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
- online interviews (mandatory)
- Current registration, in good standing, with a regulatory authority where the applicant has practiced most recently.
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.
Applicants are required to have, or be eligible to have, current registration, in good standing, with a regulatory authority where the applicant has practiced most recently. If the applicant has not practiced, then a letter of support from an instructor from their dental hygiene program is required.
Steps to the International Degree Completion Application Process
Step 1: How to Apply
Apply to the Faculty of Dentistry in the Dental Hygiene Degree Program with the Dental Hygiene On-Line Application and Personal Statement. The Application deadline is February 5, 2024 and all required documents must be received by the deadline date. All inquiries about the Dental Hygiene Application should be directed to the Faculty of Dentistry admissions office.
- 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 postsecondary institutions where you have studied in sealed and endorsed source envelopes, or emailed directly from the institution’s email address. 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
- Candidates who attended post-secondary institutions (including on exchange or study abroad) outside of Canada or the USA, must have their foreign transcripts validated and assessed by either the International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES), or the World Education Services (WES). These assessments must be received in official ICES or WES sealed envelopes. Applicants’ copies will not be accepted. From ICES we require the comprehensive report and from WES we require the course by course report.
- 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, or if applicant has graduated from the Dental Hygiene Diploma Program and has not practiced. 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/ANB/FDHRC Eligibility – The Federation of Dental Hygiene Regulators of Canada (FDHRC) provides equivalency assessments for internationally educated dental hygienists and graduates of non-accredited Canadian or American (USA) dental hygiene programs (not accredited by CDAC or ADA/CODA). In order to be deemed eligible for the National Dental Hygiene Certification Board (NDHCB), applicants must first meet all of the 4 criteria listed on the following link: https://www.fdhrc.ca/pages/DHpractice/Equivalency-Application/. If those criteria are not met, the applicant will be denied equivalency. If the criteria are met and the FDHRC determines eligibility, the candidate may apply to write the NDHCE within a span of three (3) years starting from the approval date. For more information, please see the NDHCE Equivalency Assessment Handbook and related forms: https://www.fdhrc.ca/sites/files/Equivalency%20Assessment%20Handbook%20EN%20v1%202022.pdf
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS): Applicants must successfully complete IELTS Exam with an overall score of not less than 6.5, and a minimum score of not less than 6 on any component of the exam. Applicants are required to complete all four modules – Listening, Speaking, Academic Reading, and Academic Writing – of the academic test. Applicants must arrange to have an original copy of the IELTS Score Sheet sent directly from the IELTS Testing Centre in an official sealed envelope to the Faculty of Dentistry Admissions Office.
Applicants with five years of full-time education in English in Canada or the equivalent in another country where English is the principal language may be exempt from writing the IELTS Exam. If you are from a country where English is not the primary language and you are requesting an exemption, you must provide written proof that English is the language of instruction at the institution where you studied. This may be in the form of an official letter sent directly from the institution in an official sealed source envelope or a printed copy of the institution’s website (with web address included) verifying that English is the language of instruction. For additional information on the English language admission standard consult the UBC Calendar.
- 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 $504.00 CDN non-refundable application fee prior to the deadline. Applicants pay on-line at the end of the application by credit card only. Cash and cheques are not accepted.
- Have your institution mail or your supporting application documents directly to the Faculty of Dentistry Admissions Office
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 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 members who have completed an Interview Training Workshop. The Interview Team is unaware of the contents of an applicant’s file or his/her level of academic performance.
How To proceed in The Open House/Interview
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.
The interview evaluates personal characteristics (non-cognitive traits) important for success in the program and the profession, which include but not limited to, critical thinking, ethical reasoning, problem solving, advocacy, empathy and communication.
LOCATION: Online/Webcast Platform
INTERVIEW DATE: April 23, 2024 – 6:00-7:00 p.m. PT
Acceptance
Applicants should be aware that the Dental Hygiene Degree Program has limited enrollment. 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 $1,000.00 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.