Howard Dental School Interview: Format, Dates, Questions

Howard's official deadline is late, but its real window is early. Its Student Affairs FAQ, signed by the Director of Admissions, says Howard reviews applications from August 1 to November 1 and that submitting after November 1 greatly reduces your chances.

1. ADEA AADSAS application. The cycle opens in May. Howard's deadline is February 1 of the year you start, and the school recommends submitting in August.
2. Processing fee. Once AADSAS sends your application, Howard emails a link to pay a $75 fee. It doesn't accept fee waivers.
3. Review and invitation. The Office of Admissions screens each file, faculty reviewers read the qualified ones, and the strongest applicants are invited by email.
4. Interviews, September to November per the FAQ, and on a rolling basis until the class is filled.
5. First offers. Howard's two pages give different dates. The DDS page says first-round acceptances are emailed on December 1. The FAQ says first-round decision letters go out on December 15. Go by the email you receive.
6. Later notices. Applicants who won't be invited to interview get an interim email in January. Waitlisted applicants hear on April 15. Rosters are typically full by January 31.

For reference, ADEA's AADSAS page lists December 15, 2026 as this cycle's acceptance notification date. The FAQ also warns that applicants who will still have prerequisites outstanding after December won't get priority for a fall interview.

Service to underserved communities

Howard names its selection factors plainly: working or volunteering with underserved communities, work experience in dental settings, leadership, community service and the personal interview, on top of your academic record, DAT and letters. Its mission is to provide exceptional dental education to qualified people from all backgrounds, with an emphasis on recruiting students from historically under-represented and disadvantaged populations. The FAQ adds that Howard looks for growth, leadership, empathy for others' needs and strong community involvement.

So the service on your application is likely to be questioned closely. Know who you served, what you did and what it changed in you.

History and community

Howard's College of Dentistry is the fifth oldest dental school in the United States, and its clinics have served the community since 1881. Its Student Affairs site says it has trained more African American students than any dental school in the country. Students volunteer in community health centers and with Mission of Mercy and Remote Area Medical in the DC area, and faculty-led international missions have gone to Jamaica, Haiti, Guatemala, Sudan and Tanzania. Students also work with peers in pharmacy, medicine and nursing at Howard.

Dental experience

Howard highly recommends at least 120 hours of shadowing or significant work in a dental office, and a letter from a dentist you worked with or shadowed is highly encouraged. Be ready to talk about specific patients and moments, not just hours.

• Prepare for a mixed panel. Practice answering a faculty member, a student and a practicing dentist in one sitting. Each will listen for different things.
• Know your service stories. Have two or three specific examples of working with underserved communities, with what you learned from each.
• Have a real "Why Howard" answer. Tie it to the mission, the community clinics or the missions, and to what you want to do as a dentist.
• Stay consistent for the second interview. The Director of Admissions sees you after the panel. Expect some of the same topics, and keep your story the same.
• Talk about growth. Howard says it looks for students who have shown growth. A setback you learned from can be a strong answer.
• Apply early. With sessions September to November, an August application has the most dates to compete for.

1. Recruit three people to play the panel: one asks about academics, one asks as a student would, one asks as a practicing dentist would.
2. Run a 25-minute panel using five questions from the list. Record it.
3. Right after, have a fourth person run a 10-minute one-on-one that returns to two of the same topics.
4. Watch the recording. Check that your stories matched across both interviews and that each answer started with the point.
5. Repeat two days later with new questions.

Practicing alone? Confetto's dental school interview prep runs AI mock interviews that ask follow-up questions based on what you actually said and give rubric-based feedback afterward.

What is the Howard dental school interview format?

A 25 to 30 minute panel interview, often with faculty, a student representative and an alum, or with two faculty members, then a second interview with the Director of Admissions.

Is the Howard dental interview MMI?

No MMI is mentioned. Howard's pages describe a panel interview and a second interview as of November 2026.

When are Howard dental interviews?

The FAQ lists 8 sessions: 2 in September, 4 in October and 2 in November. Interviews may continue on a rolling basis until the class is full.

When does Howard send acceptances?

The DDS page says December 1 and the Student Affairs FAQ says December 15. Watch your email.

How many students does Howard interview?

200 to 250 candidates a year, for an entering class of 75 to 80.

Applying to other dental schools? See our guides to the NYU College of Dentistry and UIC College of Dentistry interviews, or our dental school requirements guide.

Sources: Howard University College of Dentistry Doctor of Dental Surgery and Mission and Vision pages, the HUCD Office of Student Affairs FAQ and Prospective Students pages, and ADEA's Apply to ADEA AADSAS page.

Confetto isn't affiliated with Howard University. Everything here about the school comes from its public admissions pages, checked in November 2026.

Formats and dates can change between cycles, so go by your invitation email.