Dentistry Admissions Requirements

All applicants must have graduated from an accredited four-year high school. 

By the end of the spring term preceding the fall in which they intend to enter the School of Dentistry, 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. 

Please note that the hours listed for each course should represent a full academic year of study. 

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 (typically 6-8 credit hours or 3 quarters)
Inorganic Chemistry: 2 semesters including lab (typically 6-8 credit hours or 3 quarters)
Organic Chemistry: 2 semesters including lab (typically 6-8 credit hours or 3 quarters)
Physics: 2 semesters including lab (typically 6-8 credit hours or 3 quarters)
English: 2 semesters

Please note the following:

1. Community College coursework is not accepted for the prerequisite science courses EXCEPT Physics.
2. Advanced Placement credit is NOT accepted for the prerequisites EXCEPT Physics and English – applicants who have received credit or placed out of prerequisite courses because of AP credits must either retake the courses or take upper level coursework in the specific discipline in which they have the AP credits.
3. ALL prerequisites must be completed by the time of matriculation or you will lose your seat in the class.
4. ALL prerequisites must be taken in class with the exception of the Spring and Fall of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
5. These prerequisites MUST be completed at an accredited institution within the United States or Canada.

It is recommended that applicants complete coursework in a series of other upper level courses including Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, Genetics, Neuroscience, Immunology, Pharmacology, Molecular Biology, and Histology.

All applicants must be able to perform, with reasonable accommodations, the physical and manual functions necessary to the practice of dentistry. Before matriculation, admitted applicants will be asked to submit a confidential health record to Student Health Services.

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.

The safety and well-being of students, faculty, and staff are primary considerations at Creighton University. The Creighton University Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is published in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and Violence Against Women Act. This report includes statistics for the previous three years concerning reported crimes and fires, as well as institutional policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, fire safety, crime reporting, and other matters. This legislation seeks to make college campuses safer through the disclosure of such information, and to assist applicants in making enrollment or employment decisions based upon those criteria.

You may download a copy of this report by accessing the following website: Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. You may also obtain a free paper copy of the report at the Public Safety office at 2222 Burt Street, Omaha, NE 68178, or by contacting Public Safety at 402.280.2104. 

Through AADSAS, each applicant must submit either three letters of recommendation—two written by instructors in the sciences and one written by an instructor 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 that, if your college has a recommending committee, we strongly encourage you to submit their recommendation instead of the three letters. All recommendations should testify to the applicant’s potential for success in the field of dentistry, as well as to his or her character.