In order to ask yourself the question "is it possible for me to be accepted to dental school?" you must first know where you stand statistically. Statistics play a key role in deciding whether a student is or is not qualified for dental school. The main statistics are GPA and the score for the dental admissions test (DAT). I am first going to briefly mention the DAT and then move onto GPA and what to do if yours is low.
The nice thing about the DAT is that you can retake it up to three times. However, you will want to make sure you do well on it the very first time. So, what is the average for the DAT? The average student that takes the DAT, according to the ADA statistics, receives a 17.5 academic average, 17.5 total science, and a 18 on perceptual ability. Note that these are the statistics of those who attempted the exam. The actual statistics of those who matriculate into dental school are in the range of 19 academic average and 19 total science. Each individual school is going to be different and this will have to be taken into consideration when applying to dental school (view "Dental Schools Ranked by DAT Scores" for more details). So if you have a low DAT then you will want to make sure you study hard and retake it for a higher score. No way around this!
Often times I hear predental students say "I have a low GPA can I still get in?". The answers to these questions are not that easy. Simply put, it depends. No one really knows until you give it a shot but hopefully by the end of the article you can make a sound judgement on whether your GPA is good enough and what to do if you have a low GPA.
The first question you ought to ask yourself is "where do I stand in regards to my GPA?". Let me help you out. The average GPA for matriculating dental students is about a 3.5 overall GPA. Once again, there are going to be several schools with a higher average GPA and schools with a lower average GPA (view "Dental Schools Ranked by GPA" for more details). However, many students still pose the question of whether their DAT score is high enough.
Most dental schools have a cutoff GPA for both an overall and science GPA of 2.75. This means that if you have anything below a 2.75 that your application will automatically be rejected. In addition, if your GPA is anywhere close to or below a 3.0 it is going to be difficult to land interviews for dental school.
What do I do if my GPA is too low?
There are several options but some may be better than others depending on where you stand in regards to your GPA.
1. Post Baccalaureate Program: If you have a GPA that is lower than a 2.75 you will need to find a post baccalaureate program to attend as your current GPA will not pass the cutoff for dental school. I would also recommend this option for anyone with a GPA that is lower than a 3.0. The reason for this is that the credits earned in these programs will directly affect your undergrad GPA. It will be essential that you make it a priority to get an A in every credit as this will maximize the opportunity of bringing your GPA above a 3.0. Not only will 2.75+ GPA now qualify you to apply to dental school but the dental school will be able to see that you have an upward trend in your GPA and that you are capable of doing well in your classes.
Note: Other programs such as a masters program and dental hygiene school will not raise affect your GPA and thus will not help you qualify for dental school if you have a sub 2.75 GPA.
2. Masters Program: If your GPA is above a 3.0 but still not optimal you may want to think about getting into a masters program. I would recommend finding a 1 year program to apply for, as this will allow you to beef up your application in a short amount of time. A masters program allows you to show dental school that you are capable of doing well in grad level courses. This also gives you the opportunity to stay academically active which is a plus on your application. If you are not accepted you the first time that you apply to dental school a masters program is a good option. Each year there are more and more students being accepted to dental school that have a master's degree.
3. Dental Hygiene: Applying to dental hygiene school is similar to doing a masters program, however, dental hygiene is a 2 year program which means that it will take an extra year before you are able to apply to dental school. This option may be good for some students but if you know you want to be a dentist I would recommend taking a faster route.
4. PHD: If you feel like you need to go this route then do what you need to do but enrolling in a 4 year PHD program is not the most efficient way to getting into dental school. There may be a few students out there who went this route but this is definitely not the easiest or even the best way of compensating for a low GPA.
5. Going Foreign: The idea of going to a foreign dental school usually crosses through the minds of students who are struggling to get into dental school here in the United States. There is a lot more to this issue than I am qualified to talk about but I will say that it is not a short or easy process of taking your foreign degree and making it valid in the states.
Yes, this was a long answer to a short question. However, I wanted to help you realize that there a select few ways of increasing your chances at getting into dental school with a sub-par GPA and that each will take considerable effort at proving yourself academically. There is no short cut around this one. If you are in a situation where you feel your GPA is low put in all the energy you have possible to get As in your courses from here on out. An upward trend is a positive in the eyes of the admissions committee and it is never to late to start!
64 comments:
Hi,
I don't understand why would you say that doing a masters program or doing dental hygiene won't help yet you still include it into your list unless what you said in the NOTE section was a typo.
Thanks
Hi,
unless you mean that doing a masters degree will NOT improve your undergrad GPA which makes sense. My undergrad overall and science GPA was horrible but I REALLY want to become a dentist. I have a couple of masters degree since I am passionate about those fields but I wanted to prove to ad coms that I can handle demanding graduate level course along with using my other experiences as well. I have been shadowing countless hours with a general dentist, periodontist, orthodontist and oral surgeon as well to have insight on different types of treatments, conditions and procedures.
However, I do know that I should be taking several science course, do very well in all of them and do well on the DAT's as well in order to greatly increase my chances of becoming admitted.
In response to comment #1 on this board. The "NOTE" section is not a typo but let me clarify.
The comment only applies to students with a 2.75 GPA or less. A 2.75 GPA is the minimum GPA that students can have and still get into dental school. The GPA that you earn in a Masters Program or Dental Hygiene Program does not affect your Undergraduate GPA. When the admissions committee views your application they will see an UNDERGRADUATE and a MASTERS GPA separately. That is why I would recommend doing a Post Baccalaureate Program because these programs will affect your Undergraduate GPA.
Otherwise, if you have a GPA above a 2.75 the Masters Program and/or Dental Hygiene program may be a decent option and will help your application.
Sorry if that was confusing.
What do you recommend for someone who has a GPA in the low/mid 2's, took about half the prereqs years ago (did poorly), and graduated in business? I'm interested in doing a new bachelors in biology and repeating all prereq courses. If I maintain a 3.5+ GPA will this help? Since I already graduated, I have a ton of credits and even completing a second degree may not bring me to a 3.0. With a good DAT score, do I have a shot?
is the 2.75 GPA for a science GPA or overall?
First of all, thanks for your help.
I have the same question as the one above.
I have a 3.1 overall GPA and a 2.95 science GPA. Would you recommend I do a 1 year masters in something like biomedical sciences or do some post bacc work instead? I really want to get into dental school and not waste any time. Thank you once again.
What are the chances of someone with a 2.6 bachelors gpa and a 4.0 Masters gpa? do dental schools avg the two gpas or do they look at them individually?
Unfortunately, dental schools will look at the two GPAs separately. Typically dental schools have a GPA cutoff of about 2.75. If I were in your shoes I would call a couple of schools that you are interested in and arrange to talk to the director of admissions in order to talk about your situation. They will usually give you advice on what you could do in order to be qualified for admissions. Sorry I can't help much beyond this!
Where can I find a list of post baccleaurate pre dental programs for low gpa scores?
I found the link:
https://services.aamc.org/postbac/getprogs.cfm
Thank you for your very informative website!
Thanks for posting the link of post bac programs! I am not aware of any other links but I am sure they are out there. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for stopping by!
In my undergraduate, i had overall 2.99 GPA. But i did my associate in different college, i had overall 3.8 GPA over there. My question is that did they count previous college GPA and check overall.
I have 2.8 Overall GPA but 3.7 BCP & 3.2 Science GPA. Am I going to get cut off by dental school bc of Overall GPA?
Hi Dental DAT,
My situation is a bit complex. I have a bachelor degree of business in China GPA is 2.9 And I got a Master of public administration in U.S and GPA is 3.5 Now I have almost finished all the prereq of GPA 4.0 But I don't intend to get a second bachelor degree. Could I use the GPA 2.9 of undergrad and GPA 4.0 prereq to apply? Thanks!
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I have a 2.3 overall GPA coming out of my sophomore year of college as a biology major. I am planing on retaking 1 science class that I received a D+ in. I still have to take ORGO and anatomy to complete my biology degree and the rest would be core required courses. My question is do dental schools frown upon applicants retaking science courses? And if I come out of college with around a 3.0 is dental school even an option with such a low GPA?
I'm a biology major (senior), I applied to 9 dental schools for 2014 entry. I had a 2.4 overall GPA and a DAT below 17 on my application. I got rejected to all them :( it was a big waste of time and money. My GPA now is 2.6 and I still want to go to dental school, what would be my advise? reapply to 2015 entry would be ok? plus taking DAT again?
The minimum GPA that they will even consider for applicants is 2.75. Even with a GPA of a 3.0 it is difficult to gain acceptance into dental school. However, this does not mean it is impossible. I would focus on raising your GPA first. Most schools have criteria listed on their website about minimum qualifications. If you do not meet those in anyway your application will likely not be considered. After raising your GPA I would then focus on getting a solid DAT score. I would aim for around a 20 academic average with no sections below 18 to give yourself a decent chance. Also remember to choose your schools wisely. If you are applying only to the "most prestigious" schools then your chances are slim even with a good GPA and DAT score.
Hi. I am interested in going to dental school and i need some help. I have been out of school for 6+ yrs. My undergrad GPA is 2.86 and thinking about taking some more science classes to raise my GPA. Probably some upper courses like anatomy, physiology, pathology etc... I have a full time job right now so it is difficult for me to do post-bac or masters. Therefore I am thinking about taking some classes after my job at a university. If I bring my GPA up to 3.2 overall and 3.1 science with 22+ DAT score, are those numbers considered competitive?
Hi there,
I just became interested applying to dental school, after my PhD... But anyways, here are my marks:
Undergrad GPA:
Overall GPA 2.374 Total Units Total Credit
Science (w/oBCP) 2.188 48.000 105.006
BCP 2.417 72.000 174.003
Non-science 4.333 3.000 12.999
BCP + Science 2.325
Grad GPA:
Overall GPA 3.815 Total Units Total Credit
Science (w/oBCP) 3.867 15.000 57.999
BCP 3.750 12.000 45.000
Non-science 0.000 0.000 0.000
BCP + Science 3.815
Total GPA:
Overall GPA 2.633 Total Units Total Credit
Science (w/oBCP) 2.587 63.000 163.005
BCP 2.607 84.000 219.003
Non-science 4.333 3.000 12.999
BCP + Science 2.599
I conducted research in pharmaceuticals for my Master's and Dental Implants for my PhD.
Do you think I have a shot?
Thanks so much!
Nick
Anonymous: If you can bring your GPA up to a 3.2 and science up to a 3.1 with a 22+ DAT then I believe that you have shot. It will come down to having an overall well rounded application including a great personal statement. Also, you will want to do some research on the schools you apply to in order to find out what they look for in a candidate (GPA vs DAT vs extra curricular activities) as some schools put more emphasis on one or the other.
Nick: This is a difficult situation and unfortunately I honestly cannot give you an accurate opinion on whether you have a shot or not. I would call a couple of the schools and set up a time to talk with the dean of admissions. Let him/her know your situation and have an open conversation on what would be needed from you in order to gain admission into their school. Most schools will stick very strictly to the 2.75 gpa cutoff.
I only have a 2.9 GPA and will be finishing my dental hygiene program this spring. I am thinking of getting a bachelors degree, just wanted to know, how do dental schools look at the GPA. Will they look at the Bachelors GPA and Liberal GPA separate? I haven't done any prerequisite courses besides Gen. Chem I and got a B. I am also having a hard time deciding what I should major in, any advice will be helpful. Thx!
Dental schools will typically look at your gpa separetly. If you go back and finish your bachelors degree the dental school will look at your gpa for your bachelors degree and yoyr gpa for your hygiene program separately. The majority of dental students have a degree in biology (human biology, exercise science, biochemistry, ect..) It will help ease the burden as your first two years of dental school will mainly be science classes. If you have already had the extra nuerobiology/cell biology/histology classes it makes dental school just a little bit easier (not that it's easy). With that said all kinds of majors get into dental school as long as the prerequisite classes are completed. We had a piano, graphics design, and communications major in my class, just to name a few.
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I have a cGPA of 3.15 and sGPA of 3.0. If I get 22+ on all sections of DAT, will I have a shot? Should I apply for post-bacc programs or will Master's be better?
YeonJi: The higher the score of your DAT the better. Getting a 22+ on every section is very difficult but can be done with a lot of studying. You will still have a shot at getting in but remember that it will depend on what schools you are applying to and other aspects of your application such as extra curricular activities and personal statement. Since you have above a 3.0 it may be worth looking into a Master's program. Prove that you can take graduate level courses and excel. You will definitely want to shoot for a 4.0 in the Masters Program to give yourself the best shot.
Hi, I was wondering if you knew if having 5 years DA experience and excellent letters of recommendation from successful dentists will help make up for a lower GPA. I'm heading for about a 3.3 and haven't taken the DATs yet. I do plan to volunteer at the free dental clinic and do more extra curricular activities. (This is my first year back in school for about 7 years, so I started slow) thank you, Jill
Jill: Experience in dentistry is a definite advantage whether it is working or volunteer experience. This shows that you know what the profession is about and what you are getting yourself into. I would volunteer but more importantly focus on getting the best GPA and DAT scores you can at this time. You have plenty of experience to show that you know what dentistry is all about.
Hi DentalDAT,
I have I believe a oGPA of about 3.6 and am a BBA major with MIS minor and am taking prereq courses but I have gotten all B's and two C+ so I think its a solid 2.75... I think? I still need to take physics and anatomy and I guess microbio. So do you think I should apply to Dental school this summer/fall or do masters?
Thanks, your post is very helpful.
Hi i have a 2.5 Gpa and a 3.0 Science Gpa. I am planning on taking a master degree course this fall along with my DAT. I know my Gpa is not great but is there any chance i can still get into dental school?
Hello fellow aspiring dentists. For those that are still currently finishing up their undergrad degree with a science gpa lower than 3.0, please consider staying in school to take as many upper division science courses until you get at least a 3.0. Believe it or not, after speaking with an admissions officer, it is a significant deciding factor for entry (among other things DAT, etc.). I finished in 2004 with a science gpa of 2.67, and went back to school from 2011-2013 completing a formal post bac program with a 3.9 science gpa, and was told that despite the improvement over the years, my undergrad score was still a main factor for not receiving an interview. Just thought I would share this with you all, not to discourage, but to share my story. Best of luck to you all and stay hungry!!!
Hi Dental DAT,
I am a Canadian student with a 3.6 cumulative GPA in my first 2 years of University. My science GPA is around 3.30. Do I have a shot at US Dental schools with a decent DAT score?
Hi,
Does having a learning disibality give you a disavantage or an advantage getting into dental school Or the same as anyone else applying?
Thank you
Hi,
First off, your blog is exceptional helpful! Love it. I'm just a little confused on how post-bacc GPA's are calculated. My current overall gpa is 2.4 and I have taken one of my prerequisite class a few times and failed… Had some family issues going on. Anyways, I was considering applying to a few post-bac programs. Given that I have already taken four of the pre-requisite classes needed, would I be considered a good applicant for post-bacc programs? IN addition, how is their GPA calculated? Is it a separate GPA, such as how a Master's GPA is calculated? I know most Post-bacc degrees are non-degrees (you earn some sort of certificate).
So, how is the GPA calculated for when you do a post-bacc program? Lets say I receive a 3.2 in the post-bac, would that stand alone or be combined with my Undergraduate GPA?
Hello Dental DAT,
I really need advise with pursuing my dream of going into dental school. I just finished my BA in biology with a 3.28 and still need to take my DAT. I saw your advise about taking a masters or dental hygienist, but to apply to to those programs I would need to postpone the DAT. To start studying and take the GRE to apply as soon as possible to one of the programs due to my low GPA. I was wondering which one of the two you would mostly recommend? I also wanted to know if instead of taking a whole masters program, if doing a few extra science classes as non-degree seeking would help to boost the GPA and strengthen my application, or is that not a good option?
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Hi..
Thanx for the above blog!!its one of the best and highly informative..
It would be highly helpful and very kind of you,if you can help in clarifying few doubts of mine.
M a foreign dentist with 8yrs experience,but a low gpa..1.54(comp) and 3.08(best).now will I have any chance of getting into any dental school after doing msc??(increasing my gpa)..
And which msc course you recommend?1 year r 2years??thank you
I am taking my DAT August 31st, and I have been doing exceptionally well on the DAT practice Exams. I have an Overall GPA of 2.73. I have a Chemistry, Math, and Physics GPA of 2.956, Biological Sciences GPA of 2.256. I was not able to do very well in my Undergrad Career due to a Medical Condition. I am now better, and plan on taking 2 courses at a home university. Should I go for upper level Undergrad courses such as Neurobiology or consider Graduate courses. In both cases I am applying as a non-matriculated student. I want to get into dental school by Fall 2016, I have plenty of shadowing hours and research experience. Please what are my chances, has anyone ever had a low gpa and found a way into dental school? I am looking for positive feedback as to what I can do.
Hey.. Swapnil.. Did you figure out what are the next steps for a low gpa? I also have my gpa in a similar range.
To make the raw data easy and unproblematic to maneuver and construe, so that one can make improved and good judgment of the information, it is utterly imperative to systemize the entire compilation of data.
I finished my college degree with a 3.20 GPA and my university GPA for now is 4.0 If I do well on my DAT do I still have a chance to get accept into a Dental school. Plus I have shadowing, volunteer hours and other extra curriculum activities.
My question actually is do dental school look separately GPA?
Well post its tell us how to increase my GPA when i am going to to exam thanks for sharing business studies personal statement .
You said that most schools have a cut off gpa of 2.75 where they will automatically reject you. Which gpa are you referrirng to, overall or science?
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Hi
i am looking to go to a dentistry school outside of the United States. I know that this might be a long shot, but i was wondering if i can use my highschool transcript in order to get into a forigen dental school. My gpa after i finished highschool was above a 3.0, but during my first year of college it drop below 3.0. I read on some other websites that by your second year in college or after 30 credits, the highschool transcript means nothing. Is that true? Also what are some suggestions for dental schools outside the United States?
Thank You
nic
Before you let a low GPA stop you, make sure you get the best dat review course for you, so that you can keep your options open. Here's a resource I found useful! http://crushthedatexam.com/top-5-dat-review-courses/
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