dental · Cleveland, Ohio · private
Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine prerequisites
What Case Western asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 11 lines differ from the standard dental school set, marked below.
Coursework
- Biology with labrequireddiffers
6 credits · lab
Most dental schools ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
"At least 6 semester hours of Biology," two fewer than the baseline's eight, and the only one of the four sciences CWRU does not describe as a sequential series. The school names no laboratory for it; the lab flag stays set because taking the standard majors sequence with its lab satisfies the requirement either way, and nowhere does the page say lab work is unnecessary.
- General chemistry with labrequireddiffers
6 credits · lab
Most dental schools ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
"At least 6 semester hours of General Chemistry (2 semesters or 3 quarters of a sequential series)." Six hours rather than the baseline's eight, and it must be a sequence, not two unrelated courses.
- Organic chemistry with labrequireddiffers
6 credits · lab
Most dental schools ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
"At least 6 semester hours of Organic Chemistry (2 semesters or 3 quarters of a sequential series)." Both semesters, at six hours rather than eight.
- Biochemistryrecommendeddiffers
1 semester · 3 credits
Most dental schools ask for 1 semester · 3 credits and list it as required.
Not a prerequisite here. Biochemistry appears only on the strongly recommended pre-dental science list, where the baseline treats it as required.
- Physics with labrequireddiffers
6 credits · lab
Most dental schools ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
"At least 6 semester hours of Physics (2 semesters or 3 quarters of a sequential series)." No preference between algebra based and calculus based physics is stated.
- English or writing-intensiverequired
2 semesters · 6 credits
Same six hours as the baseline but a wider door: "At least 6 semester hours of English or similar reading/writing-intensive coursework in the humanities." A writing-heavy history or philosophy course answers this.
- Statisticsrecommendedextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
The dental baseline names no math. CWRU opens its recommended pre-dental science list with statistics, ahead of biochemistry and microbiology.
- Geneticsrecommendedextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
Named in the school's recommended pre-dental science coursework, between microbiology and anatomy.
- Advanced biologyrecommendedextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
CWRU's recommended list runs past the usual names into "advanced cell biology, histology, and neuroscience." Any of those fills this line.
- Anatomy and physiologyrecommended
3 credits
Named by a minority of schools and useful preparation for the first year regardless.
- Microbiologyrecommended
3 credits
Required at a meaningful minority and recommended widely; a strong pick for the spare science slot.
- Social sciences and humanitiesrecommendedextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
Beyond the sciences the school encourages introductory work in ethics, business, psychology, sociology, epidemiology, and cultural anthropology, plus humanities coursework such as art, music, dance, and media studies.
Experience hours
- Dentist shadowingrecommendeddiffers
100+ hours
Most dental schools ask for 100+ hours and list it as required.
CWRU publishes no shadowing hours figure on either the applicant checklist or the application timeline. The timeline advises pre-applicants to "identify final opportunities for working in clinical environments or schedule a dedicated community service experience," and the school welcomes an evaluation from a clinical supervisor or mentor, which is difficult to earn without chairside time.
- Non-clinical volunteeringrecommended
100+ hours
Few schools publish a number; committees still read for a service habit held over time.
Letters
- Committee letterrecommended
1 letter
The preferred route by some distance: the committee "prefers institutional evaluations that comprehensively document the holistic development" of applicants. An institutional pre-health or pre-dental advisor, an evaluation committee, or a post-baccalaureate program director may write it. The two science letters below are the fallback for applicants whose institution offers none.
- Science faculty letterrequired
2 letters
Two, as in the baseline, but CWRU defines the writer unusually widely: "two letters of evaluation from lecturers or professors from your pre-requisite or upper-level science courses or a research supervisor in a scientific discipline." A PI who never taught you a course qualifies here.
- Dentist letternot required here
No dentist letter is required. Beyond the institutional or science letters, CWRU says only that it welcomes "an additional evidence-based performance evaluation from the perspective of a volunteer or clinical supervisor or mentor," and additional letters may also come from non-science faculty or work supervisors.
Also on the school’s page
Case Western's prerequisite list is lighter than the dental baseline in hours and shorter by one subject. It reads: "At least 6 semester hours of General Chemistry (2 semesters or 3 quarters of a sequential series)", "At least 6 semester hours of Organic Chemistry (2 semesters or 3 quarters of a sequential series)", "At least 6 semester hours of Biology", "At least 6 semester hours of Physics (2 semesters or 3 quarters of a sequential series)", and "At least 6 semester hours of English or similar reading/writing-intensive coursework in the humanities". Every one of those must be taken for a letter grade and "must be completed for a grade of C or higher." Biochemistry is not on that list; it sits among the coursework the school strongly recommends, alongside statistics, microbiology, genetics, anatomy, physiology, advanced cell biology, histology, and neuroscience, with social science and humanities work encouraged on top. Note that the school states hours only and never mentions a laboratory for any prerequisite, so the lines below keep the baseline's lab expectation rather than reading silence as permission to skip it. A minimum of 90 semester hours is required, at least 60 of them from U.S. or Canadian accredited institutions, and "All applicants are strongly encouraged to earn a bachelor's degree before matriculation." Up to 60 semester hours of community college coursework may count toward prerequisites, "though upper-level coursework at a four-year institution that builds upon these course credits is strongly recommended." For this cycle CWRU accepts "DAT scores for exams taken between July 1, 2024 and January 1, 2027" and publishes no minimum score or GPA on these pages. Casper is required, a "90-110 minute online, open-response situational judgment test" through the Acuity Insights suite, due January 5, 2027. Apply through AADSAS as soon as possible after it opens on or soon after June 1; interviews are issued on a rolling first completed, first considered basis, and an interview is required before any offer. Every letter must be "submitted on professional letterhead, contain verifiable contact information, and have the author's authentic signature."
School
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