DMD Educational Requirements
The Pitt Dental Medicine Admissions Committee reserves the right to request further information regarding an applicant's academic performance.
- A Baccalaureate degree from the United States or Canada is required prior to matriculation
- A minimum total GPA of 3.2 is required including overall GPA, science GPA, and prerequisite GPA for consideration to the DMD program.
- Prerequisite grades of B or higher taken onsite at a four-year institution are strongly preferred. A minimum grade of C or 2.0 GPA for prerequisite courses is required for consideration for the DMD Program. All science prerequisite coursework must be completed within the last five years.
- The University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine will accept pass/fail grades for courses completed during spring and summer 2020 semesters only due to the COVID-10 pandemic.
- It is preferred that no more than one-third of an applicants’ credits are earned from a community college or junior college. No more than 60 of the minimum required credits will be accepted from a community college or junior college. Classes taken in an onsite format are preferred.
- AP/IB credits will be accepted for prerequisites if the degree-granting institution awarded college credit toward an applicant’s bachelor’s degree.
- Admissions requirements are subject to change without prior notice.
- $75 non-refundable supplemental application fee. Pay Your Application Fee Now
Prerequisites Coursework
Successful completion of the following is required prior to matriculation:
| SUBJECT MATTER | COURSE | COURSE |
|---|---|---|
| English*/Writing Intensive Course | English I | English/Writing Intensive |
| Biology (with lab) | Biology I (with lab) | Biology II (with lab) |
| Physics | Physics I | Physics II |
| General Chemistry (with lab) | Chemistry I (with lab) | Chemistry II (with lab) |
| Organic Chemistry (with lab) | Organic Chemistry I (with lab) | Organic Chemistry II (with lab) |
| Biochemistry | Biochemistry |
*At least one of the two English courses should be an English/Literature course
*All science prerequisite coursework must be completed within the last five years
*Anatomy (3 semester hours) is recommended, but not required.
*The Admissions Committee reserves the right to modify prerequisites when additional courses are necessary to improve an applicant's preparation for dental school.
Residency Requirements
There are no residency requirements for either application or admission to the University of Pittsburgh. Applicants should be aware that Federal Stafford loans are available only to U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents.
Letters of Recommendation
Letters of Recommendation must be submitted through AADSAS, and must be either:
- From a pre-health advisory committee (preferred)
- Three (3) letters from separate individuals, two (2) of which must be a professor/advisor/mentor.
- Letters will only be accepted from non-relatives.
- A total of four letters of recommendation including the committee letter will be accepted through AADSAS in the 2025-2026 application cycle.
DAT Scores
DAT scores must be submitted through AADSAS.
- As of 2025, the Dental Admissions Test has transitioned from a 2-digit scoring system to a 3-digit scoring system. A minimum DAT Academic Average of 410 (Formerly 19) is preferred. These scores are minimum guidelines; competitive applicants typically exceed these thresholds.
- For more information about the DAT, please download the DAT guide.
- If an applicant takes the DAT more than once, the Admissions Committee will consider the test scores with the highest academic average and will not superscore the best subsection scores across all DAT attempts.
- DAT scores may not be more than three years old at the application deadline of October 31, 2025.
Technology Requirement
All Pitt Dental Medicine students are required to have a laptop computer with up-to-date technical specifications. Tablets are not compatible with the required technology.
These requirements must be met in order to use our electronic testing solution, ExamSoft. For more information, please visit the ExamSoft support site for detailed Mac and Windows minimum system requirements.
The University Store on Fifth offers discounts to Pitt students on select Apple and Dell products. Additionally, the University of Pittsburgh has more than 100 software packages available to students at little or no cost.
Health Requirement
Download current student health requirements.
Essential Program Standards
Download Essential Program Standards
Download serving as a patient details
Application Process
1. Review all of the information above
2. Apply to AADSAS by October 31, 2025
3. Pay your Non-Refundable $75 supplemental application fee.
Contact Us
If you have any additional questions, please contact Pitt Dental Medicine Admissions.