Doctor of Dental Surgery
As part of one of the most comprehensive health sciences centers in the country and located in a major metropolitan area, Ohio State's College of Dentistry provides a dynamic, fast-paced environment, with the friendly, down-to-earth attitude of the Midwest.
We are the fifth largest public dental college in the country, which means you will have extensive opportunities to learn from renowned faculty, work in a large and varied clinical setting, and take advantage of all that a nationally ranked research university can offer you.
Please take a look at the information on our website to become familiar with our admissions requirements and process. If you have questions, please join us for one of our virtual admissions overview sessions that are held on various afternoons throughout the spring and summer. You can find information and register for these events on our calendar. Additionally, you are always welcome to submit a question to an admissions counselor.
Before you apply
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To be eligible to apply to Ohio State’s DDS program, you must complete 9 of the 13 prerequisite courses prior to submitting your application. If you are accepted, all prerequisite courses must be complete before the start of classes. You must receive a grade of a C or better in all prerequisite courses for the course to be counted as complete.
Note: These prerequisites must be completed at an accredited, educational, English-speaking institution within the United States or Canada.
If you are unsure whether a course at a specific school is equivalent to the course offered by Ohio State, you can utilize the following tools:
- First, check the Course Evaluation Website: This website contains equivalencies for numerous Ohio schools.
- If you cannot find the course on the Course Evaluation Website, then you will want to visit Transferology.
- If you cannot find the course on either the CE website or Transferology, you will need to request an evaluation of your course. Please see the Program Prerequisite Evaluation Form. Each prospective applicant may request one evaluation for one professional program. Please allow one month for processing. If you have already applied, please don't use this form. Instead, contact the Graduate and Professional Admissions Office to find out the result of our evaluation of your course work.
If you are taking an Anatomy and Physiology "combo" course, you must complete both sections/semesters of the course to satisfy both the Anatomy and Physiology requirements.
Ohio State’s course numbers for the prerequisite classes are listed below.
Ohio State Required Course Numbers
- Anatomy 2300 or 3300 or EEOB 2510
- Physiology 3200 or EEOB 2520 or PHR 3100
- Biochemistry 4511
- Biology 1113 & 1114
- Chemistry 1210 & 1220
- Organic Chemistry 2510 & 2520
- English/Comp 1110.01
- Second Writing Course
- Microbiology 4000
- Physics 1200
*Labs: If a lab is required as part of the specific course number, then the lab IS required. If the lab is listed as a separate course number, it is NOT required.
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As you take courses and prepare for the Dental Admissions Test, you should set competitive goals:
- Total GPA: 3.6
- Science GPA: 3.5
- DAT AA: 20
- DAT PAT: 20
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A candidate must meet certain minimum criteria. A student's application will not be reviewed unless it meets the minimum standards.
- Total GPA Minimum: 3.0
- Science GPA Minimum: 3.0
- DAT AA Minimum: 17
- DAT PAT Minimum: 17
- DAT TS Minimum: 17
- Minimum of 60 semester (90 quarter) hours completed at an accredited institution
Minimum GPA Exceptions: Candidates that do not meet the minimum GPA requirements but have a completed an advanced degree with a minimum of a 3.5 GPA or have a minimum GPA of a 3.5 in their last 45 hours of coursework may be considered for an interview.
Class of 2021 Average Statistics
- Total GPA: 3.65
- Science GPA: 3.56
- DAT AA: 21
- DAT PAT: 20.5
- DAT TS: 21.5
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You must take the American Dental Admissions Test (DAT) before your application can be considered complete. Registration and preparation can be found on the ADA's DAT website.
Note: We do not accept the Canadian DAT.
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Prior to applying, every candidate must complete a minimum of 40 hours of dental experience. However, the average number of hours for students that are admitted is about 120. It is important to diversify your experiences (typically 120 hours is completed with 5 or 6 practitioners). Dental experience is either paid or unpaid work in a dental field where you observed patient care (i.e., shadowing), interacted with practitioners, or had responsibility for patient care.
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The rationale for admitting transfer candidates is to fill open positions in the dental classes with highly performing and qualified students. Transfer candidates are expected to be strong contributors to the quality of the class they join and the College of Dentistry’s predoctoral dental program as a whole. Transfer candidates should be aware that, due to curricular differences, they are likely to repeat a year or more of the program and that their original anticipated graduation date may be delayed. Read our Dental Student Transfer Protocol to learn how such requests are managed, how decisions are made on whether to accept a transfer candidate and for which courses an accepted transfer candidate is given credit.
I wanted to become a dentist because of the compassion and care I have received throughout my life through this field. Growing up in Rwanda, there weren't many dentists so dental care was often reserved for emergencies. After moving to the US, it played a major role in my life by improving my quality of life and in return I want to be able to give back to my community through it and build lifelong relationships with the people I meet.
Related information
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A one year post-baccalaureate program that helps students become more competitive and successful in the dental school environment.
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The Ohio State University College of Dentistry is committed to increasing access to oral health care for all Ohio residents, especially those in Dental Professional Shortage Areas (DPSAs).
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The Ohio State University College of Dentistry welcomes re-applicants. However, to be considered as a re-applicant you need to show us how you have improved your application.
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A sample of outcome measures for the DDS program.
Office of Admissons
Office of Admissions
1132 Postle Hall
305 W. 12th Avenue
Columbus, OH 43210-1267
The program in dental education is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and has been granted the accreditation status of “approval without reporting requirements”. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611-2678. The Commission’s web address is: coda.ada.org.
Ohio State academic programs are designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure and certification and state licensing board contact information at odee.osu.edu/students/state-authorization#licensure. Click on the link for State Dental Boards.