dental · Louisville, Kentucky · public
University of Louisville School of Dentistry prerequisites
What Louisville asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 6 lines differ from the standard dental school set, marked below.
Coursework
- Biology with labrequireddiffers
4 semesters · 16 credits
Most dental schools ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
"Biology (16 credit hours minimum - see recommended courses below)." Double the two-semester baseline, and the recommended list points at what fills it: microbiology, upper level human anatomy, upper level physiology, histology, immunology and other upper level human biology. ULSD writes "w/ labs" beside general chemistry and organic chemistry but not beside biology, so no laboratory is specified for this block.
- 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
"Organic Chemistry w/ labs (8 credit hours minimum) - must take Organic Chemistry I and II with labs." The full sequence, stated explicitly, so the one-semester-plus-biochemistry substitution some schools allow is closed here.
- Biochemistryrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
"Biochemistry (3 credit hours - in addition to biology requirement)." It does not count toward the 16 hour biology block, so budget 19 hours across the two.
- Physics with labrequireddiffers
3 credits
Most dental schools ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
"Physics (3 credit hours)." One course, and no laboratory is named, where the same page writes "w/ labs" for both chemistry blocks. One of the lightest physics requirements published by any US dental school.
- English or writing-intensivenot required here
ULSD's required coursework list names biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics and biochemistry only. No English or writing requirement appears on it.
- Anatomy and physiologyrecommended
3 credits
Recommended, and the school specifies the level: "Upper level human anatomy" and "Upper level physiology" appear on the recommended list alongside microbiology, histology and immunology. These are also natural ways to fill the 16 hour biology requirement.
- Microbiologyrecommended
3 credits
Required at a meaningful minority and recommended widely; a strong pick for the spare science slot.
Experience hours
- Dentist shadowingrequireddiffers
40+ hours
Most dental schools ask for 100+ hours.
"Applicants are required to demonstrate, at the time of application, a minimum of 40 hours of dental observation/shadowing in a general dentistry setting. Applicants should consider observing in a variety of general dentistry settings." The hours must be in general dentistry, and they must already be logged when you apply.
- 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
"Three letters of evaluation or an evaluation from an institution's preprofessional committee are required." A committee evaluation replaces all three individual letters here, not just the faculty ones.
- Science faculty letternot required here
ULSD requires three letters but names no writer for any of them: "It is up to the applicant to determine the letter writers who they feel will provide our committee with the best representation of them as a student and person." Science faculty letters are a sensible choice, not a requirement here.
- Dentist letternot required here
No dentist letter is named. The three required letters are the applicant's own choice of writer, and only the 40 shadowing hours are mandated. A dentist you shadowed is still a strong option for one of the three.
Also on the school’s page
ULSD scores applicants on an Admissions Index that is "divided into academic (51%) and non-academic (49%) components." Its required coursework, all of which "must be have C- or better" [sic], is biology (16 credit hours minimum), general chemistry with labs (8), organic chemistry with labs (8, both semesters), physics (3 credit hours), and biochemistry (3 credit hours in addition to the biology requirement). The biology block is double the usual and the physics block is a single course, which is the most unusual pair on this list. Microbiology, upper level human anatomy, upper level physiology, histology, immunology and other upper level human biology courses are recommended, not required. Applicants need at least 60 undergraduate semester hours before applying and 90 by matriculation, with 60 or more credit hours from four-year institutions; "preference is given to individuals with bachelor's degrees." All applicants must complete the Casper assessment before review, and "we do not require Duet." DAT scores must be less than two years old as of the cycle opening date and the Canadian DAT has not been accepted since the 2022-23 cycle. No minimum scores are published. Of the 120 members of the DMD class of 2027 admitted from 1,368 applications, the average overall GPA was 3.55, the average biology, chemistry and physics GPA 3.40, and the average DAT 20. That DAT figure is still on the old 1 to 30 scale, which the DAT left in March 2025 for a 200 to 600 scale; it is recorded here as published rather than converted.
School
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