Admissions Information The Georgia Regents University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity educational institution that prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or status as a Vietnam War Era veteran. The GRU College of Dental Medicine believes that a diverse student body enhances the educational opportunities for all students and is beneficial to the dental profession, the College of Dental Medicine, and the State of Georgia. For the entering 2014 admissions cycle, GHSU will participate in the Association of American Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS). The College of Dental Medicine will accept up to 5 percent of students from out of state for the entering class of 2014 candidates. Technical Standards The Georgia Regents University College of Dental Medicine is a state-assisted institution with the primary goal of educating dental health care providers for the citizens of Georgia. The ethical practice of dentistry requires intellectual ability, physical competence and personal responsibility. Therefore, all requirements for admissions to the School of Dentistry must be satisfactorily completed by each applicant. In addition to demonstrating personal characteristics appropriate for a career in a health care profession, qualification for admission and graduation requires satisfying the following general standards:

1. Sufficient intellectual capacity to fulfill the curricular requirements of the various required basic science and clinical courses;
2. Ability to communicate with patients, colleagues, faculty, staff and other members of the health care community;
3. Ability to learn and safely perform the technical skills required to complete the dental curriculum; and
4. Sufficient emotional stability and responsibility to withstand the stresses, uncertainties and changing circumstances that characterize the practice of dentistry.

Specific technical standards, based on clinical competencies and accreditation standards of the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association, are available from the Office of Students, Admissions and Alumni.

Selection of a Career in Dentistry Should Be an Informed Decision

The selection of a career should be made after careful examination of the pros and cons of the field under consideration. Observing in the office of a general dentist is the best way to learn about dentistry, and the Student Admissions and Recruitment Committee recommends that applicants make arrangements to observe in the offices of one or more general dentists. While observing in a dentist 's office is not a requirement for admission, it is seen by the admissions committee as one measure of an applicant 's interest in dentistry as a career.

Dental Admission Test Requirements

All applicants for admission must have taken the Dental Admission Test (DAT) within two and a half years of application. Applicants for the 2014 entering class must have taken the DAT no earlier than June 1, 2011 and no later than September 30, 2013 to be eligible for the current admissions cycle.

Prospective students may take the computerized DAT anytime during the year at a prometric center. After taking the exam, an applicant must wait 90 days before scheduling a retake. However, each candiate may only take the test a total of three times before having to ask for special permission for a fourth opportunity.  The cost for each exam is $360.

Registration for the DAT can only be done through the American Dental Association (ADA). For further information visit the ADA website http://www.ada.org/dat.aspx or write to:

Dental Admission Testing Program
American Dental Association
211 East Chicago Avenue, Suite 600
Chicago, Illinois 60611

or call 1-800-232-1694

 

The American Dental Association's Department of Testing Services has recently published the 2012 Program Guide, offering assistance for the DAT test-takers. The Program Guide includes information on the history of the testing program, test content, test construction procedures, and the scoring and evaluation of the test. To view The Program guide click below.

http://www.ada.org/sections/educationAndCareers/pdfs/dat_examinee_guide.pdf

Test of English as a Foreign Language ( TOEFL)

Required if not born in the United States and native language is not English; cost ranges from $160-$250, depending on the region where the test is taken.

The internet-based version of TOEFL (iBT TOEFL) is the only option available for current testers. The four-hour exam will cover all four language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing. Applicants must achieve a minimum score of 100, with 26 in the speaking component. Test must be taken before Sept 30 deadline, 11 months before those accepted are due to enroll. Visit www.ets.org or call 1-609-771-7100.

To have your scores sent directly to the Georgia Regents University, enter 5425, our TOEFL Institution Code, on the back of the admission ticket.

Recommendations

All letters of recommendation to GRU College of Dental Medicine must be submitted through the AADSAS process. The applicants for entering 2014 class have two options for submitting letters of recommendations. 

Option 1: The first option, allows two letters. One entry will be a packet or composite/committee letter. The applicant will indicate this on the AADSAS application. The GRU admissions committee requires the second letter, a personal reference, be a dentist.  

Option 2: The second option, allows four letters. One of the letters must be written and submitted by an academic professional (instructor, advisor, department chair, etc). The second letter must be from a dentist. The third and fourth letters can be submitted as personal letters and can be submitted by another academic advocate, another dentist, a supervisor, or someone who knows the applicant well enough to speak positively on the applicant's behalf.  Once an applicant has begun an AADSAS application (not finished or submitted) and has listed those who will be submitting letters of recommendation and their contact inforamtion, then the referencers will receive a link via email with instructions on how to submit his/her letters on behalf of the applicant.

Interviews

Interviews are also required; applicants are invited for interviews by the admissions committee following a review of each completed application. These interviews are with members of the College of Dental Medicine faculty who help assess the applicant 's personality, motivation and ability deemed pertinent to the successful study of dentistry. Once an applicant has been granted an interview they are expected to arrive at the CDM with various documents for verification purposes. If an applicant has a valid permanent resident card, he/she is required to bring the card to the interiew, in which it will be copied by admission office personnel. For Lawful Presence Verification, all interviewed applicants are required to bring one of the following:

• A current drivers license or state-issued ID issued by the state of Georgia after January 1, 2008                      
• A current drivers license or state-issued ID issued by the state of Alabama after August 1, 2000 
• A Certified Birth Certificate. a photocopy is not acceptable

Lawful Presence Verification

In addition to the previous mentioned documents, there are several other forms that are acceptable by the CDM for Lawful Presence Verification. They can be found at: 

                        http://www.georgiahealth.edu/Admissions/Verification_of_Lawful_Presence.html

Final Admission Decisions

The admissions committee takes into consideration all aspects of an applicant 's background which might be relevant to the successful practice of dentistry, including unusual educational experiences or background, life experiences, work experiences, demonstrations of leadership in activities, involvement in community and extracurricular activities, and experience in an oral health care setting. The committee believes that students with diverse backgrounds are an asset to the College of Dental Medicine, the dental profession, the State of Georgia, and the United States. Final admission decisions are made based on the grade point average (both overall and in the sciences), DAT scores, letters of recommendation, interviews, other language test scores, as appropriate, and an assessment of the motivation and personal qualities of the applicant deemed most conducive to successfully completing the program and the practice of dentistry. For the second academic year, the College of Dental Medicine will be accepting up to 5 percent of students from out of state.

Inquiries concerning admission should be sent to:

Office of Students, Admissions and Alumni
College of Dental Medicine
Georgia Regents University
Augusta, Georgia 30912-1020
706/721-3587
Email: osaas@gru.edu