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Dentistry Admissions
School Statistics

Colorado

Admissions Statistics and Requirements for University of Colorado Dental School

Background Information

  • Location: Aurora, CO
  • Institution Type: Public
  • Campus Setting: Suburban
  • Dental Doctoral Degree: Doctor of Dental Surgery
  • Mission Statement: “The University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine (CU SDM), a collaborative partner on the Anschutz Medical Campus, is a diverse learning, clinical care and research community. The CU SDM is committed to integrated health that innovates, treats and discovers for the well-being of and in-service to local and global communities.”
  • Year Opened: 1973
  • Number of Months to Earn Degree: 46
  • Campus Housing Available: No
  • Class Size: 80
  • Term Type: Semester

Combined degrees offered:

B.A./B.S.
M.B.A.
M.P.H.
M.S.
Ph.D.
Other Degrees

International Dental Graduate Programs:

Traditional Predoctoral Program for IDGs
Advanced Standing Program for IDGs
No
Yes

Admissions Statistics: (2024 Applicant and Entering Class Data)

  • Mean Age of First-Time, First-Year Enrollees: 24

Acceptance Rates by Location:

Number of Applicants
Number of Enrollees
Enrollment Rate
Overall
2,087
80
3.83%
In-State
131
44
33.59%
Out-State
1,907
36
1.89%
International
49
0
0.00%

Class Breakdown by Residency:

Number of Enrollees
Percentage of Incoming Class
In-State
44
55.00%
Out-State
36
45.00%
International
0
0.00%

Academic Averages for Acceptance:

DAT Academic Average
DAT Natural Science
DAT Perceptual Ability
Cumulative GPA
Science GPA
20.4
19.8
19.7
3.65
3.56

Range of Academic Averages for Acceptance:

5th Percentile of Enrollees
95th Percentile of Enrollees
DAT Academic Average
17
25
Cumulative GPA
3.09
4.00
Science GPA
2.95
4.00

Prerequisites

Preferred
Strongly Preferred
Required
Baccalaureate is:

Required Coursework:

Required Course
Credits (Semesters/Quarters)
Required Lab
Biology
8 / 12
General Chemistry
8 / 12
Organic Chemistry
8 / 12
Physics
8 / 12
Biochemistry
3 / 5
Microbiology
3 / 5
Composition
3 / 5
Upper Division Credits
30 / 45
  • Recommended courses include: Anatomy, Cell Biology, Histology, Immunology, Physiology, Business Management/Finance, Psychology and Communications

Community College Coursework and Advanced Placement Credit:

Prerequisites
Electives
AP Credit Accepted
Yes (case-by-case basis)
Yes (case-by-case basis)
Community College Coursework Accepted
Yes
Yes

Maximum number of Community College Credit Hours:

  •  60

Required Shadowing Hours:

  • A minimum of 50 hours of dental shadowing is required

Letters of Recommendation: 

  • Option 1: Pre-Health Committee Letter
  • Option 2: Three letters of recommendation: two from science professors (biology, chemistry, physics, biochemistry, microbiology) and a third from another professor, dentist, or employer. Note that science letters should include the course name and number. A fourth letter is optional.

Dental Admissions Test Requirements:

Mandatory DAT
Canadian DAT Accepted?
Applicants Evaluated Before Official DAT Submission?
DAT Score Considered
Yes
No
No
All scores (consider the best set of scores)

Supplemental Information:

Mandatory Casper
Participation in ADEA AADSAS
Required Supplemental Application
Supplemental Application Fee
No
Yes
Yes, but the supplemental application is only provided to select applicants.
Yes: $100 for all applicants

Interview Format

  • Interviews are conducted in person. Each interview typically includes two one-on-one interviews with an admissions committee member & lasts approximately half a day.

Finances and Application Logistics

Financial Estimations for students starting Fall 2025:

Year
In-State Tuition
Out-State Tuition
Additional Fees
Estimated Living Expenses
D1
$46,057
$72,344
$9,264
$36,252
D2
$46,057
$72,344
$9,264
$36,252
D3
$46,057
$72,344
$10,109
$36,252
D4
$46,057
$72,344
$10,109
$36,252

University Offerings

1. Academic Offerings 

  • Pre-Dental Opportunities
    • Post-baccalaureate program 
    • Summer Enrichment Programs
      • Undergraduate Pre-Health Program (UPP) has shadowing and research opportunities for underrepresented students
      • Summer Research Scholarship Program
  • Research
    • Student Research Group is a student organization which helps dental students gain exposure to research through discussion, participation, and presentation of research
    • Colorado University School of Dental Medicine is one of the top 10 U.S. dental schools which receives funding from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
    • Research topics include cancer biology, 3D modeling, and craniofacial developmental biology

2. Clinical Experiences

  • Clinical Curriculum Overview
    • D1: Students gain early clinical exposure via assisting upperclassmen.
    • D2: Pre-clinical concepts are reinforced and applied in a Transition Clinic course series to help with the transition to direct, independent patient care.
      • Students begin providing dental care to patients during the summer of D2.
    • D3-D4: Students treat patients through oral surgery, emergency, adolescent, and pediatric dental clinic rotations.
  • Postdoctoral and Residency Programs
    • Residences:
      • General Practice Residency Program
      • Graduate Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics Residency Program
      • Graduate Periodontics Residency Program
      • Geriatric Dental Medicine Fellowship
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