If you're wondering what DAT score and GPA you need to be competitive for dental school, you're in the right place. Most successful applicants score around 20–22 on the old 1–30 DAT scale, which converts to approximately 440–480+ on the new 200–600 scoring system introduced in 2025. 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?
A DAT score of 20–22 on the old scale (approximately 440–480 on the new 200–600 scale) is considered competitive at many dental schools.
Scores above 480 place you in a strong position for more selective programs, while scores below 420 may require strengthening other parts of your application.
Dental Schools That Weigh GPA Most Heavily
Some dental programs are known for placing exceptional weight on GPA as a primary screening criterion. If your GPA is below 3.5, these schools will be significantly harder to gain admission to regardless of your DAT score. Here are the programs with the highest reported GPA averages:
- Harvard School of Dental Medicine — GPA 3.85 | DAT 23.5 (NES 490)
- University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry — GPA 3.85 | Highly competitive DAT
- University of Alabama at Birmingham — GPA 3.77 | DAT 20.7 (NES 440)
- UCLA School of Dentistry — GPA 3.75 | DAT 22.8 (NES 470)
- University of Iowa College of Dentistry — GPA 3.74 | DAT 20.3 (NES 420)
- UT Health Houston — GPA 3.73 | DAT 20.4 (NES 420)
- McGill University Faculty of Dentistry — GPA 3.80 | DAT + MMI format
- University of Florida College of Dentistry — GPA 3.67 | DAT 20.8 (NES 440)
If you're targeting any of these programs, a GPA below 3.6 will make it very difficult to advance past the initial screening stage. Focus on both your GPA trend and your DAT score together.
U.S. Dental Schools — Average DAT and GPA
(Old Scale DAT → New Estimated Score (NES) 200–600)
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry — DAT 20.7 | NES 440 | GPA 3.77
Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health — DAT 19.5 | NES 420 | GPA 3.42
Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine - Arizona — DAT 19.6 | NES 420 | GPA 3.51
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC — DAT 20.3 | NES 420 | GPA 3.49
Loma Linda University School of Dentistry — DAT 20 | NES 420 | GPA 3.45
UCLA School of Dentistry — DAT 22.8 | NES 470 | GPA 3.75
UCSF School of Dentistry — DAT 21.8 | NES 460 | GPA 3.57
University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry — DAT 21.9 | NES 460 | GPA 3.55
Western University of Health Sciences — DAT 19.6 | NES 420 | GPA 3.25
University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine — DAT 19.6 | NES 420 | GPA 3.6
University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine — DAT 21.6 | NES 460 | GPA 3.61
Howard University College of Dentistry — DAT 17.5 | NES 390 | GPA 3.12
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine — DAT 19.2 | NES 410 | GPA 3.38
Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine — DAT 20.3 | NES 420 | GPA 3.51
University of Florida College of Dentistry — DAT 20.8 | NES 440 | GPA 3.67
Georgia Regents University — DAT 19.8 | NES 420 | GPA 3.57
University of Iowa College of Dentistry — DAT 20.3 | NES 420 | GPA 3.74
Midwestern University - Illinois — DAT 18.8 | NES 410 | GPA 3.45
Southern Illinois University — DAT 19.6 | NES 420 | GPA 3.58
University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry — DAT 20.7 | NES 440 | GPA 3.62
Indiana University School of Dentistry — DAT 19.6 | NES 420 | GPA 3.54
University of Kentucky College of Dentistry — DAT 19.1 | NES 410 | GPA 3.5
University of Louisville School of Dentistry — DAT 19.8 | NES 420 | GPA 3.54
Louisiana State University Health New Orleans — DAT 20.3 | NES 420 | GPA 3.66
Boston University Goldman School — DAT 19.8 | NES 420 | GPA 3.41
Harvard School of Dental Medicine — DAT 23.5 | NES 490 | GPA 3.85
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine — DAT 19.5 | NES 420 | GPA 3.33
University of Maryland School of Dentistry — DAT 20.8 | NES 440 | GPA 3.56
University of New England — DAT 18.6 | NES 410 | GPA 3.38
University of Detroit Mercy — DAT 20.2 | NES 420 | GPA 3.61
University of Michigan School of Dentistry — DAT 20.9 | NES 440 | GPA 3.65
University of Minnesota — DAT 20.4 | NES 420 | GPA 3.58
Missouri School of Dentistry and Oral Health — DAT 19.4 | NES 410 | GPA 3.49
University of Missouri–Kansas City — DAT 19.2 | NES 410 | GPA 3.59
University of Mississippi — DAT 19.3 | NES 410 | GPA 3.54
East Carolina University — DAT 19.5 | NES 420 | GPA 3.43
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — DAT 20.9 | NES 440 | GPA 3.56
Creighton University School of Dentistry — DAT 19.4 | NES 410 | GPA 3.56
University of Nebraska Medical Center — DAT 20.2 | NES 420 | GPA 3.67
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine — DAT 21.3 | NES 440 | GPA 3.55
UNLV School of Dental Medicine — DAT 20.6 | NES 440 | GPA 3.52
Columbia University College of Dental Medicine — DAT 22.8 | NES 470 | GPA 3.62
NYU College of Dentistry — DAT 21.1 | NES 440 | GPA 3.49
Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine — DAT 21.5 | NES 460 | GPA 3.59
Touro College of Dental Medicine — DAT 20 | NES 420 | GPA 3.45
University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine — DAT 20.5 | NES 440 | GPA 3.61
Case Western Reserve University — DAT 20.1 | NES 420 | GPA 3.62
Ohio State University College of Dentistry — DAT 20.3 | NES 420 | GPA 3.62
University of Oklahoma — DAT 19.7 | NES 420 | GPA 3.64
Oregon Health & Science University — DAT 19.8 | NES 420 | GPA 3.63
Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry — DAT 20.7 | NES 440 | GPA 3.51
University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine — DAT 21.9 | NES 460 | GPA 3.68
University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine — DAT 21.3 | NES 440 | GPA 3.64
University of Puerto Rico — DAT 17.4 | NES 370 | GPA 3.46
Medical University of South Carolina — DAT 19.6 | NES 420 | GPA 3.6
Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry — DAT 17.9 | NES 390 | GPA 3.22
University of Tennessee — DAT 20.5 | NES 440 | GPA 3.65
Texas A&M School of Dentistry — DAT 20.3 | NES 420 | GPA 3.64
UT Health San Antonio — DAT 20.4 | NES 420 | GPA 3.6
UT Health Houston — DAT 20.4 | NES 420 | GPA 3.73
Roseman University — DAT 19.6 | NES 420 | GPA 3.32
University of Utah School of Dentistry — DAT 20.8 | NES 440 | GPA 3.63
Virginia Commonwealth University — DAT 20.1 | NES 420 | GPA 3.53
University of Washington School of Dentistry — DAT 21.2 | NES 440 | GPA 3.64
Marquette University School of Dentistry — DAT 20.2 | NES 420 | GPA 3.64
West Virginia University — DAT 18.6 | NES 410 | GPA 3.40
Canadian Dental Schools — Competitiveness Overview
University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry — Avg GPA 3.85 | Highly competitive DAT
University of British Columbia Faculty of Dentistry — Avg GPA ~85% | Strong DAT required
McGill University Faculty of Dentistry — Avg GPA 3.8 | DAT + MMI format
Western University (Schulich) — Avg GPA ~3.70+ | DAT strongly weighted
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 DAT AA of 20–22 (NES 440–480) is competitive at many schools.
- A GPA of 3.5–3.7 aligns with the ranges reported for many entering classes.
- Schools with averages of 22+ tend to be highly selective and research-focused.
- 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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