Admissions Information

The Medical College of Georgia is an affirmative action/equal opportunity educational institution that prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or status as a Vietnam War Era veteran. The MCG School of Dentistry believes that a diverse student body enhances the educational opportunities for all students and is beneficial to the dental profession, the School of Dentistry, and the State of Georgia.

Technical Standards
The Medical College of Georgia School of Dentistry is a state-assisted institution with the primary goal of educating dental health care providers for the citizens of Georgia. The ethical practice of dentistry requires intellectual ability, physical competence and personal responsibility. Therefore, all requirements for admissions to the School of Dentistry must be satisfactorily completed by each applicant. In addition to demonstrating personal characteristics appropriate for a career in a health care profession, qualification for admission and graduation requires satisfying the following general standards:

1. Sufficient intellectual capacity to fulfill the curricular requirements of the various required basic science and clinical courses;
2. Ability to communicate with patients, colleagues, faculty, staff and other members of the health care community;
3. Ability to learn and safely perform the technical skills required to complete the dental curriculum; and
4. Sufficient emotional stability and responsibility to withstand the stresses, uncertainties and changing circumstances that characterize the practice of dentistry.

Specific technical standards, based on clinical competencies and accreditation standards of the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association, are available from the Office of Students, Admissions and Alumni.

Selection of a Career in Dentistry Should Be an Informed Decision
The selection of a career should be made after careful examination of the pros and cons of the field under consideration. Observing in the office of a general dentist is the best way to learn about dentistry, and the Student Admissions and Recruitment Committee recommends that applicants make arrangements to observe in the offices of one or more general dentists. While observing in a dentist's office is not a requirement for admission, it is seen by the admissions committee as one measure of an applicant's interest in dentistry as a career.

Dental Admission Test Requirements
All applicants for admission must have taken the Dental Admission Test (DAT) within two years of application. Applicants for the 2008 entering class must have taken the DAT no earlier than fall of 2005.

Prospective students may take the computerized DAT whenever they like and as many times as desired. Applicants for the 2008 entering class who wish to take the computerized DAT must do so no later than September 30, 2007.

Effective January 2007, an applicant has three opportunities to take the DAT. A minimum of 90 days must pass before an applicant can repeat the DAT.

Registration for the DAT must be done through the American Dental Association (ADA). For further information and an application for the DAT, visit their website http://www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/index.asp or write to:

Dental Admission Testing Program
American Dental Association
211 East Chicago Avenue
Suite 1840
Chicago, Illinois 60611

The American Dental Association's Department of Testing Services has recently published the 2006 User's Manual for the Dental Admission Testing Program. The User's Manual includes information on the history of the testing program, test content, test construction procedures, and the scoring and evaluation of the test. There is also extensive information on the performance of examinees participating in the testing program during 2005. To view The User's Manual click below.

http://www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/dat_users_manual.pdf  (PDF, 51 pages)

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
Required if not born in the United States and native language is not English; cost $140 (fee subject to change).

The internet-based version of TOEFL (iBT TOEFL) is the only option available for current testers. The four-hour exam will cover all four language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing. Applicants must achieve a minimum score of 100, with 26 in the speaking component. Test must be taken before Sept 30 deadline, 11 months before those accepted are due to enroll. Visit www.ets.org or call 1-609-771-7100.

To have your scores sent directly to us, enter 5425, our TOEFL Institution Code, on the back of the admission ticket.

Recommendations and Interviews
Letters of recommendation are required; additional information concerning these letters is contained in the application and the "Questions and Answers" section of this bulletin. Interviews are also required; applicants are invited for interviews by the admissions committee following a review of each completed application. These interviews are with members of the School of Dentistry faculty who help assess the applicant's personality, motivation and ability deemed pertinent to the successful study of dentistry.

Final Admission Decisions
The admissions committee takes into consideration all aspects of an applicant's background which might be relevant to the successful practice of dentistry, including unusual educational experiences or background, life experiences, work experiences, demonstrations of leadership in activities, involvement in community and extracurricular activities, and experience in an oral health care setting. The committee believes that students with diverse backgrounds are an asset to the School of Dentistry, the dental profession, and the State of Georgia. Final admission decisions are made based on the grade point average (both overall and in the sciences), DAT scores, letters of recommendation, interviews, other language test scores, as appropriate, and an assessment of the motivation and personal qualities of the applicant deemed most conducive to successfully completing the program and the practice of dentistry. At present, only residents of Georgia are being accepted.

How to Apply

MCG does not participate in the Association of American Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS).

Inquiries concerning admission should be sent to:

Office of Students, Admissions and Alumni
School of Dentistry
Medical College of Georgia
Augusta, Georgia 30912-1020
706/721-3587
Email: osaas@mcg.edu