Western Dental School Requirements (2027 Entry)

Western’s Schulich School of Dentistry admits 56 students a year, and competition has jumped: 1,093 people applied for the Class of 2030, up from 846 a year earlier^[1]. Western publishes its DAT cut-offs, which rose to 20 in Reading and 20 in Perceptual Ability, and its admitted class averaged a 3.98 cumulative GPA^[1]. Here is every requirement for 2027 entry.

Western dental school requirements at a glance

Course load and GPA

You need a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 across all of your undergraduate courses, converted with the OUAC scale^[2]. Western moved to this rule from the 2025-2026 cycle, and it applies to everyone, including people who finished their degree under the old “best two years” system^[4].

• Course load: at least 90 credit hours (15.0 Western credits) by April 30 of your entry year, with at least 30 credit hours in each of three September-to-April years. A year in progress can count^[2].
• Pass/fail: no more than 6 credit hours (1.0 credit) in each of those three years^[2].
• Repeated courses: both grades go into your cGPA; the new one doesn’t replace the old one^[4].
• Summer courses count in your cGPA but not toward the 30-credit Fall/Winter years^[4].
• CEGEP courses can meet prerequisites but don’t count toward your cGPA or course load^[2].
• Graduate degrees: grad grades aren’t used, but a degree conferred by the deadline earns bonus points^[2].

The admitted class is near the top of the scale. The Class of 2030 averaged 3.98, with the lowest admitted cGPA at 3.72^[1]. Earlier classes, measured on the best two years, averaged 89–90%^[1].

Prerequisite courses

A grade of 50% or a pass completes a prerequisite^[2]. Labs aren’t required, and you can take prerequisites online, in summer or during the application year, as long as they are done by April 30 of the year you start^[2]. Courses older than 10 years don’t count, and neither do IB or AP credits; CEGEP courses do^[2]. Retaking a prerequisite to reach the minimum won’t hurt your application^[2].

DAT requirements, cut-offs and averages

Canadian DAT sections are scored out of 30. A dash means the school does not publish that figure.

Western accepts the Canadian or US DAT, but it must include Reading Comprehension, so the French-language Canadian DAT doesn’t qualify^[2]. Write it within the two years before the November 1 deadline and have the CDA or ADA send scores directly; they must arrive by November 1^[2]. Only your most recent eligible DAT is used, and every section except Manual Dexterity may be considered^[2].

Western sets its cut-offs each year after applications close, based on the applicant pool. For the Class of 2030 they rose to 20 in Reading and 20 in PAT, up from 19 and 19 in the three classes before, and admitted students averaged 23 in Reading and 21 in PAT^[1].

Practise with our free DAT practice tests and the PAT breakdown. If you want a full prep course, try DentPrep.

Casper

Every applicant writes a Canadian Casper test (register for CSP-10211 and choose Western University) on a date Acuity Insights lists for Western, with scores sent to the Admissions Office by November 1^[2]. Casper from other countries isn’t accepted, scores count for one cycle, and Snapshot and Duet aren’t required^[2]. Accommodation requests go to Acuity at least three weeks before your test date^[2]. Like the DAT, the minimum Casper score is set each year^[2].

The Western autobiographical sketch (ABS)

Instead of a personal statement, Western uses its own autobiographical sketch. It has written and video parts, runs on the Kira Talent platform, opens on November 12, 2026 and must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. ET on November 18, 2026, with no extensions^[2]. Look for the invitation email from Kira Talent; if it hasn’t arrived by November 10, contact Kira support^[2].

Western posts the questions in advance. For this cycle they ask you to describe a life experience that shows^[2]:

• teamwork and/or leadership;
• respect for diversity, equity and inclusion;
• critical thinking and problem solving;
• a commitment to serving or advocating for others;
• a personal challenge you faced (not academic or research), what you learned and why it would help in the DDS program.

Write and record in your own voice. Western says copying and pasting into the written answers triggers a flag, and flagged work, including AI-generated text, can make an application ineligible^[2].

The Western dental interview

About 200 to 270 applicants are interviewed for 56 seats (264 for the Class of 2030)^[1]. Invitations and declines go out by email about two weeks before the interview weekend, which is February 6 and 7, 2027^[2][5].

• Virtual, structured and standardized^[2].
• A panel of three, which may include dentists, community members and current dental students^[2].
• Accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities^[2].

Practise answering behavioural questions out loud with our panel interview guide and interview questions.

How Western ranks applicants

Candidates are ranked on a compiled score made up of academic achievement, the DAT, Casper, the Western ABS and the interview, with bonus points for a conferred graduate degree^[2]. Western doesn’t publish the weights. The quality of each year’s pool moves the minimum GPA, DAT and Casper levels^[2].

First-round offers, waitlist offers and declines go out by email in late February or early March. Waitlist offers then come by phone from early or mid-March until the class is full, and the waitlist often stays active until classes begin^[2]. If you might be hard to reach, you can name someone in your Student Center to accept an offer for you^[2]. A review of a decision is possible only with significant new information, within two weeks^[2].

Key dates and fees for 2027 entry

1. Mid-September 2026OUAC application opens (linked from Western’s How to apply page)^[3]
2. November 1, 2026, 4:30 p.m. ETApplication, fee, DAT and Casper scores due^[3]
3. November 10, 2026Transcripts not sent through OUAC and English test results due^[5]
4. November 12–18, 2026Western ABS on Kira Talent^[2]
5. February 6–7, 2027Virtual interviews^[5]
6. Late February–early March 2027First-round offers and waitlist offers^[2]
7. June 30, 2027Post-admission requirements (immunizations, police check)^[5]

Applications and documents aren’t carried over between years, except DAT scores, and deadlines are strictly enforced^[3].

International and Indigenous applicants

• International applicants (not citizens or permanent residents) apply through the International Applicant Pathway. They need the same academic minimums plus English proficiency, proof of funding, a study permit and UHIP health insurance^[2].
• Indigenous applicants can apply through Western’s Indigenous Applicant Pathway; two Indigenous students joined the Class of 2030^[1].
• Where you live doesn’t matter. Ontario residents get no preference^[4].
• Internationally trained dentists apply to a separate advanced-standing program, not the DDS^[3].

Western dental school admission statistics

Applications to Western have more than doubled while the class has stayed at 56: from 450 for the class that entered in 2019 to 846 for the Class of 2029 and 1,093 for the Class of 2030^[1][1]. That puts Western’s acceptance rate at about 5%. The Class of 2030 was 73% female, with an average age of 22½^[1].

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Western Schulich Dentistry: admission statistics
2. Western Schulich Dentistry: admission requirements
3. Western Schulich Dentistry: how to apply
4. Western Schulich Dentistry: frequently asked questions
5. Western Schulich Dentistry: important dates

Figures were checked against these sources on November 4, 2026. Dental schools change their rules every cycle, so confirm on the official site before you apply.