Admissions

The Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine-Illinois considers for admission those students who possess the academic, professional, and personal qualities necessary for development as exemplary dental professionals. To select these students, the College uses a rolling admissions process within a competitive admissions framework.

Admission Requirements
To be competitive, an applicant should have earned a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and possess both a science (biology, chemistry, and physics) and total GPA of 3.00 or more on a 4.00 scale. 

Prerequisite Courses:

In order to be considered for admissions, an applicant must:

1. Complete above prerequisite courses.
2. Submit competitive scores on the Dental Admission Test (DAT).
   • All candidates must submit results from the US DAT.
   • A total DAT score (summative scores less total Science and Academic Average) should be 110 and above to be competitive.
   • Scores in the area of 18 or higher will be expected for the Academic Average, Reading Comprehension, Perceptual Ability and total Science sections
   • The DAT test must have been taken no more than 3 years prior to application. 
3. Submit two letters of recommendation.
   • One must be from either a predental advisory committee or a science professor
   • The other preferentially should be from either someone with a D.O./M.D. or D.D.S./D.M.D. degree and/or someone who can testify to the integrity and ethical standards of the applicant
   • Letters written by immediate family members will not be accepted
   • All letters of evaluation must be submitted directly from the evaluators. The Office of Admissions will not accept letters submitted by students.
4. Demonstrate a sincere understanding of, and interest in, the humanitarian ethos of health care and particularly dental medicine.
5. Reflect a service orientation through community service or extracurricular activities.
6. Reflect proper motivation for and commitment to health care as demonstrated by previous salaried work, volunteer work, or other life experiences.
7. Possess the oral and written communication skills necessary to interact with patients and colleagues.
8. Agree to abide by Midwestern University Drug-Free Workplace and Substance Abuse Policy.
9. Pass the Midwestern University finger printing and criminal background check.

Competitive Admissions
Within the competitive admissions framework, the College uses multiple criteria to select the most qualified, diverse group of candidates from an applicant pool that greatly exceeds the number of seats available. Applicants are evaluated on academic coursework, performance on the Dental Admission Test (DAT), their application (AADSAS) essays, letters of evaluation, and interviews. Demonstrated community service through volunteerism or service-oriented employment is preferred.

Rolling Admissions
Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine-Illinois uses a rolling admissions process. Applications are reviewed and decisions to interview individual candidates are made at regular intervals during the admissions cycle. Interviews are conducted and the selection process of each candidate for College admission is made until the class is filled. Applicants are notified of their selection status as soon as possible after their interview date, but not prior to December 1 of the year preceding matriculation which is the earliest date the U.S. and Canadian dental schools have agreed to extend a position in the class.