University of Maryland DDS Admissions Guide (2027)

Quick facts

• Deadline: complete and AADSAS-verified by December 15, 2026; UMSOD sends a $90 supplemental after receipt. Application timeline
• Education: at least 90 credits; a bachelor's degree is strongly encouraged but not required.
• Test: U.S. DAT required; Canadian DAT not accepted; scores from 2024 onward are accepted for this cycle.
• Experience and letters: a pre-professional committee package or science-professor letter, plus a dentist letter documenting at least 100 shadowing hours.
• Interview: virtual, invitation-only, mid-September through late February.
• International: international applicants are eligible, but do not receive U.S. financial aid or UMSOD scholarships under the current FAQ.

Admission requirements

Applicants are strongly encouraged to earn a bachelor's degree, but at least 90 credits across three academic years can qualify. No more than 60 credits can come from a community or junior college, and those credits must be validated by transfer to an accredited arts-and-sciences college. Prerequisites

Required coursework is eight semester credits each of general biology with labs, general or inorganic chemistry with labs, organic chemistry with labs and physics with labs, plus three credits of biochemistry and six credits of English composition. Courses must be within ten years of matriculation except English; for the 2026-27 cycle, prerequisites before Fall 2017 are not accepted. More than two planned or in-progress prerequisites prevents an interview invitation. Requirements must be finished by June 30, 2027. Online labs from accredited institutions are accepted, while in-person labs are preferred. AP and IB are reviewed case by case when specific course credit appears on the transcript.

The U.S. DAT is required. Canadian DAT is not accepted. Official scores must arrive by December 15, 2026, and scores from 2024 onward are eligible for this cycle. UMSOD publishes no minimum GPA or DAT threshold; prior-class averages are descriptive.

UMSOD strongly prefers an institutional pre-professional committee package plus a letter from a general or specialized dentist documenting at least 100 shadowing hours. If no committee exists, one science-professor letter can substitute; the dentist letter has no substitute. International applicants are eligible. The current FAQ says they are not eligible for U.S. financial aid or UMSOD scholarships.

Important dates

ADEA's 2026-27 AADSAS application opened May 12, 2026 and first accepted submissions June 2. UMSOD requires the AADSAS application to be complete and verified by close of business December 15, 2026. Official U.S. DAT scores must also arrive by that date. Application process

Virtual interviews begin in mid-September 2026 and conclude in late February 2027. Offers are made on a rolling basis until the class is full.

Outstanding prerequisites must be complete by June 30, 2027. A first nonrefundable $1,000 deposit accompanies acceptance, and a second $1,000 deposit is due April 1. Both are credited toward tuition. The exact supplemental due date, Fall 2027 orientation and first-class date are not published.

How selection works

UMSOD reviews applications in submission order only after it receives the complete, verified AADSAS application, $90 processing fee and supplemental. Interview invitations are emailed with self-scheduling instructions. Application timeline

The Committee on Dental Recruitment and Admissions includes faculty, students and alumni. Published factors include prior academic performance and programme quality, DAT, essay, recommendations, knowledge of dentistry, extracurricular activity, leadership and interview outcomes. UMSOD's FAQ also says initial review considers GPA, DAT, pre-dental association involvement and shadowing hours.

The committee makes final decisions and offers admission on a rolling basis. UMSOD does not publish screen thresholds, numerical weights, interview scoring, residency preference, committee vote mechanics or wait-list order.

Interview details

Confirmed

Interviews are invitation-only, virtual and run from mid-September through late February. Invitations arrive by email and include instructions for applicants to self-schedule based on availability. Interview outcomes are a named factor in the committee's final decision. Application timeline

Not published

UMSOD does not publish the number or duration of interview encounters, one-to-one versus panel structure, exact interviewer roles or file access, question domains, scoring rubric or anchors, numerical interview weight or post-interview committee formula. The FAQ's thank-you-note process mentions faculty members and students but does not establish that every applicant meets both.

Who this program may suit

Maryland's regular Baltimore DDS looks for strong academic preparation, direct knowledge of dentistry, meaningful activities, leadership and personal evidence in the essay, recommendations and interview. A fit response should connect sustained shadowing to a concrete observation about patient care and show the applicant's own contribution or changed behaviour. Selection process

This page covers regular first-year DDS admission. Advanced-standing and transfer processes, dual degrees, dental hygiene, graduate programmes, specialties and residencies have separate eligibility and admissions rules.

Practice and next step

Record a virtual-interview response about a dental-shadowing experience that changed how you understand patient care or professional responsibility. Ask a reviewer to identify whether the observation, your own action and the resulting change are concrete. Make one adjustment, record a second attempt and compare specificity, reflection and professional judgment.

Frequently asked questions

What is Maryland's Fall 2027 deadline?

The AADSAS application must be complete and verified by close of business December 15, 2026. Official U.S. DAT scores must also arrive by then.

Does Maryland accept the Canadian DAT?

No. UMSOD requires the U.S. DAT and accepts scores from 2024 onward for this cycle. DAT page

Is the interview virtual?

Yes. Current interviews are virtual from mid-September through late February; the detailed format is not published.

Are international applicants eligible?

Yes. The current FAQ says international students can enter the DDS, but are not eligible for U.S. financial aid or UMSOD scholarships.

Sources

Verified August 12, 2026. Current official sources: 2026-27 application process, DAT, letters, virtual interview and selection, current prerequisites, current admissions FAQ and international eligibility, current DAT page and ADEA's 2026-27 AADSAS dates.