{"id":482,"date":"2015-08-13T22:39:41","date_gmt":"2015-08-13T22:39:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/haysc\/?page_id=482"},"modified":"2026-04-22T20:33:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T20:33:09","slug":"pre-dental-advising","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/haysc\/advising\/pre-dental-advising\/","title":{"rendered":"Pre-Dental Advising"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Metropolitan State University of Denver Biology Department Advising Handout<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

Last updated April 2026<\/span><\/p>\n

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Metropolitan State University of Denver does not have a dental school but does offer prerequisite courses for entrance to dental programs.<\/p>\n

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Announcement 2026:<\/strong>\u00a0 May 20 is a free virtual fair<\/a> to talk with application experts, dental schools and current students to learn important tips about becoming a successful dental school applicant. It is sponsored by the American Dental Education Association.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Dental program leads to a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree. 90 credits with at least 30 credits of upper division courses are required for admission to dental school and most students first obtain a Bachelor’s Degree. You may choose any major that interests you for your Bachelor’s Degree.\u00a0 You are encouraged to explore the humanities and other areas of interest in order to broaden your educational base; you will not have another chance. Since dentistry is a mixture of science and contact with people, courses in social and behavioral sciences, arts and humanities are of great value. Of course, you must demonstrate competence in the required science courses (C or better is required but B or better is competitive). The classes at University of Colorado School of Dentistry are limited to about 80 students (about 3.6% of applicants), of which more than half are Colorado residents.<\/p>\n

PREREQUISITES for University of Colorado Dental School\u00a0 <\/b>(must be completed by Spring of year accepted at the latest)<\/p>\n

General Chemistry with lab – <\/strong>CHE 1800 and 1801, CHE 1810 \u00a0and 1811; 2 semesters<\/p>\n

Organic Chemistry with lab<\/strong> – CHE 3100, 3110, 3120, 3130, 2 semesters<\/p>\n

Biochemistry I<\/strong> – CHE 4310, no lab required, 1 semester<\/p>\n

General Biology with lab<\/strong> – BIO 1080\/90 and BIO 1081\/91, 2 semesters<\/p>\n

General Microbiology<\/strong> – BIO 2400, 1 semester<\/p>\n

College Physics with lab<\/strong> – PHY 2010, 2020, 2030, 2040, 2 semesters<\/p>\n

Math – <\/strong>MTH 1110, 1120-prerequisites for CHE & PHY, 2 semesters<\/p>\n

Composing Arguments <\/strong>– ENG 1010, 1 semester<\/p>\n

NOT REQUIRED, BUT RECOMMENDED AS BIOLOGY ELECTIVES<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0COURSES<\/b><\/td>\n\u00a0COURSE NUMBERS<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cell Biology<\/td>\n\u00a0BIO 3050<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0Human Anatomy & Physiology I, II<\/td>\n\u00a0BIO 2310, 2320, 3320<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0Immunology<\/td>\n\u00a0BIO 3350<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0Histology<\/td>\n\u00a0BIO 3210<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Different dental schools have different prerequisites, so check websites for the individual schools. Additional recommended courses include business management, finance, communication, and psychology.\u00a0 Additionally, no more than 60 credits may come from community colleges and science courses cannot be more than 10 years old. Online labs are not accepted for a required prerequisite lab listed above and grades C- or lower don’t count.\u00a0 AP credits for courses are allowed as long as the courses are individually listed on your college transcript.<\/p>\n

1. ADMISSION PROCEDURE:<\/b><\/p>\n

You should apply to the dental program one year in advance of the date you actually anticipate beginning dental school. Application information may be requested by writing OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY, Mail Stop F-833, 13065 E. 17th Ave. Aurora, CO 80045, (303)724-7120. Applications may be filed after May of the year preceding admission and all requested material must be received by the AADSAS applications through ADEA<\/a> on or before OCTOBER 15<\/strong>\u00a0<\/b>of the entering year. Early<\/strong> application is encouraged because acceptances begin in December. The ADEA is a national application service which enables applicants to simultaneously apply to a number of dental schools by submitting application information to a single agency. \u00a0Consider keeping a journal through your undergraduate years. This will provide you with much information to draw upon when filling out your application.\u00a0 Start working on your personal essay early, as it needs to be unique and memorable.\u00a0 Make sure it catches the reader’s attention at the beginning and proof read for proper grammar and spelling.\u00a0 It is not just a rehashing of the information filled out in the application.<\/p>\n

American Dental Education Association (ADEA<\/a>)<\/p>\n

ADEA phone # 202-289-7201<\/p>\n

email: Dental School Admission Email for information inquiries<\/a><\/p>\n

Consider purchasing the ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools<\/a><\/p>\n

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2. DENTAL\u00a0ADMISSIONS\u00a0TEST:<\/b><\/p>\n

Each applicant must complete the Dental Admissions Test and have the official results sent to the School of Dentistry (preferably by August of application year because the score must be reported by 10\/15). Applications to take the test may be obtained at ADA dental admission test applications.<\/a><\/p>\n

The test is currently offered on computer through the Prometric Test Centers. Here is a link to the DAT guide and scheduling<\/a>. \u00a0Submit your DAT application well in advance of the date on which you wish to be tested. A candidate may take the DAT exam 3 times but must obtain permission to retest additional times. You should take the exam in the spring of your junior year. This ensures that the results are in to the dental school admissions officer in time. This also allows time for a repeat examination after 90 days, if applicants want to repeat the test to improve their scores. The DAT includes 1. Natural Sciences (general biology including some genetics, general chemistry, organic chemistry), 2. Reading Comprehension (ability to read, organize, analyze, and remember new information in dental and basic sciences), 3. Quantitative reasoning (algebraic equations, fractions, conversions, percentages, exponential notation, probability, statistics, geometry, trigonometry, math), and 4. Perceptual Ability (angle discrimination, form development, cubes, orthographic projections, apertures, and paper folding). <\/b>Make sure to take many practice timed tests. For more information on the DAT, checkout the Kaplan Prep options.<\/a><\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 Tuition Assistance at Kaplan<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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2.\u00a0 Help Suite at Kaplan<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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The average DAT score for students accepted at University of Colorado Dental School in 2025 was 420 (600 perfect). For the old DAT scores, the 2024 entering class’s average was 20 (30 is perfect). The current 2-digit score reporting scale (1 to 30) has been replaced by a 3-digit reporting scale (200 to 600). The University of Colorado will accept the current two digit scoring until February 2030. This link has a table to help you convert old DAT scores to new scores.\u00a0 New DAT scores and how to interpret them.<\/a><\/p>\n

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3. SELECTION\u00a0CRITERIA:\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Each school which you have applied to through the ADEA will contact you and request additional information. They will require money, additional transcripts, and letters of recommendation. These letters of recommendation should be sent to the schools by early fall. University of Colorado requires 2 letters from science instructors and one from a non-science instructor or dentist or an employer. Make sure that the person writing a letter for you knows you well.\u00a0 A minimum of 50 hours of dental shadowing<\/strong> are required (paid or not). Ideally, these hours will include time with a variety of general and specialty dental clinics.\u00a0 While 50 hours is minimum, the average CU Dental School accepted student has 150-200 hours of dental shadowing.<\/p>\n

Schools that are interested in you will interview you. Check out this link, that has interview feedback from students applying to dental schools. It is very helpful. Student Doctor Forums.<\/a>\u00a0 The interview is an important part of the acceptance procedure and may count up to 40%. Interviews for University of Colorado Dental School are August through November, but may possibly extend into January and February.\u00a0 Make sure you dress professionally for your interview, review your application, be ready to talk about life and dental experience, and PRACTICE interviewing<\/a>.\u00a0 Be authentic.\u00a0 Don’t just answer what you think the interviewer wants to hear.\u00a0 Reflect ahead of time about your most difficult or demoralizing experience and how you bounced back. Reflect upon your maturity level,\u00a0 how you handle stress and what upsets you and how you handle that.<\/p>\n

Selection criteria includes 1. Latest DAT scores, 2. Cumulative GPA (the average cumulative GPA for University of Colorado Dental School in 2025 entering class was 3.6), 3. Science GPA (average science GPA for CU accepted students was 3.6 in 2025), 4. ADEA Application, 5. Interview, 6. Letters of recommendation, 7. Application essay (don’t just repeat what is already in your application), 8. Experience in the dental area, and 9. Other experience including community service and leadership activities.<\/p>\n

4. What do you do if you do not get accepted your first time to dental school? Try again! <\/strong>Contact the dental schools in a timely fashion to see if they have suggestions to strengthen your application. Strengthen what you consider to be the weakest parts of your application; show growth.\u00a0 Don’t just copy and paste your previous application into a new one. Consider a prep program to retake the DAT if your score was low. Improve your interview skills. Consider, a Master\u2019s Program<\/a> or Post-Bac Program, applied experience in dentistry, shadowing experiences, science research, volunteer work, community outreach, internships and leadership activities. Some of these opportunities may be found at career pathways to science.<\/a><\/p>\n

For more information about University of Colorado School of Dentistry, contact University of Colorado School of Dentistry
\nDental Admission and Student Affairs Office:
\nMail Stop F-833
\n13065 E. 17 th Avenue
\nAurora , CO\u00a0 80045
\n303-724-8719<\/p>\n

MSU Denver Biology Pre-dental advisor: Dr. Hays, SI 2032, (303) 615-0777.<\/p>\n

University of Colorado School of Dentistry Email Address.<\/a><\/p>\n

Nicole Dole is UC Dental School Associate Director of Admissions.\u00a0 Nicole Dole’s Email Address.<\/a><\/p>\n

UCHSC School of Dentistry Website<\/a><\/p>\n

Digital Brochure for UCHSC Dentistry Program from 2022<\/a><\/p>\n

American Dental Education Association: ADE Association<\/a>, and ADEA Go Dental<\/a>.\u00a0 You should consider subscribing to their free newsletter<\/a> for the latest pre-dental information.<\/p>\n

ADEA Dental\u00a0School Explorer: Based on the\u00a0ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools<\/em>, this tool contains the profiles of the 76 U.S. and Canadian dental schools featured in the printed edition\u2014all searchable by key word and filterable by institution type, targeted entering-class size, DAT Total Science score (mean), Science GPA (mean), and location (state, territory or province).\u00a0Use your laptop, tablet or smart phone to view information on required and recommended courses; dental shadowing requirements\/recommendations; admission cycle timetables; fees, deposits and cost of attendance; and recent\u00a0applicant and entering-class statistics. A one-year\u00a0subscription<\/a>\u00a0to the ADEA Dental School Explorer is available for $25.<\/p>\n

American Dental Association<\/a><\/p>\n

Colorado Pre-Health Society<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Metropolitan State University of Denver Biology Department Advising Handout Last updated April 2026 Metropolitan State University of Denver does not have a dental school but does offer prerequisite courses for entrance to dental programs. Announcement 2026:\u00a0 May 20 is a … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":270,"featured_media":0,"parent":32,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-482","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/haysc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/haysc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/haysc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/haysc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/270"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/haysc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=482"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/haysc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/482\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/haysc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/32"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/haysc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}