Admission to the dental program is based primarily on academic ability and personal qualities as evidenced by pre-dental scholastic records, aptitude tests, individual interviews, group interviews, in addition to a global assessment of the application and applicant’s fit to the program. Fulfillment of the minimum requirements does not guarantee acceptance. The number of qualified applicants exceeds the number of available positions. Unfortunately, not every qualified applicant will be offered admission.
Application Deadline: October 10, 2024
Application Documents Deadline: October 17, 2024
Early submission of applications and supporting documents is strongly encouraged. The application deadline of October 10, 2024 and the receipt of application documents deadline of October 17, 2024 are strictly enforced.
Indigenous Applicants
The Faculty of Dentistry welcomes applications from qualified Indigenous applicants from Canada and the United States (Status Indian, Non-Status Indian, Métis, and Inuit). The Indigenous admission process of the Faculty has a limited number of reserved seats in the first year DMD Undergraduate program.
Applicants in the Indigenous category are required to provide evidence of their Indigenous identity.
The application will also be automatically considered under the General Category.
If applicable, evidence of Indigenous status must be uploaded through the AADSAS application (i.e. Indigenous status card or certificate).
For further information please contact admissions@dentistry.ubc.ca
International Applicants
The Faculty of Dentistry considers applications to the Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) Program from individuals who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada. Applicants must fulfill the stated admission requirements for the program of study, as well as any Canadian immigration student visa requirements (note that there are special student visa requirements for international students entering a health care program, and applicants should review the Canadian Immigration website). If an applicant’s education was completed in a country where the primary official language is not English, they must complete an English language proficiency test such as TOEFL or IELTS, and receive the minimum scores as outlined in the admissions requirements on the Faculty of Dentistry website.
When applicable, all original supporting documents from previous completed education must be provided, including course descriptions, explanations of the grading systems used, and course standings should be received in official sealed source envelopes. Where translations are required, the translated documents should be received together with the originals in the institutions’ official sealed source envelopes.
Scholarships, bursaries and other forms of financial support are limited for international students. Therefore, international students must assume responsibility for financing their education as the Ministry of Immigration requires all international student prove that they have adequate resources before being admitted to Canada. Applicants with dual citizenship which includes Canadian, will be considered domestic candidates. Please see UBC Students’ Financial Resources for more information.
In addition to the above, applicants must meet all other admission requirements, please see DMD Required Courses and DMD Admissions Procedures.
Pre-Dental Requirements
To be eligible for admission to the DMD program, applicants must:
- Complete 90 credits (UBC transferrable courses) and a minimum of three academic years (full time student) at a recognized faculty at The University of British Columbia, or its equivalent, by August 31 of the year the candidate submits the application.
- Complete the required (prerequisite) courses by August 31 of the year the candidate submits the application. Applicants must have completed courses as listed in the combinations outlined only. Minimum grade requirement for a prerequisite course is the equivalent to a UBC C-. Courses must have a letter or percentage grade, Pass/Fail grades will not be accepted. If an applicant received a grade of Pass/Fail or Credit/No Credit for a prerequisite course, our Admissions Office requires an official grade report from the post-secondary institution. This official grade report must be received directly from source. Alternatively, the applicant may arrange to have their professor(s) e-mail our Admissions Office at: admissions@dentistry.ubc.ca the final letter or percentage grade for their prerequisite course(s) with the professor(s)’s institutional e-mail address after the applicant has submitted their application.
- Achieve a minimum overall Grade Point Average of 70% or 2.8 on a 4.0 grading scale for ALL college/university work (including failed courses). The Grade Point Average is calculated on all university-transferable course work completed since high school. For information on transferrable courses please see the BC Transfer Guide. The worst academic year (September to August), will be dropped for applicants who have completed four or more academic years of college/university, provided it is 24+ UBC equivalent credits, and not the most recent academic year.
- Submit a personal statement detailing why you wish to pursue a career as a dentist.
- Write the DAT exam. For the admissions cycle DMD Class of 2029 Canadian and American DAT scores from no later than an August 31st writing in the year of your application will be accepted. Please ensure that you check the box beside University of British Columbia on your test registration form so that UBC will receive a copy of your DAT results directly. DAT results are valid for a period of four years prior to the DAT deadline. Applicants must declare all DAT exam writings within the valid time period on their application. In addition, applicants are required to send our office official DAT results for all DAT exam writings within the valid time period. If you are planning to write the DAT exam before the DAT deadline date of August 31st and have not yet received scores, please ensure that you declare the writing date(s). For applicants who have written the DAT exam more than once, we will use the best overall test score in our calculations (the Manual Dexterity component of the CDA DAT and the Quantitative Reasoning component of the ADA DAT are not required). Official DAT scores must be received by the application documents deadline. Please see the CDA and ADA websites for updates.
- English Proficiency Requirements: If an applicant’s education was completed in a country where the primary official language is not English, they must complete an English language proficiency test and receive the minimum scores as outlined below. One of the following tests of English proficiency is acceptable:Tests must be written no more than 24 months prior to the application deadline date.
TOEFL: The minimum TOEFL score required is 580 paper-based or 93 internet-based. TOEFL score sheets must be sent directly from the Educational Testing Centre in sealed and official envelopes or submitted through the TOEFL website. The institution code for UBC Dentistry is B135. Photocopies of test scores are not acceptable.
IELTS: A minimum overall band score of 7.0 is required with a minimum score of 6.5 in each component of the academic (not general) IELTS test. IELTS score sheets must be sent directly from source in sealed and official envelopes, or you may e-mail us your “Test Report Form Number” if you have notified IELTS for UBC access. Photocopies of test score are not acceptable.
PLEASE NOTE: Reference letters are not requested.
Given that the number of applicants exceeds the number of positions available, a record that satisfies the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the program.
Dental shadowing is not required, however, it is highly recommended to have at least 30 hours of dental shadowing experience at the time of application.
Conditional offers are not offered, and therefore all academic requirements to the DMD program must be completed by August 31, 2024 and no exceptions will be considered.
Applicants are encouraged to regularly check the website for updates on admission criteria.
Proof of Canadian Residency (if applicable)
If applicable, proof of Canadian residency must be uploaded through the AADSAS online application in the form of a copy of one of the following:
- Canadian passport,
- Canadian Citizenship Certificate,
- Canadian Permanent Resident (PR) card or Canadian birth certificate.
In-Province (BC, Yukon, Nunavut, Northwest Territories) Residency Requirements (if applicable)
If applicable, proof of in-province residency must be uploaded through the AADSAS online application in the form of a copy of one of the following (official high school transcripts to be sent to the Faculty of Dentistry Admissions Office):
An in-province resident is defined as a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant who:
- Has attended a university in-province (BC, Yukon, Nunavut, Northwest Territories) within the last five (5) years for at least two (2) years (Supporting Documents: university/post-secondary school transcripts);
OR - Has attended secondary school (grades 8 to 12 inclusive) in-province (Supporting Documents: grades 8-12 school transcripts);
OR - Attended school in-province for a minimum of three (3) years and had a permanent home in-province (Supporting Documents: 3 years of school transcripts and any of the following: tax assessments, utility bills under applicants name, pay stubs, rental agreement under applicant’s name, mortgage documents under applicants name);
OR - Has lived continuously in-province for twenty-four (24) full months immediately prior to the application deadline (Supporting Documents: tax assessments, utility bills under applicants name, school transcripts, pay stubs, rental agreement under applicant’s name, mortgage documents under applicants name);
OR - Was born in-province (Supporting Document: birth certificate); and attended a minimum of five (5) years of school in-province (Supporting Documents: school transcripts). The applicant must have resided in-province for at least one continuous year in the last ten (10) (Supporting Documents: tax assessments, utility bills under applicants name, pay stubs, rental agreement under applicant’s name, mortgage documents under applicants name) unless the applicant has been living and working overseas on a work visa (Supporting Document: photocopy of work visa), or with the Armed Forces, having been a resident in-province prior to entering the Armed Forces;
OR - Has attended residential secondary school (grades 8 to 12 inclusive) in-province, even if permanent home is in another province (Supporting Documents: residential school transcripts);
OR - Has been a resident in-province for five (5) years at any time for any reason and has resided in-province continuously for at least one year in the last ten (10) (Supporting Documents: tax assessments, utility bills under applicants name, pay stubs, rental agreement under applicant’s name, mortgage documents under applicants name);
OR - Is a resident under the same terms from the Yukon, Nunavut or Northwest Territories.
An applicant is not considered an in-province resident if they:
- Are over 19 years of age, have never lived in-province, but parents have moved to BC, Yukon, Nunavut or Northwest Territories;
OR - Have moved to BC, Yukon, Nunavut or Northwest Territories, attended less than four (4) years of secondary school, and then moved to complete a degree or work outside the in-province designation as outlined above.
How to Apply
Applications are accepted through ADEA AADSAS Online Application.
AADSAS application requires a single submission of transcripts, test scores, personal statement, and more details, regardless of the number of schools an applicant is applying for. AADSAS offers timely and easy communication between the institution and the candidate. If applying to more than one dental school, it is less expensive to use the AADSAS application. Applicants applying to ADEA AADSAS-participating Canadian dental schools will receive a 25% discount on each Canadian dental school application to account for the exchange rate difference. Applicants will first pay the full fee amount in US dollars to submit the application. The 25% discount will be processed separately.
Paper applications are not accepted. In addition to completing the online application, applicants must ensure the applicable documents are received in our office by the deadline. Note that we are not responsible for documents addressed to other locations than this mailing address:
Faculty of Dentistry Admissions – DMD Program
The University of British Columbia
2199 Wesbrook Mall
Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z3 Canada
When applicable*, documents in a sealed envelope addressed to Dentistry DMD Admissions, can be left with the receptionist at the Nobel Biocare Oral Health Centre at 2151 Wesbrook Mall. Please include your full name and application ID number on all documents sent by mail or email. *Due to COVID-19 regulations, we are unable to accept in-person visits at the Faculty of Dentistry. Thank you for understanding.
Official Transcripts –
All official Canadian and USA transcripts including UBC and UBC-O are to be submitted through the AADSAS application, and are not required to be resent to our admissions office.
Official transcripts not in English must be sent directly to the Faculty of Dentistry Admissions Office, including English translations, in official sealed source envelopes or sent electronically directly from the issuing institution. Candidates sending non-English language transcripts with English translations from a post-secondary institution electronically, must have their post-secondary institution(s) e-mail the official transcripts directly to us from their institutional e-mail address at: admissions@dentistry.ubc.ca.
International Transcripts – Applicants who attended post-secondary institutions (including on exchange or study abroad) outside of Canada and USA, must have their foreign transcripts validated and assessed by either the International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES), or the World Education Services (WES). All foreign transcripts must be evaluated by WES or ICES unless the foreign institution was attended for only one term or six or fewer credits. From ICES we require the comprehensive report and from WES we require the course by course report. Have the official transcripts sent directly to the Faculty of Dentistry Admissions Office in official sealed source envelopes or sent electronically directly from the issuing institution. Candidates sending their transcripts to our office electronically must have their post-secondary institution(s) e-mail the official transcripts directly to us from an institutional e-mail address at: admissions@dentistry.ubc.ca. If the post-secondary institution transcripts and degree certificates are issued in a language other than English, a literal English translation must be obtained from the issuing University’s translation service. Send both the original language and literal English translation transcripts in sealed envelopes endorsed by the issuing university. Course outlines are also required for the prerequisite courses. Please do not resend these transcripts to AADSAS.
High School Transcripts – Official high school transcripts are only required if you are using high school transcripts to prove in-province residency. Please send the official transcripts to the Faculty of Dentistry Admissions Office. Please do not resend the transcripts to AADSAS.
International Baccalaureate (IB)/Advanced Placement (AP)/A-Level – Please note that only IB/AP/A-level credits that fulfill our DMD Program prerequisites requirement (including the minimum required grade) will be used towards the 90 credits requirement. Applicants who are using IB/AP/A-Level credits towards the required 90 credits, or to fulfill prerequisites, must have the official IB/AP/A-Level transcripts sent directly from source (The International Baccalaureate or The College Board), unless IB/AP/A-Level transfer credits and grades are included on your official university transcript.
For official IB transcripts, please have the official transcripts sent directly to the Faculty of Dentistry Admissions Office in official sealed source envelopes or sent electronically directly from the issuing institution. Please do not resend the transcripts to AADSAS.
For official AP and A-level transcripts, please have the official transcripts sent directly to the Faculty of Dentistry Admissions Office in official sealed source envelopes. Please do not resend the transcripts to AADSAS.
Interviews
Short-listed applicants will be invited to the DMD Admissions Interview on the basis of their application, including cognitive and global parameters. A $150.00 fee applies to candidates who will be invited for interview. Applicants not invited to interview will not be considered further.
Applicants invited to attend the interview will be considered for admission based on a comprehensive assessment of their application and performance at the interview.
The interview process will be conducted in-person.
Members of the Interview Teams are comprised of general practitioners and faculty members. The interviewers are unaware of the contents of an applicant’s file or their level of academic performance.
The Interviews are in-person and attendance is mandatory. Detailed interview information will be provided to successful candidates who will receive an invitation to interview via email.
Interview Dates: February 19th and 21st, 2025
DMD Class Selection
All interviews will take place in February. Admissions offers will be sent in March. Applicants must participate in the interview process in its entirety to be considered for admission into the DMD class. Accepted applicants are required to submit a non-refundable deposit of $11,250.00 CDN within two weeks from the date of their letter of acceptance. This deposit is NON-REFUNDABLE and will be applied toward 1st term fees of the session for which the applicant has been accepted.
Approximately 90% of available domestic seats will be offered to in-province applicants.