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Dentistry Admissions Requirements

Apply to the School of Dentistry

Thank you for your interest in joining the Creighton School of Dentistry community. Our application process is coordinated with the American Dental Education Association’s Application Service (AADSAS) online application service. We encourage you to apply as soon as the application service begins accepting applications on May 30. Before completing your application, please learn more about our admissions requirements below.

Contact
Creighton School of Dentistry Admissions
402.280.2695
800.544.5072
denschadm@creighton.edu

Admissions Dates and Deadlines

May 9, 2023: ADEA AADSAS application cycle opens. Create an ADEA AADSAS account and begin your ADEA AADSAS application. 

May 30, 2023: First day to submit your ADEA AADSAS application.

December 15, 2023: First round of acceptances. 

February 2, 2024: ADEA AADSAS application deadline.  

February 9, 2024: Last day to submit all official documents to ADEA AADSAS.

March 1, 2024: Supplemental application and application service fee due to the Creighton Dental Admissions Office. The admissions committee will not review any applications incomplete by this date. 

Admissions Prerequisites and Requirements

AADSAS Application

To apply to the Creighton University School of Dentistry, register for the American Association of Schools Application Service (AADSAS). Once registered, you can fill out a dental school application.

Once your application has been received from AADSAS and processed by the Creighton Dental Admissions Office, you will receive a confirmation email from us, and, if necessary, further instructions for completing your application.

Supplemental Application

In addition to completing an application through ADEA AADSAS, you must also submit a Creighton supplemental application.  Applicants will be invited to complete the supplemental application after Admissions receives a verified ADEA AADSAS.

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Dental students talking in hallway
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Dental Admissions Requirement Test

All applicants must complete the Dental Admissions Test (DAT) administered by the American Dental Association (ADA), preferably no later than June of your final year of college. Please visit the ADA’s Dental Admission Test website for details.

For the 2023-2024 admissions cycle, DAT scores are valid only if completed after June 1, 2020.

Please note the following – To be considered for Admissions, an applicant MUST score at least a 17 in the following areas:

  • Academic Average
  • Total Science
  • Perceptual Ability

If an applicant does not meet these DAT requirements, the applicant will need to retake the DAT. If the applicant does not retake the DAT, then the application will be rejected. Please be aware that there is a three-month waiting period between test retake times.

Dental Shadowing Requirement

The Creighton University School of Dentistry requires a minimum of 65 hours of shadowing in the dental profession. The shadowing can be with a general dentist as well as specialists. 

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Creighton School of Dentistry Interviews

Interviews are mandatory for acceptance into the Creighton University School of Dentistry. Interviews are by invitation only. 

Interviews will consist of three activities:

  1. A virtual interview with a member of the admissions committee.  
  2. A virtual Ambassador meeting where applicants will have the opportunity to visit with a current D3 or D4 student.  This is a great opportunity for applicants to learn about Creighton from a student’s perspective.
  3. A mandatory in-person presentation at the Creighton University School of Dentistry.  During the presentation applicants will lean about the Office of Student Affairs (the student support system of the School of Dentistry), the curriculum (how Creighton educates students to become Creighton Dentists), and complete a tour of the School of Dentistry.

All applicants must have graduated from an accredited four-year high school. 

By the end of the spring term preceding the fall in which they intend to enter the School of Dentistry, all applicants must have earned at least two years’ worth of credits from an accredited college of arts and sciences. This includes a required 64 semester hours (or 96 quarter hours) in academic courses exclusive of physical education and military science. 

Please note that the hours listed for each course should represent a full academic year of study. 

All applicants should have earned at least a B average in their college courses. The Admissions Committee pays special attention to grades earned in the predental sciences. 

Biology (General): 2 semesters including lab (typically 6-8 credit hours or 3 quarters)
General Chemistry: 2 semesters including lab (typically 6-8 credit hours or 3 quarters)
Organic Chemistry: 2 semesters including lab (typically 6-8 credit hours or 3 quarters)
Physics: 2 semesters including lab (typically 6-8 credit hours or 3 quarters)
English: 2 semesters

Please note the following:

  • ALL prerequisite courses must be successfully completed prior to matriculation.
  • All prerequisite courses must be completed at an accredited institution within the United States or Canada.
  • All degree course work must be completed prior to matriculation.

It is highly recommended that prerequisite science courses are completed at a four year institution.  Any prerequisite course completed at a community college must have been validated and accepted as an equivalent course by the accredited four year institution from which you complete your bachelor’s and/or master’s degree.

Advanced Placement (AP) credits will be accepted, provided the credits are accepted by the undergraduate degree granting institution. Students who have earned AP credit for prerequisite courses are encouraged to take additional, advanced level courses.

The School of Dentistry has found that successful students have completed upper level courses in anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, histology, and/or equivalent.  Additionally successful students have experiences that improved dexterity and perceptual ability including, but not limited to, fine arts, wood working, knitting, etc.

Through AADSAS, each applicant must submit either three letters of recommendation—two written by instructors in the sciences and one written by an instructor in a field other than the sciences (for example employer, spiritual leader, dentist)—or else one recommendation from their college’s recommending committee. Please note that, if your college has a recommending committee, we strongly encourage you to submit their recommendation instead of the three letters. All recommendations should testify to the applicant’s potential for success in the field of dentistry, as well as to his or her character.

All applicants must be able to perform, with reasonable accommodations, the physical and manual functions necessary to the practice of dentistry. Before matriculation, admitted applicants will be asked to submit a confidential health record to Student Health Services.

It is the admissions policy of Creighton University to accept qualified students within the limits of its resources and facilities. All applicants are considered for admissions based on their potential to successfully complete the predoctoral program without compromise of the established standards of academic and clinical performance expected of all graduates of the School of Dentistry and their potential to best serve the needs of society.

The Admissions Committee conducts a holistic review of the entire application. This includes the applicant’s score on the DAT, courses taken, leadership ability, shadowing and service activities – to name a few.

The School of Dentistry believes a diverse student body enhances the educational opportunities for all members of the Creighton community and furthers the dental profession’s goal of educating culturally competent professionals who can work successfully with all segments of the population and improve access to care for underserved populations. For these reasons, the school seeks a diverse student body.

The safety and well-being of students, faculty, and staff are primary considerations at Creighton University. The Creighton University Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is published in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and Violence Against Women Act. This report includes statistics for the previous three years concerning reported crimes and fires, as well as institutional policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, fire safety, crime reporting, and other matters. This legislation seeks to make college campuses safer through the disclosure of such information, and to assist applicants in making enrollment or employment decisions based upon that criteria. You may download a copy of this report by accessing the following website:

You may also obtain a free paper copy of the report at the Public Safety office at 2222 Burt Street, Omaha, NE 68178, or by contacting Public Safety at 402.280.2104.

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