UCLA Dentistry Admissions Guide (2027)

Quick facts

• Entry cycle: Fall 2027; UCLA's current school deadline is December 1, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Application process
• Application: ADEA AADSAS plus a $60 UCLA fee; no separate secondary application.
• Coursework: at least 90 semester or 135 quarter units and C or better in all prerequisites. Prerequisites
• DAT: U.S. DAT required by December 31, 2026 and within a three-year period including the application year; Canadian DAT is not accepted.
• Letters: minimum three, maximum four, from objective sources.
• Interview: invitation-only personal interview, scheduled July 2026-January 2027; modality and mechanics are not published.

Admission requirements

Applicants need at least three years of coursework and at least 90 semester or 135 quarter units. All prerequisites must be completed with C or better by June 30, 2027. Required courses are eight semester hours each of general/inorganic chemistry with lab, physics with lab and biology with lab; six of organic chemistry with lab; six of English composition; three of introductory psychology; and three of biochemistry. Prerequisites

Accredited community-college work is accepted up to 70 semester or 105 quarter units. UCLA says online classes are not accepted. The school does not state that a bachelor's is mandatory, though most applicants complete four years.

The U.S. DAT is required and must be taken by December 31, 2026 for Fall 2027, within a three-year period including the application year. Canadian DAT scores are not accepted. UCLA publishes no hard DAT minimum; its FAQ says 420 or above on the new scale, equivalent to 20 or above on the former scale, is competitive. Official scores must post to AADSAS before the file is complete, though they may arrive after the test deadline.

A complete file includes AADSAS, the $60 UCLA fee, at least three letters and official DAT results. Letters may be from objective sources familiar with the applicant's work; three are required and four are recommended/maximum through AADSAS. No separate secondary is required because supplemental questions are in AADSAS. FAQ

International undergraduate applicants eligible for a student visa may apply if they meet regular requirements and complete all predental prerequisites at an accredited U.S. college or university. Financial aid is limited for non-citizens/permanent residents, so adequate funding is required.

Important dates

The 2026-27 ADEA AADSAS application opened May 12, 2026 and first accepted submissions June 2. UCLA's current regular-DDS page says applications are due December 1 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern, corresponding to December 1, 2026 for Fall 2027. Applications after that deadline are not accepted. AADSAS dates UCLA application process

The Admissions Committee begins review in July and schedules interviews from July through January, corresponding to July 2026-January 2027. Applicants are notified of acceptances on a rolling basis from December through late April; alternates may hear after April. Selection

The U.S. DAT must be taken by December 31, 2026, and prerequisites must be complete by June 30, 2027. UCLA does not publish Fall 2027 orientation/start dates, exact interview dates, a decision day for each applicant, wait-list closure, deposit or Commit-to-Enrol deadline on the current regular-DDS pages.

How selection works

The Admissions Committee begins reviewing AADSAS files in July and selects candidates for interviews from the application and its supplemental questions. Published decision factors are science and overall GPA, DAT science/academic average/PAT, holistic review of shadowing, volunteering, research, academic enrichment and employment, three to four substantive recommendations and the personal interview. Admission selection

UCLA's FAQ adds significant work experience, community involvement, graduate study, economic or educational disadvantage, undergraduate rigour and course load, growth and maturity, the personal statement and letters. Complete files move to committee review; acceptances are rolling from December through late April. FAQ

The school does not publish numerical factor weights, GPA or DAT cutoffs, residency preference, interview scoring, committee vote mechanics, wait-list ordering or a post-interview formula. Class profile averages are descriptive, not thresholds.

Interview details

Confirmed

The regular four-year DDS uses an invitation-only personal interview. Interviews are scheduled between July and January, after the Admissions Committee reviews the AADSAS application and supplemental questions. Admission selection

Not published

Current official regular-DDS sources do not publish Fall 2027 interview modality or location, number or duration of encounters, panel size, interviewer roles or file access, question domains, MMI status, manual-dexterity exercise, scoring anchors, numerical interview weight or post-interview committee formula. Invitation instructions control. Do not import the separate PPID interview-and-assessment process.

Who this program may suit

UCLA's four-year DDS combines competency-based, patient-centred comprehensive care with specialty and community-clinic rotations. A required eight-week Community-Based Clinical Education rotation exposes fourth-year students to multiple practice models and underserved populations. Regular DDS programme

A useful fit answer should connect one specific oral-health or service experience to access, patient-centred care or learning across settings, then show the applicant's role without overstating impact. This page covers the regular first-year DDS. The Professional Program for International Dentists and all residency, specialty and graduate programmes are separate.

Practice and next step

Record a response about an oral-health access problem you observed and explain how patient needs, the care team and the delivery setting shaped the outcome. Ask a reviewer to flag generic service language and whether you connect the observation to your own next learning step. Make one adjustment, record a shorter second attempt and compare evidence, humility and clarity.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Fall 2027 application deadline?

December 1, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern through ADEA AADSAS. Late applications are not accepted. Application process

Is a bachelor's degree required?

UCLA publishes a minimum of 90 semester or 135 quarter units, not a bachelor's requirement. Most applicants have four years of coursework. Prerequisites

Does UCLA accept the Canadian DAT?

No. The U.S. DAT must be taken by December 31 and within the school's three-year period.

What is the interview format?

UCLA confirms an invitation-only personal interview from July through January but does not publish the current modality, encounter structure or scoring.

Sources

Verified August 12, 2026. Current official sources: application, deadline, fee, rolling decisions and complete-file process, prerequisites, DAT and international eligibility, selection factors and interview season, regular DDS FAQ, four-year programme identity and 2026-27 ADEA AADSAS dates.