OHSU Dental School Interview: Teleconference Guide (2026-27)

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The Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) School of Dentistry interviews selected DMD applicants by teleconference with members of the admissions committee from September through March, according to OHSU's DMD selection and admission requirements pages. Acceptance letters go out on a rolling basis between December and March for an entering class of about 75 to 77 students (77 admitted in the Class of 2030, with an average overall GPA of 3.76 and Academic Average DAT of 444).

What the OHSU dental school interview looks like

Selected applicants to the OHSU School of Dentistry are invited to interview by teleconference with members of the admissions committee, per the school's DMD Program Selection page. Confirm your exact teleconference link, schedule, and session structure in your invitation email from the Office of Admissions.

Whether your teleconference is one-on-one or with more than one committee member, prepare as if your interviewers have read your ADEA AADSAS application closely and are also ready to hear your stories from scratch. Know every dental observation entry, community service role, and leadership position on your application well enough to share a specific moment from it without reciting your personal statement.

If you want to practice answering out loud on camera before interview day, Confetto runs AI mock interviews for dental and medical school applicants with follow-up questions based on what you say. Start your free week.

Looking at the medical school on the same campus too? See our Oregon Health And Science University School Of Medicine interview guide.

OHSU School of Dentistry interview and cycle dates (2026-27)

Milestone	Timing or requirement
ADEA AADSAS recommended window	May through August (rolling admissions)
Recommended DAT testing window	Summer (June through August), allowing time for a retake if needed
Interview invitations and interviews	September through March, via teleconference with admissions committee members
Acceptance letters sent	December through March
ADEA AADSAS, DAT, and $75 fee deadline	January 1
Priority financial aid deadline	March 1 (begin applying in February)
Classes begin	Late June (47-month DMD program)

Format: Teleconference with members of the admissions committee
Interview season: September through March (rolling admissions)
Acceptance notifications: December through March
Program start: Late June (begins with a 6-week summer term)

How OHSU selects interviewees and what the committee values

OHSU states on its DMD Program Selection page that students are chosen on demonstrated scholastic ability across both required and elective courses, along with the quality, quantity, and rigor of courses taken each academic term. The committee also reviews your most recent US DAT scores, your personal statement, and your letters of evaluation.

Beyond grades and test scores, the selection page names the exact experiences the committee values: leadership, community service, experience in the dental field, extracurricular activities, employment history, and research experience. Letters of evaluation are screened for personal qualities and for demonstrated interest in and knowledge of the dental profession.

Prior to applying, OHSU recommends at least 50 documented clinical observation hours in a dental setting. At least 25 of those 50 hours should be in a general practice setting so you see the range of procedures a general dentist performs and how a practice operates. The other 25 hours can come from general practice, a specialty office, or a public health clinic. OHSU notes in its FAQ that it prefers shadowing in a non-educational clinical practice setting rather than a dental school setting.

For a broader look at how prerequisites and shadowing work across programs, read our guide to dental school requirements.

OHSU DMD Class of 2030 admitted profile and 2022 incoming class comparison

Metric	Class of 2030 (admitted)	2022 Incoming Class (2021 to 2022 cycle)
Class size	77 admitted (39 male, 38 female)	72 matriculants from 795 applicants
Residency split	40 in-state, 37 out-of-state (across 18 US states)	40 in-state, 5 WICHE, 26 out-of-state, 1 international
Top states represented	Oregon (40), California (12), Washington (4)	Oregon (40), Washington (9), California (7)
Average overall GPA	3.76	3.74 (applicant pool average: 3.50)
Average science GPA	3.71 (non-science: 3.87)	3.69 science, 3.68 BCP
Average DAT scores	444 Academic, 451 Total Science, 456 Perceptual Ability	21.09 Academic, 20.74 Total Science, 21.19 Perceptual Ability (1 to 30 scale)
Age	Average 24 (range 20 to 32)	Average 22 (range 19 to 27)

Oregon residency, WICHE priority, and out-of-state odds

OHSU is a publicly supported institution and states that its primary obligation is to provide dental education for Oregon residents. For another state school, see our ECU dental school interview guide. Although there is no fixed quota, the majority of the incoming class are Oregon residents. In the admitted Class of 2030, by our calculation from OHSU's Entering Class Statistics, 40 of the 77 students (51.9%) are Oregon residents and 37 (48.1%) are from out of state. See our Texas A&M dental school interview guide for comparison.

In the 2021 to 2022 application cycle data published in OHSU's Virtual Interview Folder, 40 of 89 in-state applicants matriculated (44.9% by our calculation), compared with 5 of 79 WICHE applicants (6.3%) and 26 of 598 other out-of-state applicants (4.3%). Overall, 72 matriculants came from 795 total applicants.

If you are interviewing from out of state, especially from California, Washington, or a WICHE state, be ready to explain why you want to train in Portland and how your goals connect to the communities OHSU serves. If you are still building your school list and weighing in-state vs. out-of-state numbers, see how many dental schools should I apply to.

Priority 1: Oregon residents
Priority 2: Residents of Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) participating western states: Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Wyoming
Priority 3: Residents of the remaining US states
Priority 4: Canadians and current F-1 visa holders from all other countries (who completed undergraduate education at an accredited US or Canadian institution)
Establishing Oregon residency: You must reside and be employed in Oregon for at least 1 year prior to matriculation for purposes not primarily educational, while enrolled in no more than 8 semester or quarter hours per term.

Mission fit and OHSU curriculum details to know before you interview

OHSU School of Dentistry is the only academic health center in Oregon, and its Program Overview states that its fundamental purpose is to ensure and improve the health of all Oregonians. The curriculum's objective is educating competent general practitioners of dentistry who are prepared for lifelong learning and advanced training.

On the same page, OHSU describes the personal qualities it fosters in students: high ethical and moral values, a liking for people and unselfish service, an understanding of human relations, the ability to communicate, and a broad understanding of community and national health goals. Its technical standards also emphasize emotional stability and responsibility to withstand the stresses, uncertainties, and changing circumstances of dental practice.

When you answer "Why OHSU?", ground your answer in specific parts of the 47-month program at the Robertson Life Sciences Building on the South Portland waterfront rather than general praise.

First-term patient contact: Students see their first patient during the fall quarter of Year 1 as part of a course on the prevention of dental diseases.
Year-round 47-month structure: 1st-year students start in late June with a 6-week summer term, followed by 12-week fall, spring, and summer terms and an 11-week winter term each year.
Early social determinants and interprofessional training: The sample DMD curriculum in OHSU's interview folder includes Year 1 courses in SDH, Social Justice & Equity, Foundations of Patient Safety & Interprofessional Practice, and Principles of Public Health & Preventive Dentistry.
Community-based rotations: Dental students take part in supervised off-campus educational experiences, and the Year 4 curriculum requires Community Based Rotations (CDEN 740) across all 4 terms alongside Comprehensive Care.
Honors and elective options: OHSU offers honors clinical electives in advanced restorative techniques, implantology, and advanced education areas such as endodontology and behavioral sciences.

OHSU dental school practice questions and how to prepare

We wrote the practice questions below around the selection criteria, personal qualities, and curriculum features OHSU puts in writing. Use them to practice speaking clearly on camera, and see our main guide to dental school interview questions for more topics.

Because your interview is by teleconference, follow the virtual interview checklist from the ADEA AADSAS Interview Dos and Don'ts flyer: verify the time zone (Portland is on Pacific Time), test your webcam and internet connection ahead of time, sit in a clean, well-lit room with a neutral background and no window backlighting, silence your phone and smart watch, and be in front of your webcam early. Keep pen and paper nearby rather than typing notes on your device.

Why OHSU School of Dentistry, and how does our focus on educating general practitioners fit your career plans?
Tell us about a patient interaction you observed during your general practice shadowing hours that shaped your view of day-to-day dentistry.
OHSU is the only academic health center in Oregon, and our fundamental purpose is to improve the health of all Oregonians. How have you served your own community, and who do you hope to serve as a dentist?
1st-year students here see their first patient in the fall quarter in a preventive dentistry course. Tell us about a time you had to explain something unfamiliar to someone who was nervous.
Our technical standards ask for the emotional stability to handle stress, uncertainty, and changing circumstances. Tell us about a term or project where plans changed suddenly and how you handled it.
Describe a time on a team or at work when you noticed an ethical problem or a mistake. What did you do, and what was the outcome?
For out-of-state applicants: What draws you to training in Oregon, and how do you see yourself contributing to patients in the Pacific Northwest during your 4 years here and after graduation?
Tell us about a skill you built with your hands over a long period of time, including a moment when your progress stalled and how you improved.

Application steps, prerequisites, and deadlines for 2026-27

Because OHSU uses rolling admissions and interviews from September through March, its timeline recommends submitting your ADEA AADSAS application between May and August and taking the US DAT in the summer (June through August) so there is time to retake it if needed. The final deadline for ADEA AADSAS, official DAT scores, and the $75.00 non-refundable OHSU processing fee is January 1.

All prerequisite courses must be completed at an accredited US or Canadian college or university for a letter grade of C or higher. Pass/No Pass credit does not fulfill prerequisites unless you attend one of the very few schools that offer only P/NP grades for lab courses. OHSU does not set a cap on community college credits, and it has no statute of limitations on older coursework, though it strongly prefers rigorous, full-time basic science enrollment and recommends completing at least 3 or 4 upper-division (300 to 400 level) science courses at a 4-year institution.

Eligible DMD students admitted between 2014-15 and 2026-27 are covered by the OHSU Tuition Promise, which means their tuition rate does not increase over their 1st-year rate while completing the degree within the normal 4-year timeline (fees, books, supplies, and living expenses can still change). Ready to rehearse your teleconference interview answers out loud? Start your free week.

OHSU School of Dentistry prerequisites and application requirements

Requirement	OHSU policy and details
Pre-dental credit hours and degree	Minimum 3 years (90 semester or 135 quarter hours) suggested at application. A bachelor's degree prior to matriculation is strongly preferred
General biology with labs	3 quarters or 2 semesters (completed in sequence, along with general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics)
General chemistry with labs	3 quarters or 2 semesters
Organic chemistry with labs	2 quarters or 2 semesters
Physics with labs	3 quarters or 2 semesters
Biochemistry	1 quarter or 1 semester (lab is highly recommended, not required)
English composition	3 quarters or 2 semesters (or minimum credits to meet your institution's bachelor's requirement)
Math / statistics	1 quarter or 1 semester (courses satisfying your institution's B.A. or B.S. requirement)
Highly recommended upper-division courses	3 or 4 courses at the 300 to 400 level from anatomy (1 year), physiology (1 year), cell/molecular biology, microbiology, genetics, neuroanatomy, histology, or pathology
DAT policy	US DAT only (Canadian DAT not accepted). Only the most recent scores are considered, and scores cannot be older than 3 years
Letters of evaluation	2 letters from basic science faculty + 1 from a dentist you shadowed/worked with, OR 1 pre-professional committee letter (plus a supplemental dentist letter if not included)
Dental observation	At least 50 documented clinical hours recommended prior to application, with at least 25 hours in a general practice setting
Processing fee	$75.00 non-refundable processing fee paid online to OHSU by January 1

OHSU Dental dental school practice question (written by us, not OHSU Dental)

Why do you want to train at OHSU School of Dentistry, and how have your clinical observation and service experiences prepared you to care for patients in Oregon?

Example answer (written by us, invented applicant)

Example answer written by our team. The applicant is invented. "I want to train at OHSU because my goal is to practice general dentistry in a community clinic in Oregon, and OHSU builds that training into all 4 years. When I shadowed a general dentist in Salem for 40 hours, what stayed with me was how much of her day was prevention and patient education. One afternoon, a patient came in for an extraction after avoiding the dentist for 6 years out of cost and embarrassment. She spent 10 minutes listening and walking him through a step-by-step plan to save his remaining teeth before touching an instrument. At the food pantry where I volunteered on Saturdays, I had similar conversations helping Spanish-speaking families sign up for local health resources. At OHSU, I will see my first patient in the fall quarter of Year 1 in a preventive dentistry course. I will also take Year 1 courses in social determinants of health and interprofessional practice. Spending all 4 terms of Year 4 in required community-based rotations alongside comprehensive care matches the exact kind of general dentist I want to become."

Why this answer works: It names the applicant's goal in the first sentence. It connects a concrete moment from general practice shadowing, which OHSU specifically recommends, with community service. It also cites real features of OHSU's DMD curriculum: fall-quarter Year 1 patient contact in preventive dentistry, Year 1 social determinants and interprofessional coursework, and Year 4 community-based rotations.

OHSU Dental dental school interview FAQ

Is the OHSU dental school interview virtual or in person?

OHSU conducts its DMD interviews virtually via teleconference with members of the admissions committee. Check your interview invitation email for the exact video platform link and schedule.

When does OHSU send dental school interview invitations and acceptance letters?

Applicants are invited to interview with the School of Dentistry between September and March. Acceptance letters are sent between December and March on a rolling admissions cycle.

Does OHSU School of Dentistry give preference to Oregon and WICHE residents?

Yes. OHSU gives first priority to Oregon residents (who make up the majority of the class, including 40 of 77 admitted students in the Class of 2030), second priority to residents of WICHE participating western states (Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Wyoming), third priority to residents of remaining US states, and fourth priority to Canadians and current F-1 visa holders.

What GPA and DAT scores are competitive for OHSU dental school?

For the 77 students admitted to the DMD Class of 2030, the average overall GPA was 3.76, the average science GPA was 3.71, and the average non-science GPA was 3.87. Average DAT scores were 444 Academic, 451 Total Science, and 456 Perceptual Ability.

What are the OHSU dental school application deadline and supplemental fee?

The ADEA AADSAS application deadline, priority DAT score receipt deadline, and deadline to pay OHSU's $75.00 non-refundable online processing fee are all January 1. Because admission is rolling, OHSU recommends completing ADEA AADSAS between May and August.

Sources, checked November 3, 2026:

Confetto isn't affiliated with Oregon Health & Science University. Everything here about the school comes from its public pages, checked in November 2026.

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