Pre-Dental

Admission requirements for dental school vary, and hence, it is recommended that a student obtain admission requirements from the Dental School of interest. The pre-requisites for the University of Tennessee (UT) dental school incude one year of biology (BIO 111, BIO 113), one year of physics (PHY 201, PHY 202 or PHY 210, PHY 211), two years of chemistry (CHEM 111, CHEM 112, CHEM 311, CHEM 312), one year of English (ENG 101, ENG 102), one semester of microbiology (BIO 203). Correspondence or online courses are not accepted for required coursework. Even though these requirements can be completed in less than four years, it is rare for students to be accepted prior to completion of an undergraduate degree. The four major factors influencing admission are academic performance, recommendations, DAT scores, and interview performance. Students considered for admission should have well above a 3.0 GPA. In addition, extracurricular acitivities and volunteering or working in dental offices is highly recommended. The Dental Admissions Test (DAT) must be taken and application made to dental school approximately one year prior to expected entrance. A score of 17-19 is needed on the DAT for acceptance into most schools. Application to dental school can be made directly to the school or through the American Association of Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS). Further information can be obtained from a Health Professions Advisor. Admission to dental school is very competitive. Satisfactory completion of all pre-dental requirements does not guarantee admission to dental school.