Background checks

As an applicant to VCU School of Dentistry, all accepted candidates will be required to submit to a criminal background check prior to matriculation. A final decision about matriculation will be made after a review of the applicant’s CBC.

The rationale for performing CBCs is to:

  • Foster patient safety and well-being
  • Bolster the continuing trust of the public in the dental profession
  • Ascertain the ability of accepted applicants and enrolled dental students to eventually become licensed as dentists
  • Minimize the liability of dental schools and their affiliated clinical facilities

The CBC will not be a component of the application, interview or selection process but will be a mandatory component of the pre-matriculation process. The final decision regarding matriculation of an applicant will be based on the self-reported information in the candidate’s application and information in the CBC report. Factors involved in the final decision may include, but are not limited to:

  • The nature, circumstances and frequency of any reported offense(s)
  • The length of time since the offense(s)
  • Available information that addresses efforts at rehabilitation
  • The accuracy of the information provided by the applicant

The information obtained through a CBC will not become part of a student’s academic file and will remain confidential unless the findings result in an institutional action by the School of Dentistry.

Only candidates offered a position in the program will be asked to provide a CBC through ADEA CAAPID® (ADEA Centralized Application for Advanced Placement for International Dentists) prior to matriculation at their own expense. After an offer of acceptance is forwarded to the candidate, they will be prompted by ADEA CAAPID to complete a background check through Certiphi.