Minnesota Dentistry DDS Admissions Guide (2027)

Quick facts

• Programme: four-year DDS in Minneapolis with a published class size of 105. DDS programme
• Deadline: AADSAS by October 1, 2026; $95 fee, DAT and three letters by October 31.
• Education: at least 87 semester or 130 quarter credits from accredited U.S. or Canadian institutions.
• Minimums: total GPA 2.5 and DAT Academic Average 330, with a pre-application exemption process.
• Test: U.S. DAT preferred and CDAT accepted; oldest eligible score for Fall 2027 is June 1, 2023.
• Experience: 40 hours of in-person dental exposure by matriculation; virtual and relative-supervised hours do not count.
• International: eligible for regular DDS admission, subject to academic-credit and English-proficiency rules.
• Interview: invitation details are not published in stable current official HTML.

Admission requirements

Applicants need at least 87 semester or 130 quarter credits from an accredited U.S. or Canadian college or university; no more than 64 semester credits can come from community or junior colleges. Current required preparation is English, general biology or zoology with lab, physics with lab, general chemistry with lab, organic chemistry, biochemistry, mathematics and applied human psychology. The current official PDF lists six English credits, eight each of biology, physics, general chemistry and organic chemistry, and three of biochemistry; confirm course equivalencies through the school’s prerequisite tool. Preparing to apply

The minimum total GPA is 2.5 and the minimum DAT Academic Average is 330. Applicants seeking an exception must use Minnesota’s exemption process before submitting AADSAS. Minnesota prefers the U.S. DAT and accepts CDAT. For Fall 2027, the oldest eligible test date is June 1, 2023; official scores are due October 31, 2026. The school reviews the entire score history and emphasizes the most recent result.

Three letters are due October 31: two from science or math faculty who taught the applicant and one from a professional of the applicant’s choice, with an employer or volunteer/work/research supervisor recommended. At least 40 hours of in-person dental exposure are required by matriculation. Paid work, volunteering and qualifying dental employment count; virtual hours and hours with a relative do not. At least half in general dentistry is recommended.

International applicants can apply to the regular DDS. The standard is 87 U.S./Canadian credits, but foreign undergraduate work may be considered with official records and ECE evaluation plus at least 30 U.S./Canadian prerequisite or upper-level science credits. TOEFL is normally required when English is not the primary home language, subject to the published waiver process.

Important dates

ADEA’s 2026–27 AADSAS application opened May 12, 2026 and first accepted submissions June 2. Minnesota requires AADSAS by 11:59 p.m. ET on October 1, 2026. The $95 processing fee, DAT scores, three required letters and any situation-specific materials are due October 31, 2026. Apply and interview

The oldest accepted DAT or CDAT for Fall 2027 entry is June 1, 2023. Minnesota does not publish the Fall 2027 interview dates, offer timeline, orientation date or first-class date in the stable official pages reviewed.

How selection works

Minnesota uses holistic review for interview invitations and admission. Published factors include total, science and biology/biochemistry/chemistry/physics GPA; full DAT history with emphasis on the latest result; dental exposure; research; paid work; leadership; organizational, volunteer, service and extracurricular involvement; letters; essays and applicant background. Apply and interview

The school publishes 2.5 total GPA and 330 DAT Academic Average application minimums, with a formal exception request. It does not publish numerical factor weights, residency weighting, interview scoring, committee vote mechanics, post-interview formula or wait-list order.

Interview details

Confirmed

An interview is part of Minnesota’s holistic admissions process, and the current admissions page links applicants to a separate interview-process document. Apply and interview

Not published

The stable current official pages reviewed do not publish Fall 2027 interview dates, modality or location, number or duration of encounters, one-to-one versus panel or MMI structure, interviewer roles or file access, question domains, scoring rubric or anchors, numerical interview weight or post-interview formula. Historical virtual-interview material is not used as current-cycle evidence.

Who this program may suit

Minnesota’s published holistic review values academic progression alongside dental exposure, service orientation, work, research, leadership and community involvement. The four-year programme emphasizes case-based integration, team-based care and clinical outreach. DDS programme A fit response should connect one dental experience to an action that demonstrates service, collaboration or growth.

This page covers regular first-year DDS admission only. UMN PASS, transfer, DDS/PhD, dental hygiene, dental therapy, graduate, specialty and continuing-education routes are separate.

Practice and next step

Record a response about a dental experience that changed how you understand access, teamwork or patient trust. Ask a reviewer to identify whether your observation, action and resulting learning are concrete. Make one adjustment, record a second attempt and compare specificity, reflection and evidence of growth.

Frequently asked questions

What is Minnesota’s Fall 2027 DDS deadline?

Submit AADSAS by October 1, 2026. The processing fee, DAT and three letters are due October 31.

What GPA and DAT does Minnesota require?

The published minimums are a 2.5 total GPA and 330 DAT Academic Average, with an exception request required before application.

Does Minnesota accept the Canadian DAT?

Yes. Minnesota prefers the U.S. DAT but accepts CDAT; the oldest eligible score for Fall 2027 is June 1, 2023.

What is Minnesota’s interview format?

The current stable official pages do not publish the Fall 2027 modality, structure or scoring. Use the invitation and school-supplied interview document for final logistics.

Sources

Verified August 12, 2026. Current official sources: Fall 2027 application requirements and deadlines, course-credit, test, experience and holistic-review rules, regular DDS identity, international eligibility, programme inventory and identity boundaries and ADEA AADSAS 2026–27 dates.