Dentistry Admissions Requirements

• All applicants must have graduated from an accredited four-year high school.  
• At time of application all applicants must have earned at least two years’ worth of credits from an accredited college of arts and sciences.  This includes a required 64 semester hours (or 96 quarter hours) in academic courses exclusive of physical education and military science.   
• All applicants should have earned at least a B average in their college courses. The Admissions Committee pays special attention to grades earned in the predental sciences. 

• Biology (General): 2 semesters including lab 
• General Chemistry: 2 semesters including lab  
• Organic Chemistry: 2 semesters including lab  
• Physics: 2 semesters including lab  
• English: 2 semesters (Certified Writing and/or Intensive Writing Courses are also accepted) 

The School of Dentistry has found that successful students have completed advanced level courses in anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, histology, and/or equivalent.  Additionally successful students have experiences that improved dexterity and perceptual ability including, but not limited to, fine arts, wood working, knitting, etc. 

Prerequisite Requirements: 

• ALL prerequisite courses must be successfully completed prior to matriculation.
• All prerequisite courses must be completed at an accredited institution within the United States or Canada.
• All degree course work must be completed prior to matriculation.

It is highly recommended that prerequisite science courses are completed at a four-year institution.  Any prerequisite course completed at a community college must have been validated and accepted as an equivalent course by the accredited four-year institution from which you complete your bachelor’s and/or master’s degree. 

Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) credits will be accepted, provided the credits are accepted by the undergraduate degree granting institution. Students who have earned AP or IB credits for prerequisite courses are encouraged to take additional, advanced level courses. 

Applicants are required to submit letters of recommendation to ADEA AADSAS.  Applicants must submit either three letters of recommendation—two written by instructors in the sciences and one written by an instructor and/or mentor in a field other than the sciences (for example employer, spiritual leader, dentist)—or else one recommendation from their college’s recommending committee. Please note, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a letter from their institution’s recommending committee if available.  All recommendations should testify to the applicant’s potential for success in the field of dentistry, as well as to his or her character. 

Accepted applicants to Creighton University School of Dentistry (SOD) must be able to demonstrate the ability to perform the skills and abilities specified in the SOD’s technical standards with or without reasonable accommodation consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act.  Applicants must be able to perform the physical and intellectual functions and possess the communication skills necessary to the performance of dentistry. 

Candidates for the DDS degree will be assessed on a regular basis according to the academic standards and the technical standards of the SOD on their abilities to meet the requirements of the curriculum. 

It is the admissions policy of Creighton University to accept qualified students within the limits of its resources and facilities. All applicants are considered for admissions based on their potential to successfully complete the predoctoral program without compromise of the established standards of academic and clinical performance expected of all graduates of the School of Dentistry and their potential to best serve the needs of society.

The Admissions Committee conducts a holistic review of the entire application. This includes the applicant’s score on the DAT, courses taken, leadership ability, shadowing and service activities – to name a few.

The School of Dentistry believes a diverse student body enhances the educational opportunities for all members of the Creighton community and furthers the dental profession’s goal of educating culturally competent professionals who can work successfully with all segments of the population and improve access to care for underserved populations. For these reasons, the school seeks a diverse student body.