Average DAT Scores and GPA for U.S. and Canadian Dental Schools (Updated 2026 Guide) | DAT Destroyer | OAT Destroyer

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Last Updated: October 11, 2026

If you're wondering what DAT score and GPA you need to be competitive for dental school, you're in the right place. For U.S. DAT Academic Average scores, legacy scores of 20, 21, and 22 correspond approximately to 420, 440, and 460 in the ADA concordance table. GPA remains equally important, with many programs reporting averages around 3.5–3.7 for recent entering classes.

While ADEA publishes national trends, many individual dental schools do not release full, updated DAT + GPA statistics every cycle. The following guide compiles the latest publicly available school-specific averages, including ADEA-referenced data, school-published class profiles, and widely referenced admissions summaries.

Disclaimer: Exact averages may vary by year. The figures below are compiled from publicly available ADEA data, school websites, and commonly referenced admissions summaries. Students should verify statistics with individual schools for the most current information.

What Is a Good DAT Score for Dental School?

For U.S. DAT Academic Average scores, legacy 20–22 corresponds approximately to 420–460 in the ADA concordance table. Competitiveness varies by school and the rest of your application.

Compare your DAT score with each school’s published requirements and dated class profile, alongside the other parts of your application.

What GPA Do You Need for Dental School?

Most dental schools report entering class GPAs between 3.4 and 3.7. The table below shows how your GPA compares to typical admitted students:

GPA is only one part of your application. Admissions committees also weigh DAT scores, dental shadowing hours, research experience, volunteering, letters of recommendation, and upward grade trends. A lower GPA paired with a strong DAT score and meaningful clinical experience can still result in acceptance at many programs.

Selected Dental School Academic Profiles

The following are selected academic profiles, not a ranking of GPA weighting or a list of universal GPA cutoffs. Published admissions criteria differ, and several programs assess both academic and non-academic factors.

• Harvard School of Dental Medicine — GPA 3.85 | DAT 23.5
• University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry — 2026 admitted applicants: average cumulative GPA 3.96; school-reported DAT Academic Average 25; PAT 23.
• University of Alabama at Birmingham — GPA 3.77 | DAT 20.7
• UCLA School of Dentistry — Class of 2028: overall undergraduate GPA 3.87; science GPA 3.84; school-reported legacy DAT overall average 23, science 23, perceptual ability 22.
• University of Iowa College of Dentistry — 2026 entering class: overall GPA 3.81; science GPA 3.75; DAT Academic Average 455; Total Science average 458.
• UT Health Houston — GPA 3.73 | DAT 20.4
• McGill University Faculty of Dentistry — DAT not required for the 2026–2027 application cycle; MMI selection process; 2026 admitted-student average cGPA: Quebec residents 3.92, non-Quebec Canadians 3.83, international candidates 3.84.
• University of Florida College of Dentistry — GPA 3.67 | DAT 20.8

Review each school’s actual eligibility requirements and selection process rather than treating a class average as an initial screening cutoff. Focus on both your GPA trend and DAT preparation, while considering the full application.

U.S. Dental Schools — Average DAT and GPA

DAT figures are shown on the scoring scale used by the cited source. Legacy school averages are not converted into estimated three-digit averages.

University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry — DAT 20.7 | GPA 3.77
Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health — DAT 19.5 | GPA 3.42
Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine - Arizona — Class of 2029: average BCP GPA 3.61; legacy DAT Academic Average 20.
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC — Class of 2030: average total GPA 3.81; science GPA 3.76; DAT Academic Average 450, PAT 450, science 460.
Loma Linda University School of Dentistry — DAT 20 | GPA 3.45
UCLA School of Dentistry — Class of 2028: overall undergraduate GPA 3.87; science GPA 3.84; school-reported legacy DAT overall average 23, science 23, perceptual ability 22.
UCSF School of Dentistry — DAT 21.8 (legacy; cohort/source pending verification) | Class of 2029 average incoming GPA 3.78.
University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry — DAT 21.9 | GPA 3.55
Western University of Health Sciences — DAT 19.6 | GPA 3.25
University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine — DAT 19.6 | GPA 3.6
University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine — DAT 21.6 | GPA 3.61
Howard University College of Dentistry — DAT 17.5 | GPA 3.12
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine — DAT 19.2 | GPA 3.38
Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine — DAT 20.3 | GPA 3.51
University of Florida College of Dentistry — DAT 20.8 | GPA 3.67
Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University — Class of 2030: overall GPA 3.75; science GPA 3.69; DAT Academic Average 450; perceptual ability 451; natural science 454.
University of Iowa College of Dentistry — 2026 entering class: overall GPA 3.81; science GPA 3.75; DAT Academic Average 455; Total Science average 458.
Midwestern University - Illinois — Class of 2027: average BCP GPA 3.15; legacy DAT Academic Average 19.0; Total Science 18.8.
Southern Illinois University — DAT 19.6 | GPA 3.58
University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry — Class of 2030, matriculated August 31, 2026: cumulative GPA 3.80; science GPA 3.75; DAT Academic Average 458; PAT 447; Total Science 463.
Indiana University School of Dentistry — DAT 19.6 | GPA 3.54
University of Kentucky College of Dentistry — DAT 19.1 | GPA 3.5
University of Louisville School of Dentistry — DAT 19.8 | GPA 3.54
Louisiana State University Health New Orleans — DAT 20.3 | GPA 3.66
Boston University Goldman School — DAT 19.8 | GPA 3.41
Harvard School of Dental Medicine — DAT 23.5 | GPA 3.85
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine — DAT 19.5 | GPA 3.33
University of Maryland School of Dentistry — DAT 20.8 | GPA 3.56
University of New England — DAT 18.6 | GPA 3.38
University of Detroit Mercy — DAT 20.2 | GPA 3.61
University of Michigan School of Dentistry — DAT 20.9 | GPA 3.65
University of Minnesota — DAT 20.4 | GPA 3.58
Missouri School of Dentistry and Oral Health — DAT 19.4 | GPA 3.49
University of Missouri–Kansas City — DAT 19.2 | GPA 3.59
University of Mississippi — DAT 19.3 | GPA 3.54
East Carolina University — DAT 19.5 | GPA 3.43
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — DAT 20.9 | GPA 3.56
Creighton University School of Dentistry — Fall 2025 cohort: mean undergraduate total GPA 3.73; science GPA 3.65; DAT Academic Average 420; PAT 450; Total Science 430.
University of Nebraska Medical Center — Class of 2029: average GPA 3.82; science GPA 3.76; school-reported legacy dental admissions test average 21.8.
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine — DAT 21.3 | GPA 3.55
UNLV School of Dental Medicine — DAT 20.6 | GPA 3.52
Columbia University College of Dental Medicine — 2025 entering class: average GPA 3.8; school-reported legacy mean DAT score 24.
NYU College of Dentistry — DAT 21.1 | GPA 3.49
Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine — DAT 21.5 | GPA 3.59
Touro College of Dental Medicine — Class of 2030: overall GPA 3.58; science GPA 3.47; school-labeled Total DAT 440.
University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine — DAT 20.5 | GPA 3.61
Case Western Reserve University — 2025 entering class: mean GPA 3.72; mean science GPA 3.66; mean DAT Academic Average 446.75; mean PAT 445.84.
Ohio State University College of Dentistry — DAT 20.3 | GPA 3.62
University of Oklahoma — DAT 19.7 | GPA 3.64
Oregon Health and Science University — Class of 2030: overall GPA 3.76; science GPA 3.71; DAT academic average 444; Total Science 451; perceptual ability 456.
Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry — DAT 20.7 | GPA 3.51
University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine — Class of 2030: overall GPA 3.88; science GPA 3.85; DAT Academic Average 483.85; PAT 474.83; Total Science 488.28.
University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine — DAT 21.3 | GPA 3.64
University of Puerto Rico — DAT 17.4 | GPA 3.46
Medical University of South Carolina — DAT 19.6 | GPA 3.6
Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry — DAT 17.9 | GPA 3.22
University of Tennessee — DAT 20.5 | GPA 3.65
Texas A&M School of Dentistry — DAT 20.3 | GPA 3.64
UT Health San Antonio — DAT 20.4 | GPA 3.6
UT Health Houston — DAT 20.4 | GPA 3.73
Roseman University — DAT 19.6 | GPA 3.32
University of Utah School of Dentistry — DAT 20.8 | GPA 3.63
Virginia Commonwealth University — DAT 20.1 | GPA 3.53
University of Washington School of Dentistry — DAT 21.2 | GPA 3.64
Marquette University School of Dentistry — Class of 2030, incoming class of 2026: overall GPA 3.77; overall science GPA 3.70; DAT Academic Average 436; PAT average 452.
West Virginia University — DAT 18.6 | GPA 3.40

Canadian Dental Schools — Competitiveness Overview

University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry — 2026 admitted applicants: average cumulative GPA 3.96; school-reported DAT Academic Average 25; PAT 23.
University of British Columbia Faculty of Dentistry — Class of 2030 accepted applicants: overall academic average 87.76%; school-reported DAT average 25.70 out of 30.
McGill University Faculty of Dentistry — DAT not required for the 2026–2027 application cycle; MMI selection process; 2026 admitted-student average cGPA: Quebec residents 3.92, non-Quebec Canadians 3.83, international candidates 3.84.
Western University (Schulich) — Class of 2029: academic average 89.85% across best years 1 and 2; DAT Reading Comprehension average 21 and PAT average 21. Current requirements instead specify a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0.
University of Alberta School of Dentistry — Avg GPA ~3.6–3.7 | Competitive DAT
University of Manitoba College of Dentistry — Avg GPA ~3.6 | Balanced DAT/GPA
Dalhousie University Faculty of Dentistry — Avg GPA ~3.7 | Strong Canadian DAT
Université de Montréal — Strong academic averages | Francophone program
Université Laval — Strong academic expectations | Francophone
University of Saskatchewan College of Dentistry — Avg GPA ~3.6 | DAT heavily weighted

How to Use This Data as an Applicant

• A legacy U.S. DAT Academic Average of 20–22 corresponds approximately to 420–460; compare your results with each school’s dated class profile and admissions requirements.
• A GPA of 3.5–3.7 aligns with the ranges reported for many entering classes.
• A school’s average DAT score alone does not establish its research focus or predict an individual applicant’s admission result.
• Holistic review programs may accept a wider range of GPA/DAT combinations.
• Always verify final numbers on each school's admissions website.

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