Colorado Anschutz DDS Admissions Guide (2027)

Quick facts

• Entry cycle: Fall 2027; submit by October 15, 2026 and be fully complete and verified by October 22. How to apply
• Location: the regular four-year DDS is at the CU Anschutz campus in Aurora, not a separate Denver-campus programme.
• Education: at least 90 semester or about 135 quarter units; a bachelor's is strongly encouraged but not required.
• DAT: U.S. DAT required by October 15; Canadian DAT is not accepted. Casper is explicitly not required.
• Experience: at least 50 dental-shadowing hours must be complete when the application is submitted.
• Interview: selected candidates are invited to campus for a formal interview and school tour.

Admission requirements

Applicants need at least 90 semester or approximately 135 quarter hours, including 30 upper-division semester hours at a four-year institution. A bachelor's degree is strongly encouraged but not required, and no more than 60 semester hours may come from community college. Courses require C or better; C-, elective pass/fail and credit/no-credit do not count. How to apply

Prerequisites are eight semester hours each of general biology or zoology with laboratory, general or inorganic chemistry with laboratory, organic chemistry with laboratory and physics with laboratory; three each of microbiology, biochemistry and English composition or a writing-intensive course; and 30 upper-division hours. Required science work must be within ten years of application. Outstanding courses must finish by the end of spring before entry.

Online coursework has been discouraged since Summer 2023 and requires advance approval when personal circumstances require it. Pandemic online work is accepted. Pass/fail is accepted only when the institution mandated it during the pandemic. AP may be accepted case by case with official documentation.

The U.S. DAT is required and must reach AADSAS by October 15. Colorado publishes no minimum or cutoff, recommends testing before application or in June or July, and says do not test after August 31 to meet the deadline. The Canadian DAT is not accepted. Casper is explicitly not required.

Applicants need 50 dental-shadowing hours complete when submitting; files below that threshold are not reviewed or invited to interview. Three letters are required: two science professors who taught and graded the applicant plus one choice. Applicants whose undergraduate degree predates June 2021 need only one science letter. A qualifying committee letter may substitute. The school fee is $150 and is waived for ADEA FAP recipients who send proof. International applicants are directed to contact Admissions, so current eligibility and visa rules are not published.

Important dates

The 2026-27 ADEA AADSAS service opened May 12, 2026 and accepted first submissions June 2. Colorado's current recurring page still says applications may be filed June 4; use ADEA's actual system dates. The school submission deadline maps to October 15, 2026, with a complete and verified file required by October 22. ADEA AADSAS How to apply

DAT scores must reach AADSAS by October 15, and Colorado advises not testing after August 31. Rolling offers can begin as early as December 13 and may continue through March; the page's recurring date is not a promise of a specific applicant's notification.

The current academic calendar explicitly lists first-year DDS orientation from August 2-6, 2027. Academic calendar The exact first class day, interview season, applicant-specific interview dates, final decision date and seat-deposit amount or deadline are not published on the current regular-DDS page.

How selection works

Colorado uses holistic review. The school says it considers academic credentials, DAT scores, letters and an invitation-only formal interview, along with dental and other extracurricular experiences reported through AADSAS. Only completed, verified applications are reviewed. How to apply

The process is AADSAS submission, file completion and verification, holistic review, possible invitation to campus, interview and rolling admissions. Fifty hours of completed dental shadowing are a hard review gate. Colorado publishes no DAT minimum and frames class averages as competitive context rather than cutoffs.

The current official pages do not publish numerical academic, DAT, experience, letter or interview weights; a file-screen rubric; residency preference; interviewer scoring anchors; committee vote mechanics; or wait-list order.

Interview details

Confirmed

After a complete application is reviewed, selected applicants may be invited to the CU Anschutz campus in Aurora for a formal interview and school tour. The current page does not identify a virtual alternative. How to apply

Not published

Colorado does not publish the Fall 2027 interview season, number or duration of encounters, panel size, interviewer roles or file access, question format, manual-dexterity activity, scoring dimensions or anchors, numerical interview weight or post-interview committee formula. Invitation instructions control candidate-specific timing.

Who this program may suit

The regular four-year DDS is based at the CU Anschutz School of Dental Medicine in Aurora. The school emphasizes varied educational and life experiences, strong preparation and demonstrated dental interest. A fit response should tie a concrete shadowing or service experience to an observed oral-health need and the skills the applicant wants to develop. DDS programme

This page does not cover the Advanced Standing International Student Program, transfer admission or the separate University of Colorado School of Medicine MD. Colorado does not accept transfers into the regular DDS, and all admitted students complete the full curriculum.

Practice and next step

Record a response about an observation from dental shadowing that changed what you think responsible patient care requires. Ask a reviewer to identify whether you distinguish what you observed from what you personally did and connect the lesson to future training. Make one adjustment, record a second attempt and compare precision, humility and patient-centred reasoning.

Frequently asked questions

What are Colorado's Fall 2027 deadlines?

Submit by October 15, 2026 and make sure the application is fully complete and verified by October 22. How to apply

Is a bachelor's degree required?

No. At least 90 semester or about 135 quarter hours are required, and a bachelor's is strongly encouraged.

Does Colorado require Casper?

No. The current regular-DDS page explicitly says Casper is not required.

Is the interview on campus?

Yes. The current page identifies a formal interview and tour at CU Anschutz in Aurora, but it does not publish the detailed format.

Sources

Verified August 12, 2026. Current official sources: regular DDS prerequisites, deadlines, DAT, shadowing, letters, fee and campus interview, regular four-year DDS identity, Fall 2027 first-year orientation, separate Advanced Standing International Student Program and 2026-27 ADEA AADSAS dates.