dental · Morgantown, West Virginia · public
WVU School of Dentistry prerequisites
What West Virginia asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 3 lines differ from the standard dental school set, marked below.
Coursework
- Biology with labrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
Eight hours with lab as the baseline expects, but "Biology or Zoology (with Lab)", so a zoology sequence answers the requirement outright.
- 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
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 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 physiologyrequireddiffers
3 credits
Most dental schools ask for 3 credits and list it as recommended.
Required here where the baseline only recommends it: "Anatomy (Comparative or Human): 3 hours". Comparative anatomy counts, and physiology is separately listed only among the strongly recommended courses, not required.
- Microbiologyrecommended
3 credits
Required at a meaningful minority and recommended widely; a strong pick for the spare science slot.
Experience hours
- Dentist shadowingrecommendeddiffers
100+ hours
Most dental schools ask for 100+ hours and list it as required.
WVU describes rather than requires: "Successful candidates typically observe at least 100 hours in various dental environments." The number matches the baseline, and the phrase to plan around is "various dental environments", meaning breadth of settings rather than 100 hours in one office.
- 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
"a college or university pre-health professions committee or comprehensive recommendation" substitutes for the whole four-letter package where your college offers one.
- Science faculty letterrequired
2 letters
Four letters, not the usual three: "two letters written by science professors" plus "two letters of the applicant's choice from science or non-science professors, advisers, mentors, dentists or other individuals." Only the two science letters have a named writer; the other two are entirely open.
- Dentist letternot required here
No dentist letter is required. Dentists appear only as one of many acceptable writers for the two open letters, alongside professors, advisers, mentors and other individuals, so a packet with no clinician writer is complete here.
Also on the school’s page
WVU's prerequisite table is conventional except for the anatomy line: English Composition and Rhetoric 6 hours, Biology or Zoology with lab 8, General or Inorganic Chemistry with lab 8, Organic Chemistry with lab 8, Physics with lab 8, Anatomy (Comparative or Human) 3, and Biochemistry 3. Around it, "A minimum of three years of college coursework completed at U.S. or Canadian colleges or universities is required. Applicants must have earned at least 90 semester credit hours at the time of application", up to 64 of which may come from community colleges, and "Admitted students must complete all required courses by June 1st prior to matriculation." Grading rules are strict: "A letter grade must be documented for all required courses completed through in-person, online or hybrid learning platforms. Science courses with grades of Pass/Fail or Satisfactory will not be accepted", so online prerequisites are fine but a pandemic-era pass in a science course is not. Strongly recommended beyond the requirements: cellular and molecular biology, physiology, microbiology, embryology and developmental biology, genetics, and psychology, plus humanities and social sciences for a well-rounded background. The DAT must be taken and official scores submitted by November 1 of the year prior to enrollment, scores stay valid three years, and up to three attempts are allowed; the AADSAS deadline is November 1, 2026. No minimum GPA is published. Two cautions on the cross-check against https://catalog.wvu.edu/graduate/schoolofdentistry/docdentalsurg/: the catalog's course list omits the anatomy line even though its stated 44 hour total only adds up with it, so the fuller apply-now list is recorded here; and the catalog's statement that "Nonresident applicants generally have earned a GPA of > 3.75 and DAT scores of 19 or above" is written on the retired 1 to 30 DAT scale, which has been 200 to 600 since March 2025, so it is quoted as WVU wrote it rather than converted.
School
dentistry.hsc.wvu.eduCheck your transcript against this list
Cyclios keeps this list beside your coursework and tells you what West Virginia still needs from you.
See it for dental school