4-Year DDS Program

Welcome to the UCLA School of Dentistry’s traditional 4-year DDS program website. Finding a dental program that is a good fit is a vital first step towards your dental career, and we invite you to browse this page to learn about how we can help you get started in your pathway to dentistry.

Our 4-year DDS program is distinguished by its academic excellence, world-renowned faculty, and diverse student body. Our graduates possess the preventive, diagnostic, and technical knowledge and skills necessary to provide patients with comprehensive dental services in a variety of health care delivery systems and in a socially sensitive and responsible manner. They are leaders in their communities and their profession. Our graduates also value lifelong learning, continuously update their knowledge of dental health and oral diseases, and share that knowledge by teaching others.

We welcome your application to join the 4-year DDS program and become part of the UCLA community. I look forward to meeting you in the near future.

Dr. Carol A. Bibb
Associate Dean, Student Affairs

Program Information

• Program Overview
• Pre-Requisites/Requirements for Admission
• Application Process & Timeline
• Interviews
• Selection Factors
• Fees & Expenses
• Financial Aid
• Combined Degree Programs
• FAQs
• Contact Information

For information about student life and student resources, please click here.

Program Overview

The length of the DDS program is 45 months, divided into twelve quarters of ten weeks plus three required nine-week summer sessions. There are 88 students enrolled in the first- and second-year classes; an additional 12 students enrolled in our Professional Program for International Dentists are part of the third- and fourth-year classes.

The foundational basic science and preclinical laboratory courses are taught primarily in the first 2 years of the curriculum with early entry into clinical experience a priority. The clinical experiences in comprehensive patient care begin early in the first year. Off-campus clinical rotations that are an official part of the curriculum are located at the Wilson-Jennings-Bloomfield Venice Dental Center and the Harbor/UCLA Medical Center. Research opportunities are also available for those who are interested. The School participates in the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE).

Length of Program: 4 years

Number of Positions: 88

Pre-Requisites/Requirements for Admission

Years of coursework: 3 years minimum, majority have 4

Number of units: 90 semester units/135 quarter units

*Limitations on accredited community college course work: only 70 semester or 105 quarter units will be accepted.

**Online classes for web-based education are not accepted.

Other recommended courses: histology, physiology, human or comparative anatomy, social sciences, microbiology, communication, business, composition, technical writing, fine arts, philosophy, engineering, and classics

All courses must be passed with a grade of C or better.

Dental Admission Test (DAT): Applicants must take their DATs no later than December 31 and within a 3-year period, including the current year applying. Canadian DATs are not accepted.

Official score reports from the ADA will be imported through the AADSAS application. Please do NOT fax or email unofficial score reports to the office.

Residency Status: US citizen or permanent resident (permanent residents must be in possession of their resident alien card at time of application)

Foreign Applicants: Applicants from other countries must be eligible for a student visa, meet the regular requirements for admission to the UCLA School of Dentistry and complete ALL pre-dental pre-requisites at an accredited US college or university. It should be noted that financial aid is limited to US citizens and permanent residents so foreign applicants should not apply unless they have adequate funding for their educational and living expenses.

Application Process & Timeline

Applicants must submit the primary application and materials through the ADEA Associated American Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS), which has its own application fees depending on the number of schools to which an applicant is applying:

AADSAS
1400 K Street, NW Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005
AADSAS Application: https://portal.aadsasweb.org/

AADSAS Application Deadline: The earliest date that students may submit an application to AADSAS is June 1. Applications submitted after January 1 will not be accepted.

After receiving an email notification, applicants must submit the following secondary materials to the UCLA School of Dentistry:

• Personal history form (secondary application)
• $60.00 application fee made payable to "UC Regents"

Please email the secondary application: uclaphf@dentistry.ucla.edu

Please mail the application fee to the Student Affairs Office:

DDS Admissions
4-Year Program
UCLA School of Dentistry
Office of Student Affairs
10833 Le Conte Ave, Rm A0-111 CHS
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1762

UCLA Secondary Application Deadline: Although there is no official deadline, it is highly recommended that applicants submit the secondary application within 3 weeks of receiving the instructions by email.

To prevent delays, DO NOT submit the secondary materials to the School of Dentistry before receiving the email notification. Additional letters of recommendation and application updates mailed directly to the Student Affairs Office WILL NOT be considered.

After submitting the secondary materials, please allow 3-4 weeks for processing. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that his/her file is complete. Status checks will be provided by email and are not available over the phone. Only complete applications will be eligible for review by the Admissions Committee.

Timing of Decisions: Applicants will be notified of acceptance between December 1 and May 1 as we are on rolling admissions. Alternates may be notified later.

Interviews

The Admissions Committee begins to review applications in October. Candidates are selected for interviews based on information submitted from AADSAS and the personal history form.

Timing of Interviews: November – March

Selection Factors

The Admissions Committee considers the following criteria in its decisions:

• Scholastic record
• Aptitude for science demonstrated by academic record and the DAT
• Academic performance on the DAT, in particular the PAT portion of the exam to determine spatial aptitude
• Reading comprehension performance on the DAT, especially for English as a Second Language applicants
• Manner in which scholastic record was achieved (i.e., course load, breadth of the courses of study, extracurricular activities, and work experience)
• Substantive letters of recommendation (minimum of 3) from any objective source
• Personal interview

To see a composite of our most recently accepted class, please click here.

Combined Degree Programs

Students who enroll in the DDS program may also apply to combine this degree with a Masters or PhD program in Oral Biology or an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. The student must apply and be accepted to each program independently.

Contact Information

Noemi Benitez
Admissions Coordinator
dds_admissions@dentistry.ucla.edu

UCLA School of Dentistry
Office of Student Affairs
10833 Le Conte Avenue, Rm A0-111 CHS
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1762