dental · Portland, Maine · private

University of New England College of Dental Medicine prerequisites

What UNE asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 10 lines differ from the standard dental school set, marked below.

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Coursework

Biology with labrequireddiffers
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
Most dental schools ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
"General Biology: 4 semester or 6 quarter credits. Lab required, Zoology acceptable." One semester, not the usual two, though the required anatomy and microbiology courses and the 12 credit additional science block push the real biology total well past it.
General chemistry with labrequireddiffers
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
Most dental schools ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
"General Chemistry: 4 semester or 6 quarter credits. Lab required." One semester required outright; a second can be counted inside the 12 credit additional coursework block.
Organic chemistry with labrequireddiffers
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
Most dental schools ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
"Organic Chemistry: 4 semester or 6 quarter credits. Lab required." One semester, with biochemistry required separately. "Upper-level courses in any of the necessary prerequisite subject areas completed with a grade of C or better are acceptable."
Biochemistryrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
Roughly half of schools require a semester and the share grows every cycle. The DAT does not test it, but first-year dental biochemistry assumes you have seen it.
Physics with labnot required here
Physics is not a required prerequisite at UNE. It appears only as one option inside a 12 credit block: "Additional coursework in Biology, Chemistry, Calculus, or Physics: 12 semester or 18 quarter credits. College-level coursework." Biology, chemistry or calculus credits fill that block just as well, so a candidate can be admitted here with no physics at all.
English or writing-intensiverequireddiffers
1 semester · 3 credits
Most dental schools ask for 2 semesters · 6 credits.
"English Composition / Technical Writing: 3 semester or 4.5 quarter credits. College-level coursework." One course rather than two, and technical writing explicitly counts.
Anatomy and physiologyrequireddiffers
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
Most dental schools ask for 3 credits and list it as recommended.
"Anatomy or Anatomy & Physiology I and Anatomy & Physiology II: 4 to 8 semester or 6 to 12 quarter credits. Lab(s) required." A single anatomy course with lab satisfies it at 4 credits; the A and P route means the full two-semester sequence with labs, which is 8. Human physiology is separately "strongly recommended."
Microbiologyrequireddiffers
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
Most dental schools ask for 3 credits and list it as recommended.
"Microbiology: 4 semester or 6 quarter credits. Lab required." Required outright here, and with a laboratory, which is stricter than most schools that name microbiology at all.

Experience hours

Dentist shadowingrequireddiffers
30+ hours
Most dental schools ask for 100+ hours.
"Dental Shadowing/Clinical Experience: Required minimum of thirty (30) hours of in-person dental shadowing/clinical experience (dental assisting qualifies)." The hours must be in person, and paid dental assisting counts toward them, which is unusual. All experiences are documented in the AADSAS application.
Non-clinical volunteeringrecommended
100+ hours
No number is published: "Community Service: Applicants are strongly encouraged to demonstrate community service through volunteerism."

Letters

Committee letterrecommended
1 letter
"Committee letters are accepted in place of the two (2) required letters." A committee letter covers both, including the science letter.
Science faculty letterrequireddiffers
1 letter
Most dental schools ask for 2 letters.
"Two (2) letters of Recommendation are required. One (1) letter must be from a science instructor/professor." One science letter, not two. "Letters from friends or family members are not acceptable," and "letters of recommendation dated within the last three (3) years are strongly preferred."
Dentist letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most dental schools ask for 1 letter and list it as required.
Recommended, not required: "It is recommended that the second letter come from a dentist." The 30 required shadowing hours make this a natural writer to line up.

Also on the school’s page

UNE's page is dated to the Fall 2027 start: applications open May 12, 2026, close November 1, 2026, and decisions are released December 15, 2026. Its prerequisite table is shaped unlike most: general biology 4 credits with lab (zoology acceptable), anatomy or anatomy and physiology I and II 4 to 8 credits with lab, microbiology 4 with lab, general chemistry 4 with lab, organic chemistry 4 with lab, biochemistry 3 without lab, English composition or technical writing 3, plus a 12 credit block of "Additional coursework in Biology, Chemistry, Calculus, or Physics." Only one semester each of biology, general chemistry and organic chemistry is required outright; the 12 credit block is where a second semester of any of them, or physics, or calculus, can land, and it has no key of its own in this vocabulary so it is recorded here. "All prerequisites must be completed with a grade of C or better (C- is not acceptable)" and may be in progress or planned at application but must be finished by June 1, 2027. AP and IB credit are not accepted for any prerequisite, while online courses from UNE Online or any regionally accredited US college are. Human physiology and immunology are strongly recommended, along with pharmacology, histology, public health, ethics, three-dimensional art such as sculpture, genetics, business and communications. Ninety semester credits are required at enrollment, with a bachelor's degree preferred. On numbers, UNE recommends "a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and a BCP (Biology/Biochemistry/Chemistry/Physics) GPA of 3.0... as well as minimum DAT subsection scores of 380 (best attempt score for each section)," adding that "average accepted applicants tend to have GPAs ranging from 3.3 to 3.8 as well as best attempt scores of 400+ for each section," all on the current 200 to 600 scale. The DAT must be first taken by October 1 of the application year and must be within five years of the deadline. There are no Maine or New England residency quotas. Select applicants pay a $55 supplemental processing fee, and interviews are by invitation.

School

une.edu

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