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Each year, the School of Dental Medicine admits approximately ninety individuals into the doctor of dental surgery (DDS) program as first-year students. The DDS program requires four years of full-time study. Students are in attendance from mid-August to late June each year. First-year students are admitted for the fall semester only; there is no provision for part-time study.
Following initial review of application folders, selected applicants are invited to visit the school to meet with faculty and students, and to acquaint themselves with the facilities of the School of Dental Medicine and the university. An integral part of the admissions process, the visit to the School of Dental Medicine also provides an opportunity for members of the Student Admissions Committee to become acquainted with applicants. Applicants are invited to visit the school between mid-September and April each academic year.
Following the visit to the school, the applicants folder is presented to the Student Admissions Committee. After a complete review, an admission decision is reached by a vote of the entire committee, and applicants are informed by mail of the committee's decision within two weeks after December 1.
Applicants must have completed a minimum of 90 credit hours of undergraduate study (with a minimum of 60 credit hours - two full years - at an accredited U.S. or Canadian college or university) prior to enrollment in the DDS program. Students are strongly encouraged to earn their bachelors degree prior to enrollment in the DDS program. Students who will not earn a bachelors degree prior to enrollment must demonstrate a higher level of academic performance.
All applicants must complete the following prerequisite courses:
Students are strongly urged to complete all prerequisite courses at a four-year institution. Although most applicants choose to concentrate their academic efforts in the sciences, there is no required undergraduate major area of study. Each year a number of applicants are enrolled who have majored in areas such as the humanities and social sciences. However, students who do not major in the sciences are encouraged to pursue coursework in biology and chemistry beyond the minimum required courses.
While dentistry is a discipline based in the biological sciences, the practice of dentistry is a "people" profession based on communication skills and an understanding of human behavior. Prospective dental students are encouraged to take courses in psychology, sociology, public speaking, composition, and the humanities to better interact with patients.
Prior to application, candidates are strongly encouraged to acquire a minimum of 50 hours of experience in the field of clinical dentistry. This may be done in either general or specialty private practices, and/or in a clinic situation either in a hospital or dental school. The nature of this experience should consist of gaining knowledge of the day-to-day aspects of patient care. The Student Admissions Committee feels that experience in clinical dentistry gives applicants a more realistic impression of the day-to-day responsibilities involved in the practice of dentistry and better prepares them to meet the demands of the dental school curriculum.
Application to the School of Dental Medicine is made through the American Association of Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS). Fifty-five U.S. dental schools participate in this service; the completed application submitted to AADSAS will automatically be forwarded to all participating dental schools designated by the applicant. AADSAS formats demographic information and calculates grade point averages in a standardized fashion, but plays no part in the selection process. To contact AADSAS, 1625 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 101, Washington, DC 20036 or consult their Web site at: http://www.adea.org/AADSAS/
Following submission of the application to AADSAS and verification of its accuracy, all contact concerning the application should be made directly with the School of Dental Medicine.
A $50 application fee must be received by the School of Dental Medicine prior to the initial review of the application folder. The application fee is non-refundable and is not credited toward any charges when an accepted applicant registers as a student. We recommend electronic submission of the application fee, as it is the fastest and most efficient method. If an applicant does not have access to a credit or debit card, it is possible to submit the application fee by check or money order payable to University at Buffalo. The applicantfs name, AADSAS number, and DDS application fee should be clearly noted on the check.
Students who demonstrate unusual financial need may qualify for a fee waiver. To be considered, applicants must arrange to have the financial aid officer at their undergraduate institution submit a letter directly to the chair of the Student Admissions Committee at the School of Dental Medicine verifying the applicants financial status.
Applicants should have their Dental Admissions Test (DAT) scores submitted directly to the School of Dental Medicine from the American Dental Association. It is recommended tha tthe DAT be taken no later than November 1 in order that your scores may reach the UB School of Dental Medicine by our application deadline of December 1. Applications without DAT scores by December 1 will be regarded as incomplete and will not be considered. Scores from tests taken in 2005 and earlier will not be considered.
Arrangements for taking the DAT can be made by contacting the American Dental Association, Division of Educational Measurements, www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/index.asp.
The Canadian DAT is acceptable for Canadian applicants (www.CDA-ADC.ca).
The Student Admissions Committee prefers a composite letter of evaluation generated on an applicant's behalf by an undergraduate health sciences preprofessional committee. The composite letter should be sent to AADSAS as part of the application packet. If the undergraduate school does not have such a committee or a mechanism for providing a composite letter, letters of evaluation from three instructors in prerequisite science courses who have worked closely with the applicant are acceptable. The three letters should be submitted to AADSAS.
Please do NOT send dupilcate evaluation letters to the school. All letters of evaluation sent to AADSAS are incorporated into your application automatically.
Additional letters may be submitted directly to the school if it is believed that they would provide further information relevant to the application. Letters of evaluation provided to the School of Dental Medicine must be submitted on official letterhead by the undergraduate school or individual providing the evaluation. All letters submitted directly by the evaluator to the school will be considered by the Student Admissions Committee; documents submitted by the applicant will not be considered.
Official transcripts for all college-level coursework must be forwarded to AADSAS as part of the application packet. Transcripts provided by the applicant will not be considered.
Accepted applicants must arrange to have official transcripts for all undergraduate- and graduate-level courses sent to the School of Dental Medicine prior to enrollment.
Because command of the English language is essential for successful professional school study, applicants whose first language is not English, regardless of citizenship, must demonstrate their English proficiency by taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Students who have completed a full undergraduate degree in the United States qualify for a waiver of the TOEFL requirement.
Students must achieve scores at or above minimum of 550 (written) / 213 (computer based) / 79 (internet based) or better obtained within eighteen months of the application deadline. Official TOEFL score reports must be received by our application deadline of December 1. Official TOEFL Score Reports must be submitted by using the institution and department codes below:
Institution Code: 2925 SUNY U at Buffalo
Department Code: 38 Dentistry
The universitys English Language Institute offers programs during the summer and the academic year for those students who want or need to improve their competence in reading, speaking, or writing English prior to applying to dental school. For more information about the English Language Institute, see their website at: http://www.buffalo.edu/eli/
International students must document their ability to meet all educational and personal expenses for the duration of the program. Foreign students are eligible for assistantships and fellowships, but not for New York State or federal financial aid. Students should contact their own government or the American Embassy or Consulate for financial information.
All offers of acceptance and admission are conditional pending completion, at the applicant's expense, of an acceptable Background Check from a vendor approved by the UB School of Dental Medicine. Once accepted, applicants will receive instructions on how to apply for the Background Check. Admission offers may be withdrawn for applicants who refuse to submit to the Background Check or who receive an accurate unacceptable Background Check.
In accordance with federal and state laws, no person, in whatever relationship with the University at Buffalo, shall be subject to discrimination on the basis of age, religion or creed, color, disability, national origin, race, ethnicity, sex, marital or veteran status. Additionally, Governor Cuomo's Executive Order 28 and the University Board of Trustees Policy prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
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