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Top 10: Easiest US Dental Schools to Get Into (admissions)

First off, it should be made clear that no dental school is easy to gain admission into. This ranking is about the easier dental schools that students worried about admission should aim to include on their application lists. Everyone wants the averages of the easiest US dental schools to get into. Published numbers aren't always current, and numbers don't give you the complete picture. Keep in mind that GPA is not everything! The DAT is also an important factor, as well as other factors such as tuition. For example, a school with the lowest GPA average may have one of the most stringent DAT requirements. Some of you may dispute this ranking list, however, keep in mind that this is just for a general sense of which dental schools may be easier to gain admission into. ***These schools are mostly PRIVATE schools, not state schools, and US residents should apply to their in-state dental school on a priority basis before applying to out-of-state and private institutions*** Students claiming minority status in certain situations may be able to obtain admissions to alternate dental schools more easily. The 10th spot on this ranking is a special designation ranking for the easiest schools to obtain admissions into for minority pre-dental students.
FOR FOREIGN TRAINED DENTISTS SEEKING ADMISSION INTO IDP OR ADVANCED STANDING PROGRAMS, SEE OUR TOP 10 LIST OF EASIEST DENTAL SCHOOLS FOR INTERNATIONAL DENTISTS.

Top 10 Easiest Dental Schools to Gain Admission Into Based on Incoming Class Statistics and Other Factors as of 2008

1. New York University College of Dentistry (NYU Dental)
Generally regarded as one of the priciest dental schools in the country, the admissions average remains low as applicants tip the scales as they choose affordable dental schools over this one. In fact, this dental school is ranked as the 2nd most expensive. If you're in a rut in terms of GPA and/or DAT scores, NYU should potentially appear on your application list. Although this school is easy to get into, we are aware that NYU's quality is still superior. The New York City environment adds to the cost of living, however, for the 'money is no object' type of applicant, this remains a prime choice. Students should be aware that a small % of freshmen students do drop out of classes as it is promoted to the sophomore year.

2. Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry (Temple Dental)
A relatively high cost of tuition/living, high crime zone, and negative reviews regarding faculty contribute to this school's ranking as one of the easiest dental schools to get into. DAT score averages remain low as well as GPA averages of the incoming classes. Some readers may argue that they enjoyed their education at Temple Dental, however one of our editors' personal interviews at this dental school gave him the insight from speaking to Temple dental students that this school was not highly regarded.

3. Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine (BU Dental)
Generally one of the easier dental schools to obtain admissions into in terms of having a low undergraduate average GPA and science GPA. BU Dental does seem to have a preference towards a high DAT score. Year in and year out for the past few years, and what seems to be some ways into the future, BU Dental remains a stronghold for many pre-dental applicants seeking "back-up" options in case they don't obtain admission into other dental schools. So why is this one of the easier schools for admission? COST! The tuition is costly and the cost of living in Boston does not help the situation at all. BU is ranked as the 4th most expensive dental school. BU Dental seems to be regarded as a school with a relaxed atmosphere. See more information on Top 10 Reasons to Attend BU Dental.

4. Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (Tufts Dental)
Look towards BU Dental, as essentially the same circumstances apply. In fact, these two schools are not even that far apart. If you didn't already know, Tufts is in Boston too. Boston's a great city though, check out why we say that. Also in-step with the Boston environment, Tufts is the 5th most expensive dental school.

5. Loma Linda University School of Dentistry (LLU Dental)
On paper it seems as if it is a relatively easy school to obtain admission into. There's a reason for that. Loma Linda is a Christian school and they tend to integrate some Christian values into their programs. Enough said.

6. Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry (VCU Dental)
VCU Dental is located in a high crime rate area, consistently mentioned for the high murder and assault rates reported. Living in a decently safe area requires you to commute to this school. The main reason this school is considered easier to gain admission into is actually due to the low GPA and DAT averages required, however it should be noted that extracirricular activities, and personal background factors (life experience, unique circumstances) are more highly recognized than other dental schools. This factor allows students with lower core statistics to gain admission, but this is offset with a higher expectation of other facets of the applicants portfolio.

7. University of Southern California School of Dentistry (USC Dental)
Expensive, expensive and expensive. This school is ranked as the #1 most expensive dental school in the United States. A pricey atmosphere coupled with PBL. A problem-based learning (PBL) cirriculum at this school scares applicants away... at least those ones with prior exposure to PBL! Admissions averages remain low relative to other schools, most likely due to the high cost of tuition.

8. University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry (UoP Dental)
Expensive again, see a trend? This school is the 6th most pricey. Expensive schools tend to have incoming classes with lower admissions averages. The location and quality of this school is decent, and the 3-year program tends to attract some applicants pushing this school towards the bottom of this list. See Top 10 Reasons to Attend Pacific Dental (UoP) if you want more information about why this school is a good choice.

9. Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine (Case Dental)
A poor neighborhood in terms of crime and safety. Low regard of the dental school within Case Western Reserve University itself, and a strong presence of LDS (Mormon) affiliated dental students describes this school. Slightly pricey (7th most expensive school) with an average set of facilities, this school still lands within the Top 10 easiest dental schools to get into.

*10. Howard University College of Dentistry and Meharry Medical College Dental School
This ranking is only mentioned with a special status as these schools cater to students of color and disadvantaged backgrounds. Minority students should seek to apply to these schools to improve their chances of admission.

That's all. We know this post may create friction and raise tensions for some readers... but that's our goal! We are here to post rankings, which do tend to create controversies as certain readers may have an affiliation with a particular institution which may have gotten a bad rap.

32 comments:

  1. Good list, out of all these schools, i still think UoP is fairly hard to get into, but thats why its prob at the end of the list

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  2. Could someone explain more about Howard being easy yo get into. I just decided I want to go to Dental school.

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  3. LDS affiliated dental students are everywhere and have been for a long time. They can provide for their large families. You will have to deal with a large amount of them no matter what school you go to. Maybe not Howard...

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  4. In regards to Case Western, I have no clue as to what goes on there, is there contention or somekind of religious undertone?

    "a strong presence of LDS (Mormon) affiliated dental students describes this school"

    "You will have to deal with a large amount of them no matter what school you go to"

    These seem quite bigotous statements; what's wrong with them?

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  5. Anonymous,
    Our statement about the strong presence of LDS affiliated students is just that... a statement that there are a lot of LDS affiliated students there. In fact, this sector of the incoming class constitutes a major portion of Case Western dental students. Therefore, our statement is in no way "bigotous." The point of that statement is to let our readers know about the majority of the students there. Not all dental schools have AS MANY LDS-affiliated students as Case Western does. As such, it is definitely worth noting, and as a result, our LDS-affiliated readers may be interested in applying to this particular school. Any hateful comments regarding any person or group will not appear on Top 10 Nation, as all comments are moderated.

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  6. Overall I would agree with this list. However, Howard is a bit tricky. If you are a minority, especially black, then you should have no problem getting into this school. However, if you are not a minority, then it is rather difficult. I got rejected from there before I even got an interview letter at any other school. I currently go UMB. My cousin went to Howard, he is also white, and had to fight his way into the school by arranging dinner meetings with the dean of admission. (Howard is a historically black school.)

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  7. I agree with most of these, but Loma Linda is actually pretty difficult to get into. I also have friends that turned down Harvard, Penn, etc... to go to UOP.

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  8. I am black, live in canada, and want to attend dental school in the U.S.; I have a competitive GPA and so forth, but I don't think to many canadians are accepted into american dental schools (quite competitive for spots like in canada)..thats why I thought I may have an "advantage" to get into howard...however, like I said, I am an international student..so I dont think being a minority is as big as a factor

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  9. Great idea for a blog. Anyway, with regards to Loma Linda, it is specifically a Seventh-Day Adventist Christian school. Statistics for the school are skewed to the lower range because only a couple hundred 7th Days apply for roughly 75 spots. The other 25 spots are filled with extremely qualified or well connected students.

    You do not have to be Christian to gain admission necessarily. They look at an applicant's spirituality in general, FYI. In short, it is statistically easy to get into, mostly if you are 7th Day.

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  10. Please NYU, the easiest. Dont you know they take a LOT of students from very good schools like Berkeley, Cornell, Columbia, Yale, Harvard, NYU, UCLA etc. Some other schools are known to inflate their GPA's with lesser known small schools.

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  11. As far as #10, Howard is concerned, it is a Historical Black University. It doesn't cater to disadvantaged backgrounds, it just doesn't hold it against you. It is a black school, just like Spellman or Morehouse. Actually, it would be way easier for a white or "non-minority" person to get in since so few apply. As far as the black canadian, you are just black in america, there is no difference just because you are from up there. Howard has historically accepted a lot of jewish students and more recently a bunch of asian students.
    Also, if your scores very high, some of these schools will know you aren't really interested and only using them as safties so they won't accept you. You have to be careful about that sort of thing.

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  12. I completely agree with brighteyes in that 'if your scores are very high some of these schools will know you arent really interest and only uing them as safeties', why would they waste their acceptance to someone they know is going to deny them?

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  13. All of these schools seems great and i'd probably go into the "heavens tomb" if I were accepted. Chances are slim though because I probably won't become a dentist. I'm actually looking into underwater diving for some strange reason, the unknown forces within are telling me? But dentistry would be a legitimit business because of its security and lucrativity. Good luck with life everybody.

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  14. my gpa is 2.22......is there chance getting admission in some school if i hold a goo dat score

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  15. Not if you cant spell good, naa meen?

    I have a 3.06/4 gpa and but I'm Canadian, do I have a chance if I ace the dat?

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  16. With a lower GPA, it may be a good idea to take a year off and pursue re-taking some of your basic sciences at an easier institution than the one you attended for university. If you can do well, it can boost your science (and overall, for that matter) GPA. It would also be wise to do some work in a dental office, just for experience and for something to place on your application. Also, it doesn't hurt to realize that by going into dentistry, the money will follow (just be sure that you're going into it for the right reason- that should be helping others) and so paying off debts down the road shouldn't be too hard.

    There's also the military to consider for funding...

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  17. hahah, i read the comments earlier about a large population of lds students at case western. that would make sense because Utah doesnt have public dental school. their RDEP program (regional dental education program) sponsors them to do their first year of dental school at the university of utah and then go whichever school they were accepted into at in-state tuition (depending on if they return to utah to practice). It just so happens that case western is in affiliation with this program. and in regards to the later comment about lds ppl everywhere, i think that individual was just trying to point out that individuals of the lds faith strive for professionalism and family, and dentistry is a career that will facilitate that! and their hard work ethic drives them to get into dental schools, so it is safe to say that at most dental schools, you are very likely to run into at least one individual of the lds faith in the dental school. (i personally attend BYU and there are many individuals preparing for that course)

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  18. @ Deepak, I do NOT mean to sound rude at all but dental school are REALLY competitive like medical schools. I know someone with a 3.4 GPA and an average DAT score and she didn't even get an interview, anywhere! Think of dental schools as only slightly less competitive than medical (i.e. maybe 1-2 points lower GPA). If you are serious about going to dental school, I suggest you retake the course to boost your GPA, take a Prep course for DAT, maybe take another extra year off and do your masters, and you should have some chance of getting in somewhere.

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  19. Nobody can deny that Howard caters to disadvantaged backgrounds. I applied to 12 dental schools, receiving numerous interviews and acceptances. I applied to Howard as a "sure thing" because their GPA and DAT averages were significantly lower than mine. I was rejected immediately from Howard, but no other school. I'd assume it was simply because I am white. My advice is, if you're "non-minority", I wouldn't waste the money applying there. Either way, I'll be D.D.S. in 7 months!!!

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    1. Hi, I REALLY want to being a dentist. I has been my dream since I was 11 years old haha. Just wondering what you did in order to prepare for the DAT test and any other steps you took to gain acceptances to dental schools?

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  20. Ok i need some serious assistance. Pleeeeease someone help me. Here's my situation: i have a master's degree from abroad which i received 12 years ago. I was told that since my science courses aren't recent i have to retake them (preferably at a 4 year university, but i am not required to acquire another BS degree. my question is this: would it suffice to just take the minimum course requirements at a college and still get accepted (my argument would be that i have already taken the courses at a 4 year institution) or would admission people just disregard my application and i would be wasting my time. and by the way i don't want to retake them at a 4 year university because of financial reasons. what would be your suggestion for me. thank you e1!

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  21. Can anyone give an honest opinion how to study for DAT and and how to do well??? I have a BS in Biology but only have 3.0 gpa and i need to master DAT. And is it true they won't even look at your application of ur gpa is lower than 3.4 and DAT score lower than a 20???? Help please!!!

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  22. I am in the same situation as you are krizzynep. I have 3.0 gpa, and I am taking a prep class for DAT. A professor told me to get a really good score like 20+ to at least get an interview. It is the interview that will give them the decision to accept you. Does anyone else have any suggestions, recommendations, or advice.

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  23. @Diamond: yes, you can retake just the core courses at a 4 year university and that should be enough. the admissions committee won't disregard your application for that. just make sure you take all the courses you need to apply and also do well on your DAT. defintely sign up for a course with Kaplan or get DAT Destroyer for the test. it helps immensely.

    @krizzynep and Mohammed: so to answer you question, my GPA was lower than 3.4 and my DAT score was 20. i had to reapply but i did get accepted to dental (also at a very competitive one at that) this application cycle...so i am starting school after summer. my advice to you is to not stress so much over the GPA. make sure you have nice extra curricular activities (which i really focused on a lot...i.e teaching assistantships, research, volunteering, shadowing dentists, etc.) also make sure you guys get DAT Destroyer for taking the DAT. when the time comes to apply (and this in my mind is the most important step) DO FOLLOW UP WITH ALL OF YOUR SCHOOLS AFTER YOU APPLY! it is very easy to get lost under thousands of applications. contact the admissions department/dean of admissions to show them why they need to get up from their desks and go search for your applications.

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    1. Thanks for your advice Kalia, but I do have a question. Basically, with my current same gpa, and I took the DAT and got 16. I know its low, but I found some school that require a min of 16, so I am applying to those schools. However, I already do a lot of volunteer at library, park and festivals, and soon going to see if the hospital would like some volunteer, so my question is if I do a lot of extra cirricular activities will that help my chances at those schools? Also I was thinking if those schools that have average of 16 and 17, they must take a very few number of students with 16, right? Sorry for rambling, its just I am really worried I wont get accepted. =/

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  24. DAT DESTROYER, Kaplan Blue Book, and Barrons (PAT only). go through those for DAT

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  25. Hi, I am a Junior who just transferred colleges and recently found out that my GPA is completely erased and I start over. However, I hear that med schools add both colleges GPAs but am unsure if dentals configure both GPAs from the pre-transfer college and the college transferred to?

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  26. hi i am an international student. with an NBDE part 1 score of 81 and part 2 score of 79. my GPA is 4. i have no work experience. i applied to two schools last year - univ of illinois and boston dental school. i dint even get an interview call. can somebody please advice regarding where am i going wrong and how can i improve my chances of getting trough ? thank you all !

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  27. Loma Linda University is definitely not an easy dental school to get into. The blogger states that it is because "Loma Linda is a Christian school and they tend to integrate some Christian values into their programs. Enough said." Here are the facts: Average GPA is 3.6, DAT score 20, acceptance rate 5%. Not only that, but 3 letters of recommendation are required, with one of them being from a pastor, rabbi, or any other type of religious leader. Another factor not mentioned that influences admission is being involved in extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and leadership positions. The fact that Loma Linda evaluates an applicants character into the admission process along with the usual standards, makes it one of the top 10 most difficult dental schools to get into. You clearly have failed to look at the academic requirements required into admissions and have made an inaccurate generalization that being a Christian will get you into this school.

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  28. Only Howard, Loma Linda, and VCU belong on the list of "easier admission dental schools." For example, UoP and Case Western rank in the top 10 of average GPA/DAT in the nation. I feel that the blogger put too much emphasis on expensive tuition list. But I see this was created in 2008.

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  29. A time-line question - just out of curiosity. Is this 10 top list still accurate even in 2013?
    The writer of this posting stated that it was based on statistics as of 2008. In any case, would it be possible to get an adapted list as of 2012?

    P.S. Please email you comments at drcuy10@hotmail.com
    P.S. I am not a doctor by the way ;)

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