Admissions Questions: COVID-19
If you have questions about admissions, please email DDSAdmissions@unc.edu.
Deadline Date
The ADEA AADSAS application opens to applicants on May 10, 2022 and submissions may begin on June 1, 2022. Our application deadline to October 1, 2022. When considering your application timelines, remember that you must also complete our supplemental application by this deadline. Be mindful that it may take 4-6 weeks for AADSAS to process your transcripts after your application has been submitted.
Dental Admissions Test (DAT)
We evaluate our candidates holistically and incorporate performance on the DAT into our overall assessment of a candidate’s potential for success. We encourage applicants to apply early and will review applications even if DAT scores are pending. Interview invitations may be extended to applicants with pending DAT scores based on consideration of other application characteristics, such as academic achievement, engagement in extracurricular activities, etc.
Unofficial DAT scores may be submitted to our admissions office by emailing a scanned pdf to DDSAdmissions@unc.edu. We will require our candidates to submit official DAT scores before extending an acceptance offer. Acceptance offers begin in December and will continue on a rolling basis until the class is full. When planning to take your DAT, please keep in mind that it may take 2-4 weeks for the official DAT scores to post on your AADSAS application.
We understand the impact of COVID-19 social distancing guidelines on scheduling your DAT exam date. We encourage you to visit the ADA’s Dental Admission Test website to stay up to date on important announcements.
Pass/Fail
We will accept Pass/Fail grades for prerequisite courses taken during a semester affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Summer 2021). Prerequisite courses taken in a semester not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic will require a letter grade. All grades must be reported on your transcript to be considered by our Admissions Committee.
If given the option, we strongly encourage students to receive letter grades. Letter grades help to demonstrate a student’s academic achievement.
Prerequisite Courses
We expect all students to have completed all prerequisite courses before July 31, 2023.
Dental Shadowing
We recognize the barriers in obtaining shadowing hours due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19. There will be opportunities to document any virtual shadowing experiences on the 2022-2023 ADEA AADSAS application.
We want our applicants to have a broad, well-rounded understanding of what it means to be a general dentist, however, we do not have any set number of shadowing hours for our applicants.
We also strongly encourage our applicants to take advantage of the multiple online dental CE activities that are available and include any certificates of completion in their application.
Stay tuned to the UNC Adams School of Dentistry social media channels for more information about virtual shadowing opportunities with our faculty.
Interviews
We are tentatively planning on conducting in-person interviews for the 2022-2023 admissions cycle, but that is subject to change based on COVID-19 infection rates and University standards. More details about our interview process will be included in our interview invitations.
Other Questions?
We are here to help! If you have any questions, please reach out to us directly at DDSAdmissions@unc.edu.
Prerequisites
Students preparing for the study of dentistry are encouraged to complete a regular four-year curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.
Students not pursuing a degree must complete at least three years of accredited college courses (96 semester hours or 144 quarter hours). Prospective dental students should consider courses in molecular biology, math, statistics, business, writing skills, computer science, sculpture and art. Students are encouraged to take as many courses as possible in social science, history, literature, economics, philosophy and psychology.
The Adams School of Dentistry will accept a maximum of 64 credit hours from an accredited two-year community college or from an accredited online college or university accepted by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at UNC-Chapel Hill. However, students who have 64 hours of credit from a community college or an online college or university must complete any additional course work at a four-year institution.
The following required pre-dental courses must be completed (preferably from a four-year institution) prior to admission and be no more than five years old:
| COURSE |
SEMESTER HOURS |
QUARTER HOURS |
| General biology and zoology
(labs required)
Two lecture courses with a minimum of four semester hours each. One course will be General Biology with lab. One course (including lab) must be human anatomy and physiology or vertebrate zoology. Both courses must include labs involving vertebrate dissection. (If your school offers Human Anatomy and Physiology in a two-part sequence you must have both courses in order to meet our requirement of Human Anatomy) |
8 |
12 |
| General chemistry
(labs required)
Two lecture courses with a minimum of four semester hours each. |
8 |
12 |
| Organic chemistry
(labs not required)
Two lecture courses with a minimum of three semester hours each. |
6 |
10 |
| Biochemistry
(lab not required)
One upper-level lecture course with a minimum of three semester hours. |
3 |
5 |
| Physics
(labs not required)
Two college-level courses that will cover basic principles of physics relevant to living things. |
6 |
10 |
| English
Two semesters that include knowledge ordinarily required of candidates for a degree in an approved college (usually required of freshmen and sophomores). |
6 |
10 |
For information on how courses will transfer visit the UNC-Chapel Hill Course Transfer Equivalencies Website.
