Criminal Background Checks

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

The rationale for performing criminal background checks:

• to foster patient safety and well being.
• to bolster the continuing trust of the public in the dental profession.
• to ascertain the ability of accepted applicants and enrolled dental students to eventually become licensed as dentists, and
• to minimize the liability of dental schools and their affiliated clinical facilities.

The criminal background check 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).
• 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 criminal background check 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 class positions and alternate-list candidates will be asked to provide a criminal background check prior to matriculation, at their own expense.