Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! While the majority of our applicants and accepted students did major in a science, we have accepted applicants who majored in business, liberal arts, and even fine arts programs. For non-science majors, we strongly recommend that you take upper-level science courses in addition the pre-reqs or that you enroll in a pre-dental post-bac program before applying to our program.

Yes! But you might want to consider enrolling in a master’s program in the biomedical sciences to strengthen your qualifications as a first step. This is a good way to demonstrate that you are capable of succeeding in an intensive graduate program, and it also will give the Admissions Committee recent evidence of your academic skills and accomplishments they can use to assess your potential. Boston University Medical School Division of Graduate Medical Science offers an MS in Oral Health Sciences; learn more at bumc.bu.edu/gms/ohs.

We seat 115 students in the DMD entering class.

No, but you must complete all prerequisite courses and earn a bachelor’s degree before starting the DMD program. GSDM requires you to have successfully completed a set of science prerequisites.

Boston University is a private institution, so state of residence does not have a bearing on your eligibility.

Yes, all students who have earned bachelor’s degree at an accredited U.S. or Canadian college/university are eligible to enroll.

Yes, GSDM offers financial awards that are offered to select students. Decisions are made by the Admissions Committee and awards are communicated at the time of acceptance; there is no additional application necessary.

The BU Medical Campus Office of Housing Resources helps students find housing in the Boston area.

As the dental school is a working clinical facility, we are not able to give tours to prospective students. There are also various tour and “day in the life” videos available on our YouTube channel.

Apply early! Applicants who submit and complete their applications in July and August have a greater chance for an interview invitation than later applicants.

No, we do not. All courses on your transcript must have a letter grade. If your only option for a particular course was a Pass/Fail grade, then you must provide documentation that this was the case.

We require all science courses and labs to be taken in person, but do accept online coursework for some non-science courses. However, we strongly encourage you to limit the amount of non-science coursework done online.

The admissions committee here at GSDM does not have a specific number of hours required for dental shadowing. That being said, we do expect competitive applicants to have experience with a general dentist before applying to the DMD program. While it may not be traditional shadowing, we will also accept paid work as well as volunteer work done in dental setting. Please note that we do not accept online or virtual experience; only in-person dental experience is accepted.

No, we do not. If you received AP or IB credit for a pre-req course, you will need to make up the credit by taking a course in the same subject.

Due to the high volume of applicants, it is recommended to submit a completed application well before the admission deadline for the following calendar year. Early submission allows sufficient time for processing, verification, and confirmation that all requirements are met for consideration by Admissions. Interviews are conducted between May and November, and offers of admission are extended on a rolling basis. Therefore, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply early in the admissions cycle.

While applicants may submit a CAAPID application before completing all requirements such as the NBDE, TOEFL, or letters of evaluation, the application will not be considered until the file is complete.

Once interviews begin in May, applicants may be invited to interview at any point in the cycle after submitting their complete application.

Interviews begin in May and continue through November although some may be offered outside this period. Interviews are held via Zoom. Interviewees are offered opportunities to speak with current students and staff as part of their interview experience.

GDSM operates as a clinical facility. As such, we cannot offer tours to prospective students. Applicants who have been invited for interviews are offered the opportunity to visit the dental school during Visit Days that are held several times during the fall and winter. Individual in-person appointments and tours cannot be scheduled.

If it is not possible to obtain a letter of evaluation from the dean of your dental school or faculty member, you can substitute a recommendation from another faculty member or clinical employer.

Yes. The TOEFL iBT® Home Edition is accepted. TOEFL Essentials® is not accepted, nor is MyBest Score® considered. All Applicants are required to take the exam, regardless of U.S. citizenship or U.S. Permanent Resident status.

Your scores must be no older than two years from the day you submit your application.

No. One must have either passed the INBDE or Parts 1 and 2 of the NBDE to fulfill the prerequisite to apply to the DMD Advanced Standing program.