dental · Gainesville, Florida · public
University of Florida College of Dentistry prerequisites
What Florida asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 4 lines differ from the standard dental school set, marked below.
Coursework
- Biology with labrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
Two semesters with lab. As universal for dental school as it is for medical.
- General chemistry with labrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
Two semesters with lab. The DAT's general chemistry section assumes the full sequence.
- Organic chemistry with labrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
Two semesters with lab at most schools. A small number accept one semester plus biochemistry; confirm on the school's page before planning around it.
- Biochemistryrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
"Biochemistry: 3 semester hours or 4 quarter hours (upper-level coursework)." UF wants it at the upper level, not a lower-division survey.
- Physics with labrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
Two semesters, algebra-based accepted essentially everywhere. A handful of schools want only one semester; the two-semester plan covers them all.
- English or writing-intensiverequired
2 semesters · 6 credits
Two semesters of English or writing-intensive coursework at most schools that name it.
- Anatomy and physiologyrecommended
3 credits
Named by a minority of schools and useful preparation for the first year regardless.
- Microbiologyrequireddiffers
3 credits
Most dental schools ask for 3 credits and list it as recommended.
"Microbiology: 3 semester hours or 4 quarter hours (upper-level coursework)." Required here where the baseline only recommends it, and it must be upper level.
Experience hours
- Dentist shadowingrecommendeddiffers
100+ hours
Most dental schools ask for 100+ hours and list it as required.
"There is no minimum requirement for numbers of hours for dental experience, volunteerism, research, etc." Experiences still count in review; there is simply no published floor.
- Non-clinical volunteeringrecommended
100+ hours
Covered by the same statement: no minimum hours for volunteerism, against the baseline's 100-hour suggestion.
Letters
- Committee letterrecommended
1 letter
Accepted nearly everywhere in place of individual faculty letters where your college offers one.
- Science faculty letternot required here
"Three letters of evaluation or one committee letter are required." UF does not specify the writers, so no science faculty letter is specifically required.
- Dentist letternot required here
No dentist letter is named; the requirement is simply three letters of evaluation or one committee letter.
Also on the school’s page
UF splits prerequisites into lower level (English 6 semester hours, biology 8, general chemistry 8, organic chemistry 8, physics 8 "with or without calculus") and upper level (microbiology 3 and biochemistry 3); the page does not state laboratory requirements. "All prerequisite courses must be completed with a letter grade of C or higher," no pass/fail where letter grades exist, everything done "by the end of spring semester" of the matriculation year. The requirements summary page (https://admissions.dental.ufl.edu/d-m-d/dmd-requirements/summary/) states: "There is no minimum GPA requirement for admission into UFCD"; applications are reviewed only for US citizens and permanent residents; a bachelor's degree is not required to apply but must be completed by the end of the spring semester before enrollment. The DAT page (https://admissions.dental.ufl.edu/d-m-d/dmd-requirements/dat/) publishes minimums on the current 3-digit scale: Academic Average 330, Total Science 340, Biology 340, General Chemistry 350, Organic Chemistry 350, Perceptual Ability 310, Quantitative Reasoning 340, Reading Comprehension 300, with the caveat that "Minimum DAT scores listed below are not typically competitive." Scores are due by the October 1 deadline and the most recent attempt is the one considered.
School
dental.ufl.eduCheck your transcript against this list
Cyclios keeps this list beside your coursework and tells you what Florida still needs from you.
See it for dental school