University of Pennsylvania Dental Program
High school students committed to a career in dentistry can apply for this cooperative program, which allows students to accelerate admission to Penn’s School of Dental Medicine.
Students admitted to the Muhlenberg College/University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine 3-4 BioDental Program spend three years at Muhlenberg and four years at the School of Dental Medicine, graduating with a B.S. degree in biology from Muhlenberg (after completing year one of dental school) and a D.D.S. degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Something to Smile About
Muhlenberg has a reputation for producing alumni who go on to excel at some of the top dental schools in the country, including through this program.
How to Apply
Overview
Students admitted to the program are guaranteed admission to the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine upon:
- Meeting the Muhlenberg degree requirements
- Attaining the minimum required GPA of 3.5 (cumulative) and 3.5 (science)
- Filing a formal dental school application to the Associated American Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS) prior to September 1 of the student’s junior year
- Attaining a minimum of 20 in all subject areas of the Dental Admission Test (DAT)
Transfer students are not eligible for this program.
Academic Requirements
To be considered for the program, students must:
- Attain a score on the combined Critical Reading/Math SAT; combined Evidence-Based Reading and Writing/Math SAT of 1360 (SAT-R); ACT Composite score of 32 or greater
- Rank in the top 5-10% of their high school class
- Have taken a strong schedule of AP and honors classes during their high school career
- Have specific, hands-on dental experience (through internships, jobs, research, shadowing dentists, etc.)
Deadlines
- Completed first-year application to Muhlenberg College Office of Admissions before February 1 of senior year
- Completed program supplement in your Muhlenberg Application Status Portal (it will be available upon submission of your Common Application) by February 1 of senior year
- Following the February 1 deadline, semi-finalists will be invited to an on-campus visit day to complete a required interview, as well as to meet science faculty, current students, and our pre-dental program coordinator and advisor. Limited virtual interviews will be available for students unable to attend on campus.
Typical Notification Schedule
- Semi-finalists selected and invited to program interview at Muhlenberg: February
- Finalists selected by Muhlenberg admissions committee and sent to Penn Dental for review: February
- Muhlenberg notifies students that they are finalists: March
- Students notified of acceptance into the program: Early April
Researching Vaping’s Effects on the Oral Microbiome
Many pre-dental students choose to work in Associate Professor of Biology Giancarlo Cuadra’s lab.
Contact Us With Questions
For admissions-related questions:
Eric Danielson
Dean of Admissions
ericdanielson@muhlenberg.edu
484-664-3200
For curriculum/academics-related questions:
Cailin Cordon-Waldman P’16 P’18
Director, Preprofessional Advising
cailincordon-waldman@muhlenberg.edu
484-664-3427