What Are Dental ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï Acceptance Rates in 2026?

Dental school acceptance rates vary enormously depending on the program. Elite schools now admit fewer than 5 percent of applicants, while some newer or regional programs admit over 20 percent.

In general, most U.S. dental schools fall between:
5 percent and 15 percent acceptance rates.

Here are some of the most competitive dental schools in 2026:

Harvard ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï of Dental Medicine
Acceptance rate:
About 3.5 percent.

University of Pennsylvania ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï of Dental Medicine
Acceptance rate:
About 5.8 percent.

University of California Los Angeles ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï of Dentistry
Acceptance rate:
About 7.7 percent.

Columbia University College of Dental Medicine
Acceptance rate:
About 5 to 8 percent.

Some schools are significantly easier to enter:

Touro College of Dental Medicine
Acceptance rate:
About 24 percent.

Howard University College of Dentistry
Acceptance rate:
About 19 percent.

Lincoln Memorial University College of Dental Medicine
Acceptance rate:
Nearly 40 percent.

The average accepted student at most dental schools now has:
3.5–3.8 GPA
20–22 DAT score.

For elite schools, averages are often even higher:
3.8–3.9 GPA
23–25 DAT.

Admissions have become more holistic in 2026, though GPA and DAT still dominate. ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ïs increasingly value:
shadowing,
community service,
research,
leadership,
and communication skills.

Applying early also matters heavily because most dental schools use rolling admissions.