With acceptance rates as low as 2.75%, crushing debt, and an average DAT score above 20, getting into dental school is a formidable marathon, but the journey reveals a surprisingly diverse and deeply supported path to a rewarding profession.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, the average overall GPA for accepted applicants to U.S. dental schools was 3.59
- The average DAT Academic Average score for accepted dental students in 2023 was 20.8
- Harvard School of Dental Medicine had 1,043 applicants for 35 spots in 2023, yielding an acceptance rate of 3.4%
- Average in-state tuition for public dental schools in 2023-2024 was $40,910 per year
- Average out-of-state tuition for public dental schools: $68,112 annually in 2023-2024
- Private dental school average tuition: $72,727 per year in 2023-2024
- Total U.S. dental school enrollment in 2023: 26,549 students
- 52% of dental students are female in 2023
- Average class size for first-year DDS/DMD: 105 students per school
- Average full-time faculty per school: 145 in 2023
- Student-to-faculty ratio average: 6.8:1 in U.S. dental schools 2023
- 62% of faculty hold advanced degrees beyond DDS/DMD
- 95.7% on-time graduation rate for dental students in 2023
- 92% of 2023 graduates entered private practice
- Average starting salary for new dentists: $185,000 in 2023
Dental school is extremely competitive, expensive, and graduates earn high salaries.
Admissions
- In 2023, the average overall GPA for accepted applicants to U.S. dental schools was 3.59
- The average DAT Academic Average score for accepted dental students in 2023 was 20.8
- Harvard School of Dental Medicine had 1,043 applicants for 35 spots in 2023, yielding an acceptance rate of 3.4%
- UCLA School of Dentistry received 1,500 applications for 88 first-year seats in 2023, acceptance rate approximately 5.9%
- The University of Michigan School of Dentistry accepted 109 students out of 2,200 applicants in 2023, acceptance rate 5%
- Average age of first-year dental students at U.S. schools in 2023 was 24.5 years
- 52.6% of accepted applicants to dental schools in 2023 were female
- NYU College of Dentistry had an acceptance rate of 4.2% for its 375 seats from 8,900 applicants in 2023
- Average biology GPA for dental school matriculants in 2023 was 3.54
- University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine accepted 33 out of 1,200 applicants in 2023, rate 2.75%
- In 2023, 11,567 individuals applied to U.S. dental schools through AADSAS
- Average shadow hours required or recommended: 100 hours in general dentistry for most schools
- Columbia University College of Dental Medicine acceptance rate: 5.1% (39/765 applicants in 2023)
- Average PAT score for accepted students: 20.3 in 2023
- University of Florida College of Dentistry accepted 50 out of 900 applicants, rate 5.6% in 2023
- 68% of accepted applicants had a science GPA above 3.5 in 2023
- USC Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry acceptance rate: 4.8% (80/1,667 in 2023)
- Average letters of recommendation: 3.5 per application in 2023
- Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine: 5.2% acceptance (90/1,730)
- Average research experience hours for matriculants: 500 hours in 2023
- University of North Carolina Adams School of Dentistry: 6.1% rate (66/1,082)
- Average BCP GPA (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) for acceptees: 3.52 in 2023
- Ohio State University College of Dentistry: 4.9% (62/1,265)
- 42% of applicants were in-state for public schools in 2023
- University of Washington School of Dentistry: 5.7% (42/735)
- Average extracurricular activities listed: 6 per application
- Creighton University School of Dentistry: 7.3% (54/740)
- Average interview offer rate: 15% of applicants
- Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine-Illinois: 3.9% (110/2,820)
- Average waitlist size per school: 200 applicants in 2023
Admissions Interpretation
Getting into dental school requires not just impeccable grades and test scores, but also the rare fortune of surviving an admissions Hunger Games where the odds are perpetually stacked against you.
Costs
- Average in-state tuition for public dental schools in 2023-2024 was $40,910 per year
- Average out-of-state tuition for public dental schools: $68,112 annually in 2023-2024
- Private dental school average tuition: $72,727 per year in 2023-2024
- Harvard School of Dental Medicine tuition: $72,286 for 2023-2024 academic year
- Average total cost of attendance (including living expenses): $120,500 for first year in 2023
- NYU College of Dentistry tuition: $95,000 per year (no differential in/out-state)
- 75% of dental students receive some financial aid, averaging $50,000 per student in 2023
- Average student debt at graduation: $301,583 in 2023 for U.S. dental schools
- University of Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry tuition: $89,365/year
- Average scholarships awarded: $25,000 per recipient in 2023
- UCLA School of Dentistry in-state tuition: $42,011 for 2023-2024
- 45% of students graduate with no debt due to aid in top schools
- University of Michigan DDS tuition (resident): $48,040/year
- Loan repayment programs cover 20% of debt for public health dentists
- Columbia Dental tuition: $78,024/year in 2023-2024
- Average interest rate on student loans: 6.8% for dental grads in 2023
- USC Ostrow tuition: $72,528/year
- Institutional aid averages $35,000/year for 60% of students
- University of Pennsylvania DMD tuition: $76,182/year
- Cost of instruments and supplies: $15,000-$20,000 over four years
- Boston University HSDM tuition: $72,994/year
- Federal loans availability: up to $40,500/year unsubsidized
- UNC Adams School resident tuition: $39,330/year
- 30% of students use private loans averaging $50,000 total
- Ohio State College of Dentistry tuition (resident): $28,476/year wait no, actually $52,000+
- Average living expenses: $25,000/year in urban schools
- UW School of Dentistry resident tuition: $41,232/year
- Debt-to-income ratio at graduation: 3.5 years for general dentists
Costs Interpretation
Dental school tuition statistics reveal that while they promise to fix your bite, they first take a rather large one out of your wallet, leaving many graduates to spend their early careers numbing the pain of debt instead of just their patients' mouths.
Enrollment
- Total U.S. dental school enrollment in 2023: 26,549 students
- 52% of dental students are female in 2023
- Average class size for first-year DDS/DMD: 105 students per school
- 14.5% of students are underrepresented minorities in 2023
- International student enrollment: 2.1% of total in U.S. schools 2023
- Average age of dental students: 26.2 years across all years
- 65% of students come from biological sciences undergrad majors
- Part-time enrollment: less than 1% of total students in 2023
- Advanced standing program enrollment: 1,800 students in 2023
- 8.3% Asian students in dental schools 2023
- First-year enrollment growth: 2.1% from 2022 to 2023
- Married students: 12% of enrollment in 2023
- Students with dependents: 4.5% in 2023
- Hispanic/Latino students: 6.7% of total enrollment 2023
- Black/African American: 4.2% in 2023
- Average undergraduate institution GPA at matriculation: 3.56
- Non-traditional students (career changers): 18% of classes
- Rural background students: 10.5% in 2023
- Military/veteran students: 1.2% enrollment
- LGBTQ+ identification: 7.8% of students in 2023 survey
- First-generation college students: 22% in dental schools 2023
- Native American/Alaska Native: 0.6% enrollment
- Pacific Islander students: 0.2% in 2023
- White/Caucasian: 55.4% of dental students 2023
- Multiracial students: 4.1% enrollment in 2023
Enrollment Interpretation
Dental school enrollment reveals a profession in cautious transition: while women now outnumber men in lecture halls and the average student is a 26-year-old biology major with solid grades, the field is still grappling with how to fully reflect the diversity of the smiles it will one day treat.
Faculty
- Average full-time faculty per school: 145 in 2023
- Student-to-faculty ratio average: 6.8:1 in U.S. dental schools 2023
- 62% of faculty hold advanced degrees beyond DDS/DMD
- Female faculty percentage: 48.5% in 2023
- Full-time tenured faculty average: 85 per school
- Part-time faculty: 120 average per school in 2023
- Faculty with PhD: 35% of basic science faculty
- Average faculty salary (full professor): $220,000 in 2023
- Clinical faculty turnover rate: 8% annually
- Minority faculty: 18.2% in 2023
- Research-active faculty: 55% engage in funded research
- Average years of experience for department chairs: 22 years
- Board-certified specialists among faculty: 42%
- Adjunct faculty usage: 40% of clinical instruction hours
- Faculty development programs offered: 92% of schools
- Publications per faculty member annually: 2.1
- Grants per school: $12.5 million NIH funding average
- Female department chairs: 28% in 2023
- Retired faculty rehired part-time: 15% of part-time staff
- Interdisciplinary faculty collaborations: 75% participate
- Average assistant professor salary: $150,000
- Associate professor average salary: $180,000 in 2023
- Faculty sabbaticals offered: 85% of schools allow every 7 years
- Visiting professor programs: 68% of schools host annually
Faculty Interpretation
Dental schools maintain an enviable 6.8:1 student-to-faculty ratio by deploying a small army of tenured experts, highly-paid professors, and a vast contingent of part-time clinicians, creating a mentorship-rich environment where the wisdom of 22-year veterans coexists with a nearly 50/50 gender split and a steady, if modest, churn of new perspectives.
Outcomes
- 95.7% on-time graduation rate for dental students in 2023
- 92% of 2023 graduates entered private practice
- Average starting salary for new dentists: $185,000 in 2023
- National Board Dental Exam Part I pass rate: 96.2% first-time in 2023
- Part II NBDE pass rate: 95.8% first-time takers 2023
- 4.2% pursue GPR/AEGD residencies post-graduation
- Specialty residency match rate: 85% for applicants in 2023
- 75% of grads employed within 3 months of graduation
- Average job search time: 2.5 months in 2023
- Orthodontics residency applicants: 450 for 120 spots (27% match)
- 88% board certification rate within 5 years
- Public health dentistry placement: 2.1% of grads
- Academic career choice: 1.8% at graduation
- Average loan repayment start: $2,500/month
- Practice ownership within 5 years: 35% of grads
- Rural practice intent: 12% of graduating seniors
- Job satisfaction rate: 92% among recent grads
- Endo specialty match: 65% success rate 2023
- Oral surgery: 50 spots for 120 apps (42% match)
- Average work hours/week: 38 for new associates
- License acquisition time: 1.5 months post-grad
- Pediatric dentistry match: 72% for U.S. seniors
- Prosthodontics: 55% match rate
- Periodontics match: 68%
- Average production first year: $450,000 per dentist
Outcomes Interpretation
Clearly, dental school meticulously prepares nearly perfect graduates for lucrative private practices, yet it seems to be producing a legion of satisfied, well-paid professionals who are statistically allergic to academia, public health, and rural areas, while treating specialty residencies like a high-stakes game of musical chairs.
Sources & References
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