitive SAT or ACT scores. In 2011, the median ACT score range for students accepted to Pacific was between 22 and 28, while the median combined SAT score range for accepted students was between 1,530 and 1,910. Students must also have a high school GPA over 3.0 with at least three years of lab science, an academic recommendation, a completed essay and complete an interview.
Students seeking admission to the graduate orthodontic program must possess a doctoral degree in dentistry and demonstrate academic achievement in both pre-dental and dental school. Students must also achieve a high score on the GRE and the Dental National Board Examination. Applicants must also demonstrate research, teaching and practical experience in the field of dentistry.
The oral surgery residency program requires applicants to possess an undergraduate degree. Applicants must also have already obtained a DMD or DDS degree and provide at least three letters of recommendation. Applicants must fill out an application through the ADEA Postdoctoral Application Support Service, or PASS. Accepted applicants take classes at the Dugoni School of Dentistry and conduct their residency at Highland Hospital in Oakland. The Dugoni School of Dentistry does not publish its criteria for accepting applicants into its oral surgery residency program.