APPLICATION OPENING MARCH 7, 2025

Wy’east Dentistry Eligibility & Admissions Criteria

In addition to meeting general eligibility requirements, Wy’east Dentistry scholars will be expected to meet the admissions criteria for OHSU School of Dentistry. *

Scroll to see Wy’east Dentistry Eligibility Requirements and specific Admissions Criteria.

* Please note due to OHSU policy, all Wy’east scholars must submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination as part of the immunization requirements. If you have questions about this policy, please email wyeastdentistry@ohsu.edu.

Eligibility

Wy’east Dentistry is intended for individuals who were not accepted to dental school or who do not possess a qualifying DAT score for dental school.

To be eligible for the Wy’east Dentistry Pathway, the following criteria apply:

Be a citizen or descendant of a federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native Tribe (see FAQs page for further details)
Degree Requirement: Although OHSU does not require a baccalaureate (B.A./B.S.) degree for admission, it is highly recommended that you plan to complete a bachelor's degree prior to matriculation.
Grade Point Average (GPA): It is recommended that you have a minimum of 3.0 in both your cumulative overall GPA and required science/BCP (Biology, Chemistry and Physics) GPA.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to:

Have previously applied to dental school, and/or
Have previously taken the DAT

Required Prerequisite Courses

All courses must be completed for a grade of C or higher.

General Biology w/labs[1]
Three quarters or two semesters
General Chemistry w/labs[1]
Three quarters or two semesters
Organic Chemistry w/labs[1]
Two quarters or two semesters
Physics w/labs[1]
Three quarters or two semesters
Biochemistry w/lab[2]
One quarter or one semester
English Composition[3]
Three quarters or two semesters
Math/Statistics[4]
One quarter or one semester

[1] Courses must be completed as part of a sequence (for example 201/202/203 or 201a/201b/201c)
[2] Biochemistry lab is highly recommended, but not required
[3] One year or the minimum number of credit hours required to meet your institution’s bachelor’s degree requirement.
[4] Met with courses that satisfy your institution’s B.S./B.A. degree requirement.

Highly Recommended Courses

Completion of additional upper-division (300–400 level) courses at a four-year college or university is highly recommended. Such courses will prepare you for graduate-level coursework and are favorable for a strong application. Completion of three or four upper-division level courses is the recommended minimum to demonstrate readiness for the rigors of the dental school curriculum.

Anatomy—human, vertebrate or mammalian: One year
Physiology: One year
Cell/molecular biology: One course
Microbiology: One course
Genetics: One course
Neuroanatomy: One course
Histology: One course
Pathology: One course

Wy’east Dentistry Application Timeline

Wy’east Dentistry Application Process

The Wy’east Dentistry primary application and secondary application are completed online, and your transcripts, recommendation letters, and documentation of tribal affiliation should be scanned and emailed as electronic attachments to wyeastdentistry@ohsu.edu.

A complete application consists of six components:

Primary application. All applicants complete and submit an online primary application.
Secondary application. Applicant’s primary application submissions will be reviewed by OHSU School of Dentistry. If it appears that you meet their admissions requirements, they will invite you to complete a secondary application.
Unofficial Transcripts. Unofficial transcripts from all accredited undergraduate and graduate-level programs must be submitted.
Documentation of affiliation with a federally recognized Tribe. Forms of acceptable documentation:

A copy of your tribal membership card or identification card, OR
A letter from your tribal government attesting to your citizenship or descendancy

Letters of Evaluation. A minimum of two letters of evaluation from life science faculty and one from a dental professional. You may submit up to four letters of evaluation. Alternatively, you may submit one pre-professional committee letter. If your pre-professional committee letter does not include an evaluation from a dentist, we ask that you send a supplemental letter of evaluation from a dentist under separate cover. The dental evaluation must be from a dentist you shadowed or worked with. All evaluations must be on letterhead and signed by the evaluators.
Unofficial copy of most recent DAT score report.

Additional Requirements:

Submit a formal AADSAS application to the OHSU School of Dentistry.

Submit a secondary application to OHSU School of Dentistry.
Successfully pass a 10-panel drug screening and federal background check.

Please note that while you are a Wy’east Dentistry scholar, you may still apply to the other schools during the general cycle. Being a Wy’east Dentistry scholar does not limit you from applying to other dental schools-you may still apply to other schools during the general cycle.