UPIKE Tanner DMD Admissions Guide (2027)

Quick facts

• Programme: regular three-year Doctor of Dental Medicine in Pikeville; Year 1 begins in summer. 2026-27 catalog
• Accreditation: CODA initial accreditation, granted in August 2025; the inaugural class began June 2026. CODA notice
• Deadline: all AADSAS materials due December 1, 2026 for the current cycle.
• DAT: optional; applicants without a score are evaluated equally under the published policy.
• Experience: 200 service hours in the five years before application and at least 30 shadowing hours at two facilities. Requirements
• Interview: invitation-only and may be virtual or on site; structure and scoring are not published.

Admission requirements

The current regular-DMD requirements list at least 12 credits of biology plus eight credits of human anatomy/physiology with laboratory, eight credits of general chemistry with laboratory and eight credits of organic chemistry with laboratory. Microbiology, histology and biochemistry are recommended and can count toward the biology total. Each prerequisite requires a C or better and must have been completed within ten years of matriculation. Programme requirements

Candidates must document at least 200 service hours completed in the five years before application. They also need at least 30 dental-shadowing hours at two facilities and should observe at least two dentists, including one who is not a family member. Three recommendations are required: two from faculty and one from a dentist.

The DAT is optional. UPIKE states that applicants without a DAT score are evaluated equally with those who submit one. The current sources do not publish a minimum college-credit total, bachelor's requirement, GPA threshold, secondary application or fee, citizenship/international rule for the regular DMD, or AP, online and community-college course policies.

The current 2026-27 catalog identifies the programme as an accredited three-year Doctor of Dental Medicine. A web page expands D.M.D. differently; the catalog's formal degree name controls. The Advanced Placement International Dental Program is a separate CAAPID route and its eligibility and test rules do not apply here.

Important dates

ADEA's 2026-27 AADSAS application opened May 12, 2026 and first accepted submissions June 2. UPIKE's current 2026-27 catalog requires the completed application and all required materials by December 1, 2026; applications received after that date are not reviewed. 2026-27 catalog

The catalog describes rolling admission and recommends applying early. It confirms that Year 1 begins in summer. UPIKE's first DMD cohort had orientation June 1-5, 2026 and classes began June 8, 2026, but those are first-cohort dates and must not be reused as 2027 dates.

The exact Summer 2027 orientation, first-class, interview and offer dates are not published. The separately listed April 12, 2027 start belongs to the advanced-placement CAAPID programme and does not apply to regular first-year entrants.

How selection works

UPIKE's Admissions Committee reviews the AADSAS application, academic performance, 30 dental-profession observation hours across two facilities, 200 community-service hours and letters of evaluation when selecting candidates. 2026-27 catalog

Selected applicants may be invited to a virtual or on-site interview. The catalogue also identifies functional expectations across observation, communication, motor coordination, reasoning, professional behaviour, empathy, integrity, adaptability and receptiveness to feedback.

UPIKE does not publish academic screen thresholds, numerical weights, how an optional DAT is considered when submitted, interview scoring, committee vote mechanics, residency preference, offer timing or wait-list order.

Interview details

Confirmed

The current catalog says applicants can be invited to either a virtual or an on-site interview after review of the submitted application and supporting information. Admission is rolling, and the Admissions Office communicates application status by email. 2026-27 catalog

Not published

For regular predoctoral applicants, UPIKE does not publish interview dates, whether every interview uses one modality or candidates are assigned differently, number or duration of encounters, panel versus one-to-one format, interviewer roles or file access, question domains, scoring rubric, numerical weight or post-interview committee process. The virtual-plus-finalist-on-campus process published for advanced-placement applicants must not be imported into this regular-DMD page.

Who this program may suit

Tanner's three-year DMD integrates biomedical, behavioural and clinical sciences with early patient care, simulation, community experience and a stated focus on Central Appalachia, rural access and underserved populations. 2026-27 catalog

A fit response should connect sustained service or dental observation to a specific access problem, show respectful understanding of rural or underserved care and explain what the applicant did. This page is only for regular first-year DMD admission; the Advanced Placement International Dental Program is a separate CAAPID route that joins the later curriculum.

Practice and next step

Record a response about one service experience that changed how you understand access to oral healthcare. Ask a reviewer to identify whether you named the community context, your own contribution, what you learned and how your behaviour changed. Make one adjustment, record a second attempt and compare specificity, humility and service orientation.

Frequently asked questions

Is Tanner accredited?

Yes. CODA granted the developing predoctoral programme initial accreditation in August 2025. Initial accreditation is the CODA status for a programme that is not yet fully operational. CODA notice

When is the current deadline?

December 1, 2026 for the completed AADSAS application and all required materials.

Is the DAT required?

No. Tanner publishes a test-optional policy and says applicants without a DAT score are evaluated equally. Requirements

Is this the advanced-placement programme?

No. This page covers regular first-year admission to the three-year DMD. The CAAPID advanced-placement route has separate requirements, interviews and an April 2027 start.

Sources

Verified August 12, 2026. Current official sources: 2026-27 TCDM catalog, regular-DMD requirements, TCDM landing page and programme boundary, UPIKE accreditation statement, CODA August 2025 accreditation action, inaugural-class confirmation and 2026-27 AADSAS dates.