The International Advanced Standing Program (IASP) at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine is designed to permit qualified, international dentists who graduated from programs not accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) to earn a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree from Pitt Dental Medicine.
The IASP is a minimum of two academic years in length. It is individualized for each admitted student and may require additional time to complete. The program begins in May of each year with intensive, one-term didactic and preclinical courses. Following successful completion of this provisional segment, IASP students enter the predoctoral program.
Requirements to Apply to Program
English Language Proficiency
- Must be proficient in the English language.
- Applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) (IB and Home based).
- Successful completion of the TOEFL with a score of 100 or above is preferred. However, due to the COVID-19 situation, a minimum score of 90 will be accepted temporarily.
- TOEFL results must be dated after Dec. 31, 2019 and sent directly to ADEA CAAPID®.
National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) (INDBE)Requirements
- Program requires passage of NBDE Parts I and II or INDBE to be considered for admission.
- Official NBDE both parts or INDBE results must be entered on the ADEA CAAPID application under the “Academic History” > “Standardized Tests” section.
Advanced Dental Admission Test (ADAT)
- Completion of the ADAT is accepted, but not required for admission to the program.
Letters of Evaluation
- Three Letters of Evaluation are required*:
- Two letters of evaluation must be from either a dean, associate dean, department chair or faculty member of the dental school from which applicant graduated.
- One letter must be from a shadowing experience, preferably within the United States.
- These letters must be directly uploaded by the letter writers to ADEA CAAPID. When you fill out your CAAPID application you will provide the names of your evaluators and their contact information. CAAPID will then contact them via email with instructions on how to submit a letter. The email will include a link to an online portal where they will upload their letters.
- Up to three additional letters may be uploaded by the applicant to the “Documents Section” of their CAAPID application.
*These three letters are non-negotiable.
Transcripts and Evaluations
- All foreign dental school transcripts must be evaluated and uploaded by Educational Credential Evaluations Inc. (ECE); only the ECE evaluation will be accepted.
- Licenses/certifications should be uploaded to ADEA CAAPID in the “Supporting Information” > “Licenses” section.
Application Fees
- In addition to the CAAPID application fee, a university application fee of $75 is required upon submission of your application.
- University application fee can be paid online.
Additional Requirements
- Qualified applicants will be invited for an interview and bench test.
- If invited for interview, applicants will be asked to submit:
- An electronic copy of a passport page of any valid visa status or proof of U.S. citizenship or permanent residency (any status is acceptable) and
- An electronic 2” x 2” cell phone “headshot” photo. Photo must be in .jpeg or .png format.
- An onsite /virtual interview/virtual or onsite bench test fee will be required from those applicants invited to interview.
>> For the 2021-2022 application cycle, a final decision regarding an onsite or virtual Bench Test will be made by Mid-October. - Accepted applicants must pay a non-refundable tuition deposit at time of acceptance, which will be applied to the fall term. Accepted applicants must pay a non-refundable fee prior to the provisional summer program that begins in early May.
- All fees described herein are non-refundable.
Bench Testing Preparation Course Is now Offered at Pitt Dental Medicine.
For more details or to register for this course, please see the course description.
(Participation in the course will not guarantee admission into our program.)