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)
General 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:

• 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) credits will be accepted, provided the credits are accepted by the undergraduate degree granting institution. Students who have earned AP credit for prerequisite courses are encouraged to take additional, advanced level courses.

The School of Dentistry has found that successful students have completed upper 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.

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.

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.