Harvard Dental DMD Admissions Guide (2027)

Quick facts

• Class: 35 seats in the regular DMD. DMD admissions
• Deadlines: AADSAS by December 15, 2026; complete application and $95 fee by January 1, 2027.
• Education: bachelor’s degree required before matriculation, plus biology, chemistry/biochemistry, physics and writing prerequisites.
• Test: DAT or CDAT; for 2026–27, DAT tests after June 1, 2024 are accepted.
• Letters: three individual letters or a pre-health committee letter; at least two individual letters must be from science professors.
• Interview: one-to-one committee interviews from September through February, with up to two encounters under the current cycle structure.
• Matriculation: early August 2027; exact date not published.

Admission requirements

A bachelor’s degree and all prerequisites must be complete before matriculation. Required preparation is one year of biology with lab, emphasizing cellular and molecular biology; a two-year, four-course chemistry sequence covering inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry and biochemistry with lab experience; one year of physics, with lab recommended but not required; and one year of writing-intensive coursework. Behavioral sciences and one year of mathematics—one semester each of calculus and statistics, preferably biostatistics—are recommended. Prerequisites

AP cannot directly satisfy biology or writing, but upper-level biology can replace AP biology. AP that enables upper-level work can satisfy one semester of chemistry or physics; accepted AP scores must be 4 or 5 and documented. Online coursework is not categorically barred, but in-person courses are strongly preferred and required laboratory sciences should not be online.

DAT or CDAT is required. For the 2026–27 cycle, Harvard accepts DAT scores from tests after June 1, 2024. Official CDAT scores must arrive before a decision. Harvard publishes no minimum GPA or DAT cutoff.

Applicants submit either three individual letters or a pre-health committee letter. With individual letters, at least two must be from science professors; an optional fourth letter may come from a dentist the applicant shadowed. Personal references are not accepted. Citizenship, permanent-residency or international-eligibility restrictions for the regular DMD are not stated on the current admissions pages reviewed.

Important dates

ADEA’s 2026–27 AADSAS application opened May 12, 2026 and first accepted submissions June 2. Harvard requires the AADSAS application by December 15, 2026 and the complete file, including the $95 fee, by January 1, 2027. Eligible AADSAS Fee Assistance Program recipients, U.S. Armed Forces applicants and University at Buffalo CSTEP applicants may receive a fee waiver. DMD admissions

Interviews run from September through February. First offers may be released December 15 and continue rolling; selection is usually completed by the end of February. Wait-list notices follow in March, and the list is unranked. Matriculation is in early August 2027, but the exact date is not published.

How selection works

Harvard describes holistic review of academic record, DAT, recommendations, motivation, empathy, maturity, capacity for civil discourse, resilience, integrity, passion for patient care, familiarity with dentistry, activities, leadership and professional goals. The school says strong interpersonal and communication skills receive equal weight in the selection process, but it does not publish a numerical allocation across all factors. DMD admissions

Interview invitations include a supplemental questionnaire. Interview evidence then joins the application for Admissions Committee review. Offers begin on the national notification date and continue rolling. Harvard does not publish screen thresholds, numerical factor weights, interview scoring dimensions or anchors, committee vote mechanics, post-interview formula or the order used for the unranked wait list.

Interview details

Confirmed

Interviews are invitation-only, one-to-one conversations with an Admissions Committee member and run September through February. Under the 2026–27 process, applicants may receive up to two interviews and not everyone receives a second. Fall applicants first interview virtually; a second interview can be virtual or in person at the applicant’s preference and occurs on a separate day. Spring applicants complete both interviews virtually on the same day. In-person visits include lunch, a tour, faculty and staff interaction, a virtual student panel and financial-aid information; virtual candidates receive the student panel and financial-aid sessions. DMD admissions

Not published

Harvard does not publish interview duration, committee interviewer file access, exact prompts or domains, scoring rubric or anchors, numerical interview weight, why a second interview is requested, or the post-interview committee formula.

Who this program may suit

Harvard’s regular DMD review looks beyond academics for interpersonal skill, communication, empathy, maturity, resilience, integrity, leadership and a well-developed reason for patient care. A fit response should pair familiarity with dentistry with a concrete example of listening, civil dialogue or responsible action rather than relying on institutional prestige. DMD admissions

This page covers regular first-year DMD admission. The Advanced Standing for International Dentists DMD Track, dual degrees, advanced graduate education, specialties and continuing education are separate routes.

Practice and next step

Record a one-to-one response about a time you handled disagreement or uncertainty while protecting another person’s dignity. Ask a reviewer to identify whether your listening, decision and effect are concrete. Make one adjustment, record a second attempt and compare clarity, empathy and mature judgment.

Frequently asked questions

What are Harvard Dental’s Fall 2027 deadlines?

Submit AADSAS by December 15, 2026 and complete the application, including the fee, by January 1, 2027.

How many interviews can Harvard request?

Up to two under the current process. Fall candidates have a virtual first interview and may choose virtual or in person for a second; spring candidates complete both virtually on one day. Not every applicant receives a second interview.

Does Harvard require a bachelor’s degree?

Yes. The degree and all prerequisites must be complete before matriculation.

Are international applicants eligible for the regular DMD?

The current regular-DMD pages reviewed do not state a citizenship or immigration restriction. Applicants should confirm eligibility directly rather than importing rules from the separate Advanced Standing track.

Sources

Verified August 12, 2026. Current official sources: regular DMD admissions, 2026–27 dates, letters, tests, selection and interviews, current prerequisites, separate Advanced Standing track for identity control and ADEA AADSAS 2026–27 dates.