Admission Procedures

Admission to the Dental Hygiene Degree Program via the Degree Completion option is based upon:

  • academic performance (overall GPA)
  • on-line application and personal statement
  • mandatory  interviews
  • Current registration, in good standing, with a regulatory authority where the applicant has practiced most recently and a Canadian National Dental Hygiene Certification Board Examination Certificate or the American National Board Certificate are required.

Among the factors considered in the application review are demonstrated leadership skills, critical thinking, problem solving, ethics, substantial volunteerism, active participation in extracurricular activities, and knowledge of the dental hygiene profession.

Steps to the Degree completion application process

Step 1:  How to Apply

  • Apply for general undergraduate admission to UBC. You can do this online through the UBC admissions website. The general UBC Enrolment Services (admissions office) will handle evaluation of your transcripts and English eligibility. The deadline to complete the UBC online application and send all required documents to the UBC Enrolment Services (Admissions Office) is January 15, 2026. Please see UBC Vancouver’s Academic Calendar for further details.
  • Fill out and submit the online application to the best of your ability. Please keep in mind that your answers to the questions on this application are evaluated as part of our broad-based admission policy. Be sure to choose “Dental Hygiene Degree Completion Admission Option”.
  • Official Transcripts/Diplomas – Applicants must submit official transcripts and diplomas from all post-secondary institutions where you have studied in sealed and endorsed source envelopes, or emailed directly from the institution’s email address. However, diplomas received that are not related to a university program may be copies.   Foreign language transcripts must include English translations where required and be submitted in the official sealed source envelopes together with original transcripts. We also accept electronic transcripts sent directly from the issuing institution’s official email address to admissions@dentistry.ubc.ca
  • Letter of Good Standing/Letter of Support – Applicants must arrange for their regulatory authority to send a letter of good standing directly to the Faculty of Dentistry in a official sealed source envelope, or provide a letter of support from the Program Director for applicants that are currently enrolled in their final year of the Dental Hygiene Diploma Program.   If applicant has graduated from the Dental Hygiene Diploma Program and has not practiced, a letter from the Program Director must still be submitted to fulfill the Letter of Good Standing requirement.  Letters of good standing must be submitted online through the provider’s professional e-mail.  No free e-mail accounts will be accepted (i.e. yahoo, gmail, hotmail, etc.).  Details are listed on the on-line application.
  • NDHCB/FDHRC or  NBDHE/DHLOSCE Certificate – Applicants must provide proof of successful completion of their Board Examination.
  • Name Change Documentation – Applicants must submit an official government document indicating any changes in their name(s) should this be applicable to their situation.
  • Application Fee – Applicants must submit a $262.00 CDN non-refundable application fee prior to the deadline.
NOTE: Applicants must meet the pre-entry requirements for admission to the Dental Hygiene Degree Program in order to be considered for admission.

Step 2: Open House / Interviews

Only short-listed applicants are invited to the mandatory-attendance Dental Hygiene Admissions Open House/Interview process.  Applicants not invited to the Open House/Interview will not be considered further.

Interview
Members of the interview teams are comprised of faculty and dental community members who have completed an Interview Training Workshop. The interview team is unaware of the contents of an applicant’s file or their level of academic performance.

How To proceed in The Open House/Interview

The interview consists of short multiple interviews (MI).  These types of interviews evaluate personal characteristics (non-cognitive traits) important for success in the health sciences including but not limited to, critical thinking, ethical reasoning, problem solving, empathy and communication. The mandatory-attendance open house/interview’s objectives are two-fold; firstly, applicants are provided with the necessary information (academic, financial and professional) of the Dental Hygiene Degree Program to ensure applicants can make the most informed choice and secondly, an opportunity for the Faculty to evaluate the applicant’s personal characteristics.

LOCATION: Online/Webcast Platform

INTERVIEW DATE:  April 28, 2026 5:30 pm PT; Online Platform

Acceptance

Applicants should be aware that the Dental Hygiene Degree Program has limited enrolment. Since the number of qualified applicants typically exceeds the number of places available, fulfillment of the minimum requirements is not a guarantee of admission. The Faculty reserves the right of selection of all students for admission to the Program.

The admission process will consist of two phases:

Phase I
Applicants will be selected for an interview on the basis of academic performance (overall GPA) and the personal statement. Applicants not selected for an interview will not be admitted.

Phase II
Applicants selected for an interview will be considered for admission based only on their interview score. Academic performance (overall GPA) and the personal statement will not be considered in making offers during Phase II of admission to the program.

Selection of the Class

Applicants will be notified by mid-May. To accept the offer of admission a non-refundable deposit of $500.00 CDN will be required.

PLEASE NOTE: Given that the number of applicants exceeds the number of positions available, a record that satisfies the minimum requirements does not guarantee an invitation to interview and admission to the program.

Deferral Requests

Requests for deferrals to the DHDP program are not normally accepted. Under special circumstances, when an offer has been accepted, admission may be deferred for one year only (to be admitted in the following academic year) at the discretion of the UBC Faculty of Dentistry Office of Admissions. The deadline to request a deferral is July 15 of the year the program commences.