Admission Requirements

The VCU School of Dentistry does not have any changes to current prerequisites, class start date, or DDS interview processes at this time. However, the Admissions Committee will be flexible in reviewing grades from the spring/summer 2020 semesters. As many prospective students will be affected differently during this crisis, we will leave it to the discretion of the student to determine the recording of their spring coursework. Credits earned for prerequisite courses completed during spring/summer 2020 will be accepted whether a letter grade, credit, or a pass equivalent is issued. Continuation of tracking strong academic performance through letter grades is still encouraged, where available. Further, the Admissions Committee will be sensitive when reviewing the 2020 spring/summer coursework grade evaluations and other activities, such as the completion of dental shadowing and volunteerism within this semester. Both are likely to be drastically curtailed during this time.

A minimum of 90 semester credit hours (or 145 quarter credit hours) from a United States or Canadian accredited institution is required by the date of application. The candidate must demonstrate they are  on track to receive a qualifying bachelor's degree by the administrative deadline, generally one month prior to the date of matriculation.  

Candidates may attend an accredited community college for a maximum of two years (60 semester hours or equivalent) followed by a minimum of two years (60 semester hours or equivalent) at an accredited four-year degree-granting institution. Generally, we expect most prerequisite courses completed at the time of application with at most one or two planned between applying and the date of matriculation.  All courses listed as planned on a candidate's application, or equivalent courses to the satisfaction of the School of Dentistry, must be completed prior to matriculation.  

It is preferred that prerequisite courses be completed no more than five years prior to applying and all other courses be completed no more than 10 years before applying.  All prerequisite courses must be passed with a grade of C or higher.  We cannot accept prerequisites that are graded pass/fail without a letter grade. There is no GPA minimum requirement, however, admitted candidates have an average GPA of 3.7.

Prerequisite courses Semester hours Quarter hours

General biology including lab and lecture

8

12

General chemistry including lab and lecture 8 12
Organic chemistry including lab and lecture 8 12
College or university level physics including lab and lecture 8 12
Biochemistry 3 4 or 5
Math/Stats 3 4 or 5
English 3 4 or 5

Strongly Recommended Courses

  • 300/3000 level and above biology courses
  • Behavioral science courses
  • Courses involving the use of psychomotor skills