Location: Chicago, Illinois
Institution Type: Public
Campus Setting: Urban
Dental Doctoral Degree: Doctor of Dental Medicine
Mission Statement: “Advancing oral health through transformative education, research, clinical care and advocacy within a diverse and inclusive environment”

Year Opened: 1891
Number of Months to Earn Degree: 44
Campus Housing Available: Yes
Class Size: 70
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

Yes

Admissions Statistics: (2024 Applicant and Entering Class Data)

Mean Age of First-Time, First-Year Enrollees: 23

Acceptance Rates by Location:

Number of Applicants

Number of Enrollees

Enrollment Rate

Overall

1,610

4.35%

In-State

441

15.42%

Out-State

1,110

0.18%

International

0.00%

Class Breakdown by Residency:

Number of Enrollees

Percentage of Incoming Class

In-State

97.14%

Out-State

2.86%

International

0.00%

Academic Averages for Acceptance:

DAT Academic Average

DAT Natural Science

DAT Perceptual Ability

Cumulative GPA

Science GPA

21.2

20.9

19.8

3.77

3.71

Range of Academic Averages for Acceptance:

5th Percentile of Enrollees

95th Percentile of Enrollees

DAT Academic Average

Cumulative GPA

3.25

4.00

Science GPA

3.08

4.00

Prerequisites

Preferred

Strongly Preferred

Required

Baccalaureate is:

Required Coursework:

Required Course

Credits (Semesters/Quarters)

Required Lab

Biology

6/9

General Chemistry

10/15

Organic Chemistry

4/6

Physics

6/9

Biochemistry

3/4

Composition

6/9

Recommended courses include: Human Anatomy, Human Physiology, Histology, Microbiology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Immunology, and Genetics (applicants are encouraged to take 3-4 of these upper level courses; labs not required but encouraged when possible)

Community College Coursework and Advanced Placement Credit:

Prerequisites

Electives

AP Credit Accepted

Community College Coursework Accepted

Yes

Maximum number of Community College Credit Hours:

Required Shadowing Hours:

Students often shadow a variety of dentist, including general practitioners. It is recommended that applicants obtain 100 or more United States college level dental practice shadowing hours at the time of application submission.

Letters of Recommendation:

Option 1: Committee letter
Option 2: Three letters. Preferably: two from science professors and a third from a non-relative dental professional

Dental Admissions Test Requirements:

Mandatory DAT

Canadian DAT Accepted?

Applicants Evaluated Before Official DAT Submission?

DAT Score Considered

Yes

Most recent score only

Supplemental Information:

Mandatory Casper

Participation in ADEA AADSAS

Required Supplemental Application

Supplemental Application Fee

Yes

Yes: $85 fee

Interview Format

In-person, closed file one-on-one interview with 1-2 faculty members for 20 minutes.
Interview includes a tour, student panel, and financial aid presentation.

Finances and Application Logistics

● Financial Estimations for students starting Fall 2025:

Year

In-State Tuition

Out-State Tuition

Additional Fees

Estimated Living Expenses

$38,758

$69,748

$17,920

$20,000

$58,137

$104,622

$26,880

$20,000

$58,137

$104,622

$26,880

$20,000

$58,137

$104,622

$26,880

$20,000

University Offerings

1. Academic Offerings

Pre-Dental Opportunities
- DAT Summer Preparation Program
- Illinois Pre Dental Consortium
- Post-baccalaureate programs
- Summer Enrichment Programs
  - Multidisciplinary Oral Science Training (MOST) Summer program allows undergraduates to participate in a 12 week research program
Research
- Most research-oriented dental school in Illinois (level-1 public research university)
- The DMD/PhD program offers a customizable curriculum which combines clinical care with oral science research and biomedical technology.
- Clinical Research Center clinic allows for various research methods including observational and interventional.
- Faculty conduct Interdisciplinary Oral Science research including regenerative sciences, craniofacial pathobiology, clinical, translational, and community research
- Summer research program allows students to participate in research the summer before they enter D1
- Clinic and Research day allows students to share their research accomplishments

2. Clinical Experiences

Clinical Curriculum Overview
- The DMD program revolves around learning in small groups on a case-based curriculum. Students can work together to educate themselves and each other on case scenarios such as diagnosis of disease and the correlation between oral and overall health.
  - D1: Students focus on biomedical and clinical sciences.
  - D2: Students get assigned their first patients in the clinic at the end of D2 year.
  - D3-D4: Continued patient care and offsite clinical rotations.
    - D4s can participate in an advanced version of small group learning called Oral Systemic issues in Dentistry, where they observe/deliver case presentations covering a wide variety of dental disciplines.
Postdoctoral and Residency Programs
- Advanced Specialty Programs:
  - Clinical Specialty Program in Endodontics
  - Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency Training Program
  - Orthodontics Advanced Specialty Training Program
  - Pediatric Dentistry Graduate Residency Program
  - Periodontics Postgraduate Program
  - Advanced Specialty in Prosthodontics

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