Admission Requirements - US & International Applicants

The Faculty of Dentistry accepts up to 36 applicants in the first year of the D.D.S. program. A limited number of places in the program are reserved each year for International applicants.

Candidates selected in the International places will pay 'cost-recovery' tuition; all other mandatory fees are the same as Canadian students in the program.

Admission to the four-year Doctor of Dental Surgery program requires the completion of a minimum of 10 full-year academic classes at the undergraduate level. These classes will normally be completed by May 1 of the year of expected entry to the Faculty of Dentistry. Two one-term academic classes in the same discipline are considered equal to one full-year academic class.

Academic requirements:

• One full-year academic class in each of biology, general chemistry, physics, organic chemistry (each of these courses must include laboratory instruction) an approved one-term Bio-organic Chemistry course may be substituted for the full year Organic Chemistry class
  
• Two full-year academic courses (or four one-term courses) chosen from the humanities and/or social sciences
  
• One full year (or two one-term) writing course
  
• One university course (full year or one term) in each of the following: Introductory Biochemistry, Introductory Microbiology, and Vertebrate Physiology. These courses should be at the second year level or higher and applicants are encouraged to contact the Faculty of Dentistry for approval of selected courses. (Select the course to link to the topics, which should be included in these three 'higher science' courses). A list of approved 'higher science' courses from some universities may be consulted - this is not a complete list.

Applicants with the best academic record have the greatest chance of admission. The Admissions Committee makes significant use of non-academic factors in deciding which applicants are admitted. These include the Dental Aptitude Test, interview, a personality-factors test, references, and a college advisory committee recommendation, if provided.

Applicants must complete the Canadian or American Dental Aptitude Test (Canadian citizens must complete the Canadian DAT) within two years of applying for the program; and results must be forwarded directly to the Faculty of Dentistry. Most successful applicants have achieved a score of 15 or better on each of the components of the DAT. While DAT scores are not a final or deciding factor in selection, they are used as additional criteria by the Admissions Committee when evaluating student qualifications.

If references are not provided through a college advisory committee, the applicant must supply three confidential evaluations, at least one of which must be from a university faculty member who has taught the applicant. These confidential evaluations must be provided on forms supplied by the Faculty of Dentistry.

Competitive applicants will be required to attend an admissions interview, and to complete a written personality-factors inventory.

The Faculty of Dentistry considers it desirable that all students intending to proceed to the study of dentistry should acquire a broad academic background and attain facility in the use of written and spoken English. Therefore, while minimum entrance requirements are established. Students are encouraged to obtain a bachelor's degree before seeking admission to the Faculty of Dentistry, particularly if there is any intention or likelihood of proceeding to graduate programs in dentistry or associated sciences. This statement does not mean that any penalty will be imposed upon those who do not have more than the stated minimum requirements. Truly outstanding candidates may be admitted after completion of the minimum entrance requirements.

Admissions Profile
The following profile of accepted applicants to the Dentistry program for September 2009 should assist applicants in judging the level of competition for places in the program: