Frequently Asked Questions
The following are Frequently Asked Questions about the Doctor of Dental Medicine Program. If you have a question that is not answered here, please contact the DMD Admissions office.
Q. How do I apply for admission into the DMD program?
A. Applications are available exclusively online. Applications are accepted through ADEA AADSAS Online Application.
Q. What does the AADSAS application look like?
A. Application page is available here. Helpful information for DMD applicants is available here.
Q. What are the AADSAS application fees?
A. ADEA AADSAS charges a fee for the first program you apply to and another fee for each additional program (AADSAS Fees). UBC FOD does not charge a supplemental application fee. If invited for interview, candidates will be required to pay an interview fee.
Applicants applying to ADEA AADSAS-participating Canadian dental schools will receive a 25% discount on each Canadian dental school application to account for the exchange rate difference. Applicants will first pay the full fee amount in US dollars to submit the application. The 25% discount will be processed separately.
Q. What is the AADSAS Fee Assistance Program?
A. A limited number of fee waivers are provided to qualified applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. Each fee waiver covers the initial application fee and two additional program designations, for a total of three designations. You may request a fee waiver as soon as you create an application, but keep in mind that fee waiver funds can be quickly depleted. More information is available here.
Q. What if I submitted my AADSAS application by the deadline and did not receive confirmation from the UBC Office of Admissions?
A. AADSAS applications that were submitted by the deadline will be reviewed, as long as they are verified one week after the application deadline.
Q. Where can I find information about class statistics?
A. The ADEA Dental School Explorer and the ADEA Guide to Dental Schools include class and program-specific statistics for all dental schools in the US and Canada. More information is available here.
Q. Is there a time limit on the required courses (prerequisites)?
A. No, there is no time limit on the required courses (prerequisites).
Q. Can I send my credentials (i.e. transcripts, and test scores) ahead of my application?
A. Applications and all supporting documents required to complete your application must be received by the application deadline.
Q. Are you on rolling admissions?
A. No.
Q. When are offers of admission made?
A. Admissions offers will be sent to interviewed candidates by the end of March.
Q. How many applications does the Faculty receive each year?
A. We receive approximately 400 applications each year.
Q. How many students are accepted each year?
A. This number varies from year to year, depending on availability of seats. In the last few years, there were approximately 70 seats in the DMD class.
Q. Does the Faculty accept International students?
A. Yes, the Faculty accepts applications from non-Canadian Citizens, non-Landed Immigrants and non-Permanent Residents of Canada to the DMD dental program.
Q. Is the CASPer test required?
A. The CASPer test is not required.
Q. Is dental shadowing required?
A. It is not required, however, it is highly recommended to have at least 30 hours of dental shadowing.
Q. Is the Canadian Dental Aptitude Test (DAT) required?
A. Candidates can take the Canadian DAT (CDA) or the American DAT (ADA). UBC will consider test scores from the last four years prior to the DAT writing deadline.
Q. For how long is the DAT score valid?
A. The DAT score is valid for 4 years prior to the DAT writing deadline.
Q. If I write the DAT more than once, which results are used?
A. The best overall test results are used, as long as the tests were taken within the last four years prior to the DAT deadline. However, we will not take individual scores from different tests to create the best score in each category.
Q. What components of the DAT does the Admissions Committee consider?
A. The Manual Dexterity component of the CDA DAT and the Quantitative Reasoning component of the ADA DAT are not required. All other components are required.
Q. Can I send updates on transcripts after my application has been completed?
A. Only the information submitted by the application deadline is used to select students for interviews and acceptance.
Q. Which program of study should I enroll in to prepare for dental school?
A. There is no preferred program of study in preparation for dental school, however, successfully taking upper level science courses (300 level and up) in a full-load curriculum (12-15 credits per semester/term) would reflect on your academic ability in dental school.
Q. When am I eligible to apply to the Faculty of Dentistry?
A. Applicants who have successfully completed a minimum of 90 UBC credits or the equivalent of three years of full-time courses in any degree program at a recognized university and who have completed the required courses are eligible to apply.
Q. Are people with previous dental degrees eligible to apply to the UBC DMD program?
A. Yes
Q. Is there any special consideration given to applicants with graduate degrees?
A. No.
Q. Is it possible to transfer into the UBC dental program?
A. The Faculty does not consider advanced standing applicants from other dental schools.
Q. Do you require a minimum academic standing to apply?
A. Yes. The minimum academic standing required is 70% or 2.8/4.33 (SFU) or 4.5/9 (UVic). Due to the large number of applicants, the competitive average is often much higher than 70%.
Q. Which years are used to calculate the grade point average?
A. The overall GPA is calculated on all transferable university level courses. For students who have completed 4 or more years, we will drop your worst year as long as it is not your most recent year. PASS/FAIL and Credit/No Credit courses are not included in calculating the GPA.
Q. I have IB/AP credits, how are these handled?
A. The minimum grade required for IB credit in higher level Biology or Chemistry is 6. The minimum required for AP credit in Biology and Chemistry is 4. If you have a grade of 5 in IB or 4 in AP in English, you meet the English requirement. If you received lower scores than those listed and received credit at another university, you cannot assume you will receive credit at UBC. Applicants must declare any IB/AP courses used to meet prerequisite courses and submit the transcripts as listed in the Admissions Procedures on our website.
Q. What upper level courses should I enrol in to better prepare myself for academic success in dental school?
A. Recommended courses are 300 level or higher: Physiology, Anatomy, Microbiology, Immunology, Genetics, Histology, Molecular Biology, Virology, Cell Biology, Pharmacology, Embryology.
Q. I have completed a Bachelor of Science degree but do not have the English requirement. Do I have to return to university to take English?
A. Yes. You must present proof of an English course taken at a Canadian or American University/College.
Q. Why does UBC require 6 credits of Biochemistry as a prerequisite?
A. Biochemistry provides background necessary to master many of the topics covered in the initial phases of the curriculum.
Q. Is it acceptable to attend a university on a part-time basis, and still be considered for admission to dentistry?
A. There should be some indication in your academic record that you are able to handle a full-time course load. The Committee recommends that you complete a full course load (24-30 credits) in each of the first 4 years of university.
Q. My school uses a very tough marking scheme. Will I get credit for the difficulty of the program?
A. No. For the purposes of assessing eligibility and selection for interview we do not attempt to adjust the GPA for degree of difficulty of the program.
Q. How will my graduate degree be used in the GPA calculation?
A. The results of your graduate program will be included in the overall average. Your entire post-secondary education is considered and judged by the admissions committee as part of a holistic approach.
Q. If I have a bad year, will it be used in the GPA calculation?
A. We look at a candidate’s overall post-secondary education. The worst year is only dropped if the applicant has completed four or more years at time of applying.
Q. What criteria are used to select successful candidates?
A. Our review process uses a holistic approach. Candidates are assessed for well-rounded performance considering academic and personal qualities.
Q. Is there a limit to the number of times I can apply?
A. No. You can apply as many times as you like.
Q. I am not a Canadian Citizen or a Landed Immigrant, what are my chances of admission?
A. Non-Citizens and non-Landed Immigrants/ Permanent Residents of Canada are eligible to apply to the DMD program. The international pool is assessed using the same criteria as the domestic pool.
Q. Do you have quotas for mature students, students with degrees, specific program, place of residence, etc?
A. No, we do not have a “special” or “mature” category. All applicants are considered equally.
Q. What is meant by six (6) credits?
A. Generally reflects a two-term course.
Q. Do courses taken in Spring/Summer count towards GPA?
A. Yes.
Q. Does taking many DAT Exams or repeating courses negatively/favourably affect my application.
A. No.
Q. Does the university of my undergraduate education and/or any postgraduate education influence my application?
A. No.
Q. Does UBC Dentistry send conditional offers?
A. No. All academic requirements to the DMD program must be completed by August 31 of each year the candidate submits the application, and no exceptions will be considered.
Q. I am planning to write the DAT exam before the deadline date and have not yet received scores, do I need to declare this on the application?
A. Yes, you must declare all writing dates on the online application within the valid time period. For applications in the next cycle DMD Class of 2029, Canadian and American DAT scores from no later than a August 31 writing in the year of your application will be accepted. Official DAT scores must be received by the application deadline.