Applicants are required to complete the following coursework with a C or better by June of the intended entering year. Grades of C- or lower and courses taken pass/fail or credit/no credit will not be accepted. Applicants may apply while in the process of completing prerequisite coursework.

Completing the prerequisite courses at an accredited four-year college or university is strongly encouraged. Community college coursework is accepted but not recommended for the prerequisites. Online coursework from accredited institutions is accepted, but in-person coursework is strongly encouraged.

• Biochemistry - 3 SH | 5 QH. Lab is not required
• Biology – 8 SH | 12 QH. Labs required.
• English* - 6 SH | 9 QH 
• General Chemistry - 8 SH | 12 QH. Labs required.
• Organic Chemistry - 8 SH | 12 QH. Labs required.
• Physics - 8 SH | 12 QH. Labs required.

*For the English prerequisite, two composition courses are preferred; or one composition course, and one additional course in either literature, humanities, or public speaking that is writing intensive.

Other recommended courses include microbiology, anatomy, physiology, histology, public speaking, genetics, and art.

Microbiology will become a required prerequisite with the 2027-2028 admissions cycle.

Please note: Advanced Placement (AP) credit or College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) is accepted for a prerequisite if the credit appears on an official college or university transcript.

• The minimum requirement for admission is 90 semester hours (or approximately 135 quarter hours) of academic coursework by June of the year you plan to enroll.
• A minimum of 30 of the 90 semester hours must be completed at a four year college or university.
• Most applicants will complete a bachelor's degree before matriculation to dental school.

Applicants must have achieved a total and science grade-point average of 2.85 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) for all undergraduate college work.

Learn how ADEA AADSAS calculates different GPA types and how to calculate your own GPA.

Applicants should demonstrate a confirmed interest in dentistry by participating in direct shadowing of a dentist in a patient care setting. Shadowing hours should be reported directly on the AADSAS application. 

• 40 hours of dental shadowing is required and must be completed at the time of application submission.
• Shadowing completed within general dentistry and dentistry specialty practice (orthodontics, oral surgery, periodontics, etc.) is desirable.
• Shadowing completed during high school is not considered.

Applicants report experiences in which they are involved on the AADSAS application. Experiences could include (but are not limited to) academic enrichment, extracurricular activities, research, volunteering and work experience.

For each experience, applicants must provide the frequency and duration of the experience, a description of the key responsibilities, and the name and address of the organization or supervisor.

• A minimum of 40 hours of volunteering is recommended.
• Applicants who show a commitment to helping underserved communities and caring for others are given strong consideration.

The University of Iowa requires a minimum of one committee letter/packet or three individual letters of evaluations although AADSAS allows up to four. Letters must be uploaded directly to the application by the evaluator. Letters sent by email or mail will not be accepted.

• Letters do not need to be written by specific professors or professionals.
• It is strongly recommended the letter be on letterhead, dated, and include a signature.

See: Instructions for submitting a committee letter or requesting evaluations using Interfolio.

A minimum DAT Academic Average (AA) score of 360 is required.

• Official DAT scores must be received and verified by AADSAS on or before the September 30 application deadline.
• You do not have to delay submitting your AADSAS application until you have taken the DAT.
  • Add when you plan to take the test in the DAT portion of the application.
  • The application is incomplete until official DAT scores are received and verified by AADSAS.
• DAT scores may not be older than 3 years at the time of application.

Applicants are required to pay a non-refundable $60 (U.S.) or $100 (international) application fee directly to the University of Iowa.

Once your AADSAS application has been completed and verified by AADSAS, you will receive an email with instructions from the University of Iowa to: 

• Create your Admissions Profile in MyUI
• Pay the application fee

Applications without payment of this fee will remain incomplete.

University of Iowa Application Fee Waiver: The $60 (U.S.) or $100 (international) application fee can be waived for applicants who qualify for the AADSAS Fee Assistance Program. Uploaded your FAP approval email from AADSAS to your Admissions Profile in MyUI.

Applicants for admission to the University of Iowa College of Dentistry are required to complete an attestation in accordance with Iowa Code section 262.9.39. Completion of this attestation is not used in the College of Dentistry admissions process.

Once your University of Iowa application fee has been paid, you will receive instructions for submitting the required attestation.

Applications without completion of the attestation will remain incomplete.

The College of Dentistry uses the ADEA AADSAS^® (ADEA Associated American Dental Schools Application Service) to receive applications for the DDS program. Only ADEA AADSAS verified applications with all the required application materials, submitted by the September 30 deadline will be considered.
 

All application materials must be received and verified by this date. Applications that remain incomplete, including those missing official DAT scores, letters of evaluation, official transcripts, University of Iowa application fee, and attestation will be cancelled and removed from further consideration.