dental · Lincoln, Nebraska · public
UNMC College of Dentistry prerequisites
What Nebraska asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 5 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.
- Biochemistrynot required here
Not required at UNMC. Biochemistry appears only in the catalog's list of "Suggested elective courses", alongside anatomy, cell biology, genetics, histology, immunology, microbiology and physiology. The required chemistry is the inorganic and organic sequences with lab.
- 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.
- Microbiologyrecommended
3 credits
Required at a meaningful minority and recommended widely; a strong pick for the spare science slot.
- Social sciences and humanitiesrequiredextra here
13 credits
The baseline carries no humanities block, but UNMC's predental plan builds one in across both years: "Humanities or social science electives: 5 credit hours" in each semester of the first year and "8-9 credit hours" in each semester of the second. Thirteen hours is the floor implied by the plan's lower numbers. This is a real planning constraint, not filler, since it is what fills the gap between the science sequences and the 64 to 68 hour total.
Experience hours
- Dentist shadowingrecommendeddiffers
100+ hours
Most dental schools ask for 100+ hours and list it as required.
UNMC publishes no shadowing number on either page. The admissions page treats campus and community involvement "such as shadowing" as a selection factor rather than a threshold, so the hours are left null rather than guessed at. Dental observation is still how an applicant learns what the job is, and other schools on the same list do set floors.
- 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
"Letters of evaluation are strongly encouraged. Evaluations of a student's progress and potential by a predental adviser or committee are appreciated." The catalog adds: "It is recommended that applicants submit two to three letters of recommendation." Encouraged and appreciated, never required, and the adviser or committee route is the one UNMC names by preference.
- Science faculty letternot required here
No letter is required at all, let alone from a science professor. UNMC says only that "Letters of evaluation are strongly encouraged" and that two to three are recommended, naming no discipline for the writers. Recording a science faculty requirement here would overstate what either page says.
- Dentist letternot required here
No dentist letter is named anywhere in UNMC's stated letters guidance, which recommends two to three letters of evaluation and singles out only a predental adviser or committee as writers it appreciates. A dentist you shadowed is still a sensible choice for one of those slots.
Also on the school’s page
UNMC publishes its predental requirement as a two year study plan rather than a bare prerequisite list, totalling 64 to 68 credit hours: English composition 3 hours each semester, inorganic chemistry with lab 4 hours each semester, general biology with lab 4 hours each semester, organic chemistry with lab 4 hours each semester, general physics with lab 4 to 5 hours each semester, and humanities or social science electives running through both years. The four science sequences and English land on the same totals as the dental baseline, so only the humanities block, biochemistry and the softer requirements differ. The college is unusually open on numbers: "The UNMC College of Dentistry does not require a minimum grade point average or Dental Admissions Test score" on the admissions page, while the catalog says "DAT scores of 390 or above on all sections are recommended", 390 being on the current 200 to 600 scale. The two pages do not conflict, the recommendation simply sits under a policy of no hard floor. The admissions page adds that "students must complete 90 semester hours and are strongly encouraged to complete a four-year degree program prior to matriculation", more than the 64 to 68 the course plan covers. Suggested electives, none of them required: "anatomy, biochemistry, cell biology, comparative anatomy, embryology, genetics, histology, immunology, microbiology, physiology, psychology, scientific Greek or Latin, statistics." Cross-checked against https://www.unmc.edu/dentistry/programs/dental/admissions.html.
School
unmc.eduCheck your transcript against this list
Cyclios keeps this list beside your coursework and tells you what Nebraska still needs from you.
See it for dental school