All applicants should consider the requirements of each dental school as well as their acceptance rate before applying.
The average acceptance rate for all dental schools in Canada in 2021 was 13%. If you would like to see the acceptance rates of the American Dental School click here. The total number of applicants, interview spots, and accepted students each year has been provided by the individual dental schools below.
Another important aspect to consider is the dental school’s policies for out-of-province applicants: Some schools have no preference, some schools have a small preference and some strong preference for in-province applicants (see below for more information).
Acceptance Rates for Each Dental School in Canada:
| University | Number of Applicants in 2020 | Number of Applicants Invited to Interview | Entering Class Size | Acceptance Rate |
| University of Toronto | 560 | 180 | 96 | 17% |
| University of Western Ontario | 536 | 200 | 56 | 10.4% |
| University of Alberta | 424 | 287 | 34 | 8% |
| University of Manitoba | 261 | 117 | 29 | 11% |
| University of British Columbia | 380 | N/R | 58 | 15% |
| McGill University | 271 | N/R | 38 | 14% |
| Dalhousie University | 449 | 80* | 40 | 9% |
| University of Saskatchewan | 280 | N/R | 34 | 12% |
| Université de Montréal | 1318 | N/R | 89 | 7% |
| Université Laval | 740 | N/R | 50 | 7% |
*Number is approximated based on Dalhousie University stating 2x the admitted applicants are given interviews
Dental School Admission Statistics in Canada: In-Province vs. Out-of-Province Applicants
Most dental schools in Canada explicitly skew their admission process in favour of applicants who reside within the province in which the dental school is located.
Some of the Canadian dental schools that favour in-province applicants explicitly state the maximum number, out-of-province applicants, that they will accept and the maximum number of international students that they will accept:
| University | Entering Class Size | Maximum Number of Out of Province Canadian Students | Maximum Number of International Students | Maximum % of Out of Province Canadian Students | Maximum % of International Students |
| University of Alberta | 31 | 3 | 2 | 10% | 6% |
| University of Manitoba | 29 | 4 (Combined) | 4 (Combined) | 14% (Combined) | 14% (Combined) |
| University of British Columbia | 56-60 | 6 (Combined) | 6 (Combined) | 10% (Combined) | 10% (Combined) |
| McGill University | 38 | 8 (Combined) | 8 (Combined) | 21% (Combined) | 21% (Combined) |
Both of the dental schools in Ontario, UofT and Western, have no preference for in-province applicants. All other dental schools do have a preference for in-province applicants, however, the target numbers for in-province students are not specified by the Universities.
Out-of-Province Dental School Acceptance Rates
Knowing the Canadian dental school policies with respect to in-province vs. out-of-province applicants as stated in the above table is not as powerful as knowing how the Universities apply these policies, which is summarized in the table below.
These numbers more accurately reflect the likelihood of an out-of-province applicant gaining admission.
| University | Entering Class Size | Number of out-of-province students admitted | Percentage of out-of-province students admitted |
| University of Toronto | 96 | 11 | 11% |
| University of Western Ontario | 56 | 6 | 11% |
| University of Alberta | 31 | 3 | 10% |
| University of Manitoba | 29 | 3 | 10% |
| University of British Columbia | 56-60 | 6 | 10% |
| McGill University | 38 | 9 | 25% |
| Dalhousie University | 40 | 10 | 25% |
| University of Saskatchewan | 34 | 12 | 35% |
| Université de Montréal | 89 | 5 | 6% |
| Université Laval | 50 | 1 | 2% |
Dental School Acceptance is much harder as an Out of Province Applicant!
Admission as an out-of-province applicant to Universities that have a preference is much more difficult to achieve as indicated by comparing GPA and DAT stats of admitted students.
The University of Saskatchewan has the highest percentage of out-of-province students admitted hence the admission statistics are most telling: The average grades of in-province incoming first-year dental students is 83.37% with a range of 81.15% to 95.50% and a DAT average of 20.13. The average grades of out-of-province incoming first-year dental students is 93.66% with a range of 92.20% to 95.00% and a DAT average of 22.22
All the other dental schools in Canada have similar statistics. UBC Dental school has reported that of their accepted applicants BC residents have an average of 86.01% and DAT scores of 21.7 while non-BC residents have averages of 90.30% DAT scores of 23.2 Similairily McGill reported that Quebec residents have cGPA 3.82 while non-Quebec have cGPA 3.86
The above most recent admission statistics released by the dental schools speak for themselves. Students looking to test their knowledge in preparation for the DAT can click on this link to prepare for both the Canadian DAT and American DAT.
Of all the provinces in Canada, Ontario students have the hardest time getting into dental school because the two Ontario dental schools are the only dental schools that do not have a preference for in-province applicants. This is the reason that a large number of Ontario students end up studying dentistry outside of Canada.
Understanding Dental School Requirements in Canada:
In addition to admission statistics, you should study in detail the dental school requirements before you apply.
If you would like an in-depth analysis of the dental school requirements for a specific dental school in Canada including average admitted GPA and DAT scores as well as detailed information about the interview, autobiographical sketch, and admissions weighting statistics, the links below are a great source of information:
- University of Toronto (UofT) Dental School Requirements
- University of Western Ontario (UWO) Dental School Requirements
- University of Alberta Dental (UofA) School Requirements
- University of Manitoba (UofM) Dental School Requirements
- University of British Columbia (UBC) Dental School Requirements
- University of Saskatchewan (UofS) Dental School Requirements
- Université Laval Dental School Requirements
- McGill University Dental School Requirements
- Université de Montréal (UdeM) Dental School Requirements
- Dalhousie (Dal) University Dental School Requirements
Also a comprehensive comparison of all 10 dental school requirements in Canada.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dental School Acceptance Rates
How many students apply to dental school each year?
Each year over 5,000 undergraduate students apply to dental schools across Canada. Of the 5,000 only 500 will be given spots in the various dental schools across the country.
How many dental students graduate each year?
Each year approximately 500 dental students graduate from all 10 dental schools in Canada.
Which dental schools require a full course load? I completed my degree with an 80% course load in order to use my full 5 year eligibility for soccer. The only one I see listed by master student is UofA, is that correct?