LSU Health New Orleans DDS Admissions Guide (2027)

Quick facts

• Deadline: September 1, 2026 for AADSAS; LSU recommends a completed file much earlier because interviews begin around August 1. Application tips
• Education: at least 90 college hours; a degree is strongly preferred but not required.
• Tests: U.S. DAT required; official scores must reach LSU by September 1.
• Experience: general-dentist shadowing is required for consideration; LSU recommends 50-100 hours across at least three general dentists and expects at least 50 community-service hours.
• Interview: required personal interview process plus a timed 35-minute chalk carving exercise. Admissions details
• Residency: Louisiana residents receive preference; Arkansas has a defined route and a limited number of other-state applicants may be admitted. International residents are not considered.

Admission requirements

Applicants must complete at least 90 academic college hours before registration. A degree is not required, although LSU strongly prefers degree completion. Required courses are 12 hours of biology or zoology, eight each of general chemistry, organic chemistry and physics, nine of English composition or literature, and three each of biochemistry and microbiology, with laboratories where appropriate. AP can count when shown as graded or pass/fail credit on the official transcript. DDS admissions

The U.S. DAT is required. The current page describes an Academic Average target of 440 with no individual score below 410 and says a Perceptual Ability score of at least 410 is generally needed for interview; these are published competitiveness indicators, not stated absolute admission guarantees. Official results must reach LSU by September 1, and LSU recommends testing by August 1.

Applicants submit either two evaluations from basic-science professors who taught them or one pre-professional committee evaluation. A $200 LSU fee is required with the AADSAS application. Only applicants the committee deems qualified receive the supplemental; no additional supplemental fee is published.

LSU will not consider an applicant who has not shadowed in a general dentist's office. It recommends 50-100 total hours across at least three general dentists. Applicants are expected to have at least 50 hours, preferably 100 or more, of substantive community service. Admission is limited to legal U.S. residents; international residents are not considered.

Important dates

ADEA's 2026-27 AADSAS application opened May 12, 2026 and first accepted submissions June 2. LSU's AADSAS deadline is September 1, 2026. DAT scores must also arrive by September 1, and LSU recommends taking the exam no later than August 1. DDS cycle page

Interview review begins around August 1 and continues until the class is filled. Interview invitations are normally scheduled three to four weeks ahead. ADEA's current cycle sets December 15, 2026 as the first dental-school acceptance-notification date. ADEA dates

LSU's generic prose still says first offers are usually made on the first Monday in December, which conflicts with the dated ADEA 2026-27 notification date. Use December 15 for this cycle. The exact supplemental deadline, Fall 2027 orientation and matriculation dates are not published.

How selection works

LSU reviews academics, DAT, recommendations, manual dexterity, motivation for dentistry, general-dentist shadowing, personal attributes, leadership, community service, communication, ethics, maturity and the interview. The committee also names ties to Louisiana and motivation to practise in underserved parts of the state. DDS admissions criteria

Applications are handled on a rolling basis. Academically viable candidates can be invited to the required interview process, which includes personal evaluation and chalk carving. The timed carving is scored from 0 to 10, and LSU says six or higher is generally needed to be competitive.

The current detailed page says the 75-seat class reserves 60 places for Louisiana residents, up to four for Arkansas residents and up to 11 for other states. A separate current landing page says up to 15 may be accepted from states other than Louisiana and Arkansas. Because the official pages conflict, applicants should confirm the current allocation with LSU. Quantitative selection weights and committee vote mechanics are not published.

Interview details

Confirmed

An interview is required, begins around August 1 and is normally scheduled three to four weeks in advance. LSU describes an extensive personal interview process that can vary by year. It also administers a timed 35-minute chalk carving exercise during the interview process to assess manual dexterity; carvings are scored from zero to ten, with six or higher described as generally competitive. DDS admissions

Not published

The current regular-DDS sources do not explicitly confirm in-person versus virtual modality or location, number or duration of personal interviews, interviewer roles or file access, personal-interview question domains, personal-interview rubric, the chalk exercise's numerical weight, overall interview weight or post-interview voting process. A COVID-era virtual statement is historical and should not be applied to Fall 2027.

Who this program may suit

LSU's regular DDS is explicitly oriented toward serving Louisiana, with attention to compassion, concern for others, manual skill, general-dentistry exposure, community service and interest in underserved parts of the state. DDS admissions

A fit response should connect longitudinal general-dentistry observation or community service to a specific patient or access need and show mature reflection on the applicant's role. This page excludes LSU medical schools, the Internationally Educated Dentists Program, dental hygiene, dental laboratory technology and postdoctoral specialties.

Practice and next step

Record a response about a general-dentistry shadowing or service experience that changed your view of access or patient communication. Ask a reviewer to identify whether your observation, your own action and the resulting change are distinct. Make one adjustment, record a second attempt and compare specificity, maturity and service orientation.

Frequently asked questions

What is LSU's Fall 2027 deadline?

September 1, 2026 for AADSAS and official DAT receipt. LSU recommends taking the DAT by August 1 and completing the application earlier.

Does LSU require a bachelor's degree?

No. At least 90 academic college hours are required, while degree completion is strongly preferred.

What happens in the interview?

LSU confirms a required personal interview process plus a 35-minute chalk carving exercise. The personal interview's structure and modality are not published for the current cycle.

Does LSU prefer Louisiana residents?

Yes. The detailed page reserves most places for Louisiana residents, with limited Arkansas and other-state admission. Two current official pages conflict on the exact other-state cap.

Sources

Verified August 12, 2026. Current official sources: detailed regular-DDS requirements, selection, residency and interview, current cycle landing page, application tips, school programme boundary and ADEA's explicit 2026-27 AADSAS dates.