UCSF School of Dentistry is in San Francisco, California and offers a DDS (4 years). It has removed its minimum GPA and DAT cut-offs, but its entering class has some of the highest averages in the country[3]. This page lists what UCSF asks for on its own admissions pages, with the latest numbers from the American Dental Association and a section for Canadian applicants.
At a glance
| UCSF | |
|---|---|
| Degree and length | DDS, 4 years |
| School type | Public |
| Application deadline | October 1[4] |
| Minimum GPA | None. UCSF removed its minimum.[4] |
| Minimum DAT | None. UCSF removed its minimum.[4] |
| Canadian DAT | No |
| Shadowing | No set number of hours is published. |
| Letters | 3 letters: a college science professor; a dentist, adviser, researcher or mentor; and one of your choice. A composite committee letter is accepted instead. |
| Offers per 100 applications | 8.1[2] |
How it ranks among US dental schools
| Measure, 2025-26 | UCSF | Rank | Average of all schools |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applications received | 1,652 | 42nd of 76 1st = most applications | 1,835 |
| Offers per 100 applications | 8.1 | 21st of 76 1st = most selective | 12.3 |
| Average GPA of the entering class | 3.77 | 22nd of 76 1st = highest | 3.68 |
| Average DAT Academic Average | 475 | 4th of 70 1st = highest | 437 |
| First-year class size | 70 | 55th of 76 1st = largest | 96 |
| First-year tuition, non-residents | $63,560 | 63rd of 76 1st = most expensive | $80,372 |
| Canadian citizens in the first-year class | 0 | 24th of 76 1st = most Canadians | 2 |
| Share of the class from the home state | 71% | 30th of 76 1st = most in-state | 58% |
Ranks compare the US dental schools that reported each figure to the American Dental Association for 2025-26[2].
Prerequisite courses
At least 139 quarter units (93 semester units) from an accredited US or English-speaking Canadian institution. At least 29 semester units must be from a four-year institution.[4]
| Course | Amount required |
|---|---|
| English composition | 6 semester units (2 courses) |
| Inorganic chemistry, with lab | 8 semester units |
| Organic chemistry, with lab | 4 semester units |
| Biochemistry (at a four-year institution) | 3 semester units |
| Physics, with lab | 8 semester units |
| Biological sciences, with lab | 8 semester units |
| General psychology | 3 semester units |
| Social sciences, humanities or foreign language | 11 semester units |
| Electives | Enough to reach 93 semester units |
A minimum grade of C- is required in the named prerequisites, and they must be finished by September 1 of the year you start. ESL, technical and creative writing courses do not count as English. Anatomy and botany do not count as biological sciences.[4]
GPA and DAT
Minimum GPA: None. UCSF removed its minimum.
Minimum DAT: None. UCSF removed its minimum.[4]
What the school reports: Class of 2029: average cumulative GPA 3.78 (range 3.11 to 4.00), science GPA 3.72; DAT Academic Average 23.1 and Total Science 23.2 on the old scale. 71% from California, 26% from other states, 3% international.[5]
What the national survey reports for 2025-26: the entering class had an average GPA of 3.77 and a science GPA of 3.71, with an average DAT Academic Average of 475, Total Science of 486 and Perceptual Ability of 469 on the new 200 to 600 scale[2]. The DAT moved from a 1 to 30 scale to a 200 to 600 scale in 2025, so some school pages still quote old-scale scores; a 20 on the old scale is roughly 420 on the new one.
How long DAT scores last: Two years. For the 2027 admission cycle, scores must be dated January 1, 2024 or later. Take the test by September 1.[4]
Averages by year
The charts below show every entering class from 2015 to 2025. The average overall GPA went from 3.55 to 3.77 over that time[1].
UCSF: average GPA of the entering class, by year
Overall GPA and science GPA of first-year students (the year shown is when the academic year started).
| Year | Overall GPA | Science GPA | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 3.55 | 3.49 | |
| 2016 | 3.57 | 3.50 | |
| 2017 | 3.59 | 3.51 | |
| 2018 | 3.57 | 3.49 | |
| 2019 | 3.62 | 3.56 | |
| 2020 | 3.63 | 3.61 | |
| 2021 | 3.66 | 3.60 | |
| 2022 | 3.68 | 3.61 | |
| 2023 | 3.76 | 3.71 | |
| 2024 | 3.65 | 3.71 | |
| 2025 | 3.77 | 3.71 | [1] |
Source: American Dental Association, Survey of Dental Education, 2015-16 to 2025-26 editions.
UCSF: average DAT scores of the entering class, by year
Old 1 to 30 scale: Academic Average, Total Science and Perceptual Ability.
| Year | Academic Average | Total Science | Perceptual Ability | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 21.2 | 21.3 | 20.6 | |
| 2016 | 21.8 | 21.8 | 21.1 | |
| 2017 | 21.3 | 21.3 | 21.2 | |
| 2018 | 22.0 | 22.1 | 21.0 | |
| 2019 | 22.0 | 22.0 | 21.0 | |
| 2020 | 23.0 | 23.0 | 22.0 | |
| 2021 | 23.0 | 23.0 | 22.0 | |
| 2022 | 23.0 | 23.0 | 22.0 | |
| 2023 | 22.0 | 22.0 | 21.0 | |
| 2024 | 23.0 | 23.0 | 23.0 | [1] |
The 2025-26 class is not on this chart because the DAT moved to a 200 to 600 scale. Its averages were 475 Academic Average, 486 Total Science and 469 Perceptual Ability.
Canadian applicants
Is the Canadian DAT accepted? No. UCSF requires the US DAT from all applicants.[4]
Coursework from an English-speaking Canadian institution counts toward the 93 semester units. Coursework from a French-language or other non-English institution needs extra steps. Only 3% of the latest class was international, and UCSF financial aid is only for US citizens and permanent residents, so you must be able to pay for all four years yourself.[4][6]
How many Canadians are in the class?
In 2025-26, none of the 70 first-year students at UCSF were Canadian citizens[2]. 4 were citizens of other countries.
UCSF: Canadian citizens in the first-year class
Number of first-year students who were Canadian citizens (the year shown is when the academic year started).
| Year | Canadian first-year students | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 0 | [1] |
2 Canadian citizens started at UCSF over these 7 years.
Comparing schools? Our table of all 76 US dental schools lets you sort by applications, GPA, DAT and tuition, and our Canadian dental school requirements cover the ten schools at home.
How to apply
- Application: through ADEA AADSAS, the shared application for US dental schools.
- Deadline: October 1[4]
- School fee and extra forms: $75; supplemental questions are inside the AADSAS application.
- Letters: 3 letters: a college science professor; a dentist, adviser, researcher or mentor; and one of your choice. A composite committee letter is accepted instead.
- Shadowing: No set number of hours is published.
- Interview: By invitation.
Who is in the class
71% of the 2025-26 first-year class (50 of 70 students) were residents of California[2]. That leaves 20 seats that went to people from elsewhere. 1 students were not US residents.
UCSF: where first-year students live
Home state and the five most common other states or provinces, 2025-26.
Education before dental school: first-year students entered 68 with a bachelor’s degree, 2 with a master’s degree[2]. Almost everyone had finished a degree, so plan to complete yours even where the school does not strictly require it.
Women and men: the first-year class had 43 women and 26 men (62% women)[2]. Women sent 1,011 applications and men sent 638.
Students in each year of the program:
| 1st year | 2nd year | 3rd year | 4th year | All years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 69 | 86 | 79 | 80 | 316 |
What the school says it weighs
Each year the American Dental Association asks every dental school how important each part of an application is. This is how UCSF answered for 2025-26[2].
DAT sections
| Rating | DAT sections |
|---|---|
| Somewhat important | Academic Average, Total Science, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Biology, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry |
| Not important | Perceptual Ability |
Grades and other factors
| Rating | Factors |
|---|---|
| Very important | Interview, Professional experience |
| Somewhat important | Science GPA, Non-science GPA, Overall GPA, Letters of recommendation, Community service, Overcoming personal or financial challenges |
| Not important | Manual dexterity |
UCSF rated 2 of the 17 items as very important. It gives the least weight to: perceptual ability, manual dexterity.
Applications and class size over time
In 2025-26, UCSF received 1,652 applications, made 133 offers and enrolled 70 first-year students[2]. That is 8.1 offers for every 100 applications. Offers are higher than seats because many accepted applicants choose another school.
UCSF: offers per 100 applications, by year
Applicants offered a place, divided by applications received.
| Year | Offers per 100 applications | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 7.8 | |
| 2016 | 5.9 | |
| 2017 | 6.0 | |
| 2018 | 9.4 | |
| 2019 | 11.5 | |
| 2020 | 10.7 | |
| 2021 | 7.3 | |
| 2022 | 7.7 | |
| 2023 | 8.4 | |
| 2024 | 7.4 | |
| 2025 | 8.1 | [1] |
UCSF: applications received
By academic year (the year shown is when the year started).
| Year | Applications | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1,935 | |
| 2016 | 2,114 | |
| 2017 | 2,031 | |
| 2018 | 1,540 | |
| 2019 | 1,412 | |
| 2020 | 1,366 | |
| 2021 | 1,538 | |
| 2022 | 1,429 | |
| 2023 | 1,412 | |
| 2024 | 1,501 | |
| 2025 | 1,652 | [2] |
UCSF: first-year enrolment
By academic year (the year shown is when the year started).
| Year | First-year students | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 90 | |
| 2016 | 90 | |
| 2017 | 90 | |
| 2018 | 89 | |
| 2019 | 88 | |
| 2020 | 90 | |
| 2021 | 60 | |
| 2022 | 60 | |
| 2023 | 60 | |
| 2024 | 63 | |
| 2025 | 70 | [2] |
The program in numbers
| UCSF | |
|---|---|
| Degree | D.D.S. |
| Calendar | Quarter system |
| Program type | Four academic years over 48 months |
| Total length | 165 weeks of instruction |
| Total dental students | 316 |
| Graduates in 2025 | 75 |
| Patient visits handled by students in a year | 37,157 (8,053 at sites outside the school) |
| New patients screened in a year | 4,098 |
| Combined degree programs | PhD, Master of Science |
| Dentists trained abroad | Admitted with advanced standing (23 in 2025-26, into 2nd year standing) |
| Transfer students | Not accepted |
Figures are what the school reported for 2025-26[2].
UCSF: total students and graduates
All dental students enrolled, and graduates each year.
| Year | Total dental students | Graduates | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 402 | 111 | |
| 2016 | 414 | 107 | |
| 2017 | 413 | 116 | |
| 2018 | 412 | 116 | |
| 2019 | 409 | 117 | |
| 2020 | 405 | 114 | |
| 2021 | 368 | 116 | |
| 2022 | 335 | 111 | |
| 2023 | 327 | 107 | |
| 2024 | 300 | 109 | |
| 2025 | 316 | 75 | [2] |
Tuition and cost
UCSF: cost in US dollars, 2025-26
Canadians pay the non-resident amount at public schools.
Figures are in US dollars and do not include living costs. Program totals are the school's estimate for a student starting in 2025-26.
UCSF: first-year tuition and fees by year
US dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
| Year | Non-residents | Residents | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 53,134 | 40,889 | |
| 2016 | 54,047 | 41,802 | |
| 2017 | 55,259 | 43,014 | |
| 2018 | 56,256 | 44,011 | |
| 2019 | 57,195 | 44,950 | |
| 2020 | 58,151 | 45,906 | |
| 2021 | 59,147 | 46,902 | |
| 2022 | 60,462 | 48,217 | |
| 2023 | 62,417 | 50,172 | |
| 2024 | 64,052 | 51,807 | |
| 2025 | 65,387 | 53,142 | [2] |
Non-resident first-year tuition and fees went from $53,134 in 2015 to $65,387 in 2025, a change of +23%.
Tuition for each year of the program
| Year of the program | Tuition, residents | Tuition, non-residents |
|---|---|---|
| 1st year | $51,315 | $63,560 |
| 2nd year | $55,695 | $67,940 |
| 3rd year | $55,695 | $67,940 |
| 4th year | $55,695 | $67,940 |
| All years | $218,400 | $267,380 |
Fees and other required costs over the whole program
| Cost | Total for all years |
|---|---|
| Mandatory general fees | $7,548 |
| Instruments | $39,740 |
| Instructional materials | $3,269 |
| Health services | $43,440 |
| Other fixed costs | $2,372 |
| All fees and required costs | $96,369 |
These are on top of tuition and do not include rent, food or travel[2]. Canadians pay in US dollars, so the exchange rate adds to the cost.
See how this compares in our guide to dental school costs in the USA.
Frequently asked questions
Does UCSF accept the Canadian DAT?
No. UCSF requires the US DAT from all applicants.[4]
What GPA do you need for UCSF dental school?
What DAT score do you need for UCSF?
How many shadowing hours does UCSF require?
No set number of hours is published.[4]
When is the UCSF dental school application deadline?
October 1. Applying earlier helps because interviews are offered on a rolling basis.[4]
How hard is it to get into UCSF dental school?
In 2025-26 it received 1,652 applications, made 133 offers and enrolled 70 students, about 8.1 offers per 100 applications.[2]
How many Canadians go to UCSF dental school?
In 2025-26, none of the 70 first-year students were Canadian citizens. From 2019 to 2025, 2 Canadians started there.[2]
What share of UCSF dental students are from out of state?
In 2025-26, 71% of the first-year class (50 of 70) were residents of California, so 29% came from elsewhere.[2]
How important is the DAT Perceptual Ability section at UCSF?
UCSF told the American Dental Association that the Perceptual Ability score is not important in its admissions decisions for 2025-26.[2]
Does UCSF have a program for dentists trained outside the US?
Yes. In 2025-26 UCSF admitted 23 internationally trained dentists with advanced standing. That is a separate application from the regular program described on this page.[2]
How much does UCSF dental school cost for the whole program?
Tuition for all years totals $267,380 for non-residents in 2025-26 dollars, plus about $96,369 in fees, instruments and other required costs. Living costs are extra.[2]
Sources
- American Dental Association: Survey of Dental Education, Report 2, editions 2015-16 to 2025-26
- American Dental Association: Survey of Dental Education 2025-26, Reports 1 and 2
- UCSF School of Dentistry: admissions policies
- UCSF School of Dentistry: DDS course prerequisites
- UCSF School of Dentistry: class profile and outcomes
- UCSF School of Dentistry: how to apply to the DDS program
Figures were checked against these sources on November 11, 2026. Schools change their numbers every cycle, so confirm on the official site before you apply.