Congratulations on your interest in becoming a dentist! As a pre-dental student at Radford University, you will have unique opportunities to engage in research, artistic expression, complete dental school course prerequisites, participate in the pre-dental club and other STEM clubs, and so much more; all while learning in a community-based education environment. Radford’s small class sizes and demanding laboratory experiences will allow you to connect with faculty and study with classmates in a way that prepares you for the rigors of dental school.
While there is not a stand-alone pre-dental degree, most students choose to major in Biology or Chemistry and often minor in programs that celebrate their individual interest. However, you do not have to major in these areas of study as long as you complete the specific dental school’s prerequisite courses and observation hours required for admissions.
Dental school prerequisites typically include behavioral science, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, English, mathematics, and physics, but all pre-dental students must investigate the specific requirements of each institution for which you want to apply. Keep in mind that some schools view dentistry as a form of artistic expression to ensure that beautiful smile, in addition to providing an unlimited avenue to solve problems for each patient’s unique case. As a pre-dental student, you and your advisor will compose a degree path that suits your interests and best prepares you for the dental school(s) of your choice.
The American Dental Association (ADA) website is a valuable resource when considering dental school after graduating from Radford University. Use ADA’s guide toward dental school as a resource to investigate all things pre-dental, including information that will help you decide whether dental school is the right career path for you.
Reach out to Jamie Lau, Ph.D., Radford’s pre-dental advisor, to create a plan for your time at Radford University.
Connect with one or more dental practices, free clinics, or dental labs to begin shadowing, volunteering, paid work, or an internship experience.
You are HIGHLY encouraged to purchase and immediately maintain a journal that includes documentation of dates, logged hours, and reflections on the skills, practices, observations, successes, and lessons learned, especially during your coursework, shadowing, volunteering, paid work, or internship experience related to dentistry. Your ability to reflect on and explain what dentistry is about from a variety of professionals in the field and from the patients’ perspective will be instrumental in the success of your acceptance into dental school. You will have to showcase how your reflections, experiences, perspective, and skills gained demonstrate that you identify with and will contribute positively to the dental profession. You will be asked to provide the date, time spent, location and name of practice, name of professional, and knowledge gained from/reflection on each experience in your application.
Continue to complete course work that focuses on topics for the Dental Admissions Test (DAT). Begin to prepare for and practice the DAT, especially under the timing constraints while taking the test.
Continue shadowing, volunteer, paid work, or internship experiences, as well as maintaining your journal.
Continue to complete course work that focuses on topics for the DAT. Prepare for, practice, and complete the DAT. Some dental schools look favorably at multiple DAT completions and accept your highest score. Your DAT scores will not be released to you immediately upon completion. Expect a 1–2-week delay in receiving your scores.
Begin your dental school application.
Continue shadowing, volunteering, paid work, or internship experience, as well as maintaining your journal.
Apply for dental school. The deadline for dental school applications typically open in May with invited interviews beginning in September. Check with each school’s requirements and deadlines.
Complete coursework and prepare for your dental school interview.
Continue shadowing, volunteering, paid work, or internship experience, as well as maintaining your journal.
Gain practical experience related to the area of dentistry that you wish to pursue, including in areas of artistic, digital, and behavioral science skills. You are highly encouraged to pursue student-faculty collaborative experiences for 2 or more consecutive semesters, aiming for tangible outputs (presentations, publications).
Remember, you will need letters of recommendations from your faculty mentors and/or dental professional; therefore, you must provide your letter writers an opportunity to write letters that are meaningful and supported by a clear demonstration that the writer knows you.
A gap year(s) is a break from earning your undergraduate degree and applying to dental school. Most dental schools do not look at a gap year unfavorably. However, dental schools will highly consider what you decided to do during your gap year (e.g., completing shadowing, volunteer, paid work, or internship experience in or related to the dental field!)
The number of credit hours required for each subject area varies per dental school. Always check the specific dental school for their prerequisite course requirements. Some dental schools:
may not require the lab portion of the course
For most dental schools, a C or better is required for each course
|
Required Courses |
Radford University Courses |
|
English (3-6 credit hours) |
ENGL 111; ENGL 112 |
|
Math and Statistics (3-6 credit hours) |
MATH 125 (3); MATH 168 (3); MATH 169 (3); MATH 171 (4); STAT 200 |
|
General biology including lecture and lab (8 credit hours) |
BIOL 111 (4); BIOL 112 (4) |
|
General chemistry (8 credit hours) |
CHEM 111 (4); CHEM 112 (4) |
|
Organic chemistry (6-8 credit hours) |
CHEM 301 (4); CHEM 302 (4) |
|
Biochemistry I (3 credit hours) |
BIOL 471 (3) OR CHEM 471 (3) |
|
Anatomy and Physiology (0-8 credit hours) |
BIOL 310 (4); BIOL 311 (4) |
|
General physics (0-8 credit hours) |
PHYS 111 (4), 112 (4) |
Again, students are strongly advised to research the requirements of each school to which they plan to apply. Our list is not comprehensive.
Below are courses that may help students best prepare for classes taken or skills to be practiced while in dental school. Again, keep in mind that some schools view dentistry as a form of artistic expression to ensure that beautiful smile, in addition to providing an unlimited avenue to solve problems for each patient’s unique case!
|
Suggested Courses |
Radford University Courses |
|
Cell Biology |
BIOL 230 (4) |
|
Microbiology |
BIOL 334 (4) |
|
Comparative Anatomy and Physiology |
BIOL 350 (4); BIOL 351(4) |
|
Histology |
BIOL 405 (4) |
|
Immunology |
BIOL 412 (3) |
|
One or more courses emphasizing psychomotor skills and artistic expression |
ARTS 101 (3); ARTS 102 (3); ARTS 262 (3); ARTS 263 (3) |
|
One or more courses emphasizing behavioral science |
SOCY 110 (3); SOCY 121 (3); SOCY 210 (3); SOCY (250); SOCY 340 (3); SOCY 320 (3); SOCY 341 (3); SOCY 411 (3); SOCY 433 (3); PSYC 121 (3); PSYC 250 (3); PSYC 343 (3) |
|
One or more courses in ethics |
PHIL 112 (3); PHIL 215 (3); PHIL 310 (3) |
Dental schools do not rely solely on courses completed, GPA, and the DAT. Dental schools look favorably at applicants who can complete what they have proposed and solve problems that they discover or are presented with, as well as support decisions made using valid evidence.
You will need to showcase your other relevant experiences!
Radford University excels in student-faculty collaborative research experiences. Gaining meaningful experience for 2 or more semesters regardless of the research topic is a suitable goal; the research topic need not be dental specific. Successful students typically collaborate for 3 or more semesters, present research at an external conference, and/or co-author published work. Find and reach out to a faculty member who is doing research that is interesting to you. Navigate to the “faculty and staff” section of the department’s webpage of your interest. Each faculty member will have an “about” description of their research interests and contact information.
Observing Dental Professionals
You are HIGHLY encouraged to purchase and immediately maintain a journal that includes documentation of dates, logged hours, and reflections on the skills, practices, observations, successes, and lessons learned, especially during your coursework, shadowing, volunteering, paid work, or internship experience related to dentistry. Your ability to reflect on and explain what dentistry is about from a variety of professionals in the field and from the patients’ perspective will be instrumental in the success of your acceptance into dental school. You will have to showcase how your reflections, experiences, perspective, and skills gained demonstrate that you identify with and will contribute positively to the dental profession. You will be asked to provide the date, time spent, location and name of practice, name of professional, and knowledge gained from/reflection on each experience in your application.
A variety of practical experience in a dental practice, free clinic, and/or dental lab is imperative to becoming a competitive applicant. The number of hours is not set by any one dental school; however, competitive applicants typically accumulate a minimum of 100 hours by the time they are accepted to dental school. Do not limit yourself to the minimum!
Shadowing, volunteering, paid work, or internship experience does not need to be completed during the typical fall or spring semesters and can be completed during the summer. Ask any faculty member in your respective major’s department about earning credit toward your degree requirements for your internship experiences!
Please visit the application process section for updated information on average GPA and DAT scores.
In the past several years, the average GPA ranged from 3.50 (great schools) to 3.85 (best schools) for accepted students. The average GPA for accepted students at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Dentistry was 3.77.
All dental schools require the Dental Admission Test (DAT). The average score ranges from 19-23 (old scoring system range 1-30) and 410 to 470 (new scoring system range 200-600 since March 1, 2025). The DAT score for accepted students at VCU’s School of Dentistry ranged from 430-440.
Keep in mind that GPA and the DAT score are just two of many features considered in the application process!
According to the American Dental Association, only 76 accredited dental schools exist in the United States – fewer in existence than medical schools. Consequently, competition for a spot is quite intense and competitive.
Because most Radford University students are residents of Virginia, the information presented focuses on admission to the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Dentistry located in Richmond, Virginia. The VCU’s School of Dentistry accepts 60 in-state residents and 35 out-of-state residents, for a total of 95 students entering each Fall semester.
VCU uses the Associated American Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS), a centralized application service where students can apply to multiple schools in one spot. See application instructions on the AADSAS website. You are encouraged to speak with the admission counselor for your chosen dental school to make a connection and gain insight into the application process.
The application requires:
Early June: Application portal opens (you are highly encouraged to submit your application in June)
Your interview is not only about showcasing why you should be admitted to dental school but also showcasing how you interact with current dental students. At VCU’s interview, you will tour the school, dine with their students, dive deeper into the curriculum, discuss the details of finances, write on the spot, and carve a tooth out of wax. Again, artistic expression is an important factor in becoming a dentist! Learn more about a typical interview process.
The Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Dentistry offers many kinds of accredited programs: the Doctor of Dental surgery (DDS) and graduate degrees (M.S., M.S.D., Ph.D.) in General Dentistry, Endodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Orthodontics, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontics, or Oral Health. The DDS prepares students for professional practice and the graduate program prepare students for research. However, you do not have to earn both a DDS and a graduate degree to teach or do research!
In the U.S., dental school lasts for four years where the first two years focus on coursework and clinical simulations. The last two years focus on clinicals and direct patient care. Dental school should be considered a full-time job where you are in class or in clinicals for at least 8 hours per day, Monday-Friday.
Check out the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) website for additional information.
One major consideration for dental school is cost. Average student debt upon completion of dental school is ~$290,000. However, the average salary ranges from $150,000 to $208,000 per year, and employment at the time of graduation is very promising! For every graduate there are 2 postings for jobs in dentistry or related needs.
Students graduating from dental school practice as a general dentist or specialize in the following areas: Prosthodontics, Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontics, Dental Public Health, Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Endodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. Graduates from dental school can:
In order to practice dentistry, graduates must become licensed in the state in which they plan to practice. Licensure includes passing the dental board exams for the state in which they plan to practice, which includes both a written and clinical assessment.
The Virginia Department of Health Professions is our state’s agency who offers licensure for graduates wishing to practice in Virginia. A license to practice must be maintained on a regular basis and includes continuing education requirements. Learning is not over once you earn your dental degree!!!
Radford University helped me feel prepared for dental school from the time I started my first class. My knowledge was constantly put to the test and pushed me to higher and higher levels each and every day. With that, the faculty was always willing to lend a helping hand and help you reach those higher expectations they had for you. One specific course that gave me an advantage in dental school was my anatomy course. Many of my dental school classmates had never had the opportunity to gain experience working with cadavers. I was able to walk into the cadaver lab in dental school comfortable and confident working with cadavers from the start. While my knowledge increased exponentially working with cadavers in dental school, it was a huge advantage to have the prior experience at Radford.
Aside from classes, being part of the pre-dental club was one of the best things that could have prepared me for the journey into dental school. I had the opportunity to take a few weekend trips with the pre-dental club and visit a couple dental schools to gain hands0on experience as well as advise from many different perspectives at different schools. I was able to talk to dental students at the time and gained their perspective on how to best be prepared for getting into and succeeding in dental school. This helped me feel more prepared and ready to tackle the challenge of applying to dental school. When I say tackle, I truly mean tackle because it is a lot and it will feel overwhelming, but the best thing about Radford is the faculty is on your side and willing to do absolutely whatever they can to help you along the way. From recommendation letters to words of encouragement to class experiences, Radford University will help you feel prepared for applying for dental school as well as starting dental school. I am now in dental school at West Virginia University, and if I could give one piece of advice, it would be to take advantage of the pre-dental club and visit dental schools. Take advantage of being able to visit schools before applying because if you are like me, it will make you that much more excited to start the journey.
Madison Hull Smith, Radford University graduate