Colorado Dental School Interview (CU Anschutz): Format and Dates
What happens at the CU Anschutz dental school interview, how you get one, and how it decides your offer.
CU Anschutz invites DDS applicants to campus for a formal interview and a tour of the school, by invitation only, after the admissions office reviews the full application. The school does not publish the interview's format or length. The interview is one of the factors in its holistic review, and you need 50 shadowing hours even to be considered.
Key facts (2027 entry)
- Format
- A formal interview. The school does not publish its length, style or who interviews.
- Online or in person
- On campus in Aurora, with a tour of the school.
- Who is picked
- Invitation only, after the admissions office reviews your completed application. Applicants with under 50 shadowing hours are not reviewed or considered for interview.
- How it counts
- Holistic review of academics, test scores, letters and the interview. Race and gender are not considered at any stage.
- Casper
- Not required.
- Deadline
- File by October 15, 2026. The application must be complete and verified by October 22.
- Offers
- Rolling, as early as December 13, and may run through March of the admission year.
What happens on the interview day
CU Anschutz says only that invited applicants come to campus for a formal interview and a tour of the school. It does not describe the format.
- Formal interview. The school does not publish how long it lasts, how many interviewers you meet or whether it uses MMI stations.
- Tour. The visit includes a tour of the school. Campus tours for prospective students show the dental clinics, classrooms, haptics lab and student lounge.
- Expect questions on your file. Since the format is not published, prepare to talk through anything in your AADSAS application, from shadowing to activities.
Visiting before an invite does not help. CU Anschutz says walk-ins are highly discouraged and give candidates no advantage. Book a scheduled tour or virtual session instead.
How offers are decided
CU Anschutz uses holistic review. It weighs academic credentials, test scores, letters and the invitation-only interview.
- Rolling admission. Offers start as early as December 13 and may run through March, so applying early matters.
- Race and gender. Not considered at any stage, including application review, interview and final decisions.
- Weighting. The school does not publish how much the interview counts.
How you get an interview
The admissions office reviews only completed applications, then may invite you to interview. There is no DAT cutoff, but scores close to the latest entering class averages are considered competitive.
- 50 shadowing hours. Required and finished by the time you submit. Without them, your application is not reviewed or considered for interview.
- Three letters. Two from science professors who taught and graded you, plus one of your choice. A pre-health committee letter can replace them.
- DAT by October 15. Scores must arrive before the deadline, so do not test after August 31. The Canadian DAT is not accepted.
- $150 school fee. Paid online by card, separate from AADSAS. It is waived if you qualify for the AADSAS Fee Assistance Program.
- Activities. Report every extracurricular on AADSAS with how often you did it, for how long, and your key duties.
Coursework
- 90 semester hours. The minimum, with 30 upper-division credits. A bachelor's degree is strongly encouraged.
- Science within 10 years. All science courses must fall within 10 years of your application, with a C or better.
- In person preferred. Since summer 2023, online coursework is discouraged. Transfer students are not accepted.
Dates for 2027 entry
CU Anschutz applies through ADEA AADSAS. These are the dates for the class entering in 2027.
- June 2, 2026. First day you could submit an AADSAS application.
- August 31, 2026. Last sensible DAT date so scores arrive in time.
- October 15, 2026. Latest filing date and the DAT score deadline.
- October 22, 2026. Your application must be complete and verified.
- From December 13. First acceptances, then rolling offers that may run through March 2027.
How to prepare
With no published format, prepare for a classic conversation about you, your shadowing and why this school.
- Know ACTS. Fourth-year students spend nearly half the year in community clinics across Colorado through the ACTS program. Be ready to say how that fits your goals.
- Know the mission. The school names four mission areas: education, research, patient care and community engagement. Link your own experiences to one or two of them.
- Mine your shadowing. You logged at least 50 hours. Pick two moments that taught you something about patients or the job, and tell them in under two minutes each.
- Practice out loud. Answer a few ethics and teamwork questions aloud each week, then cut anything that does not answer the question.
Have questions ready. Ask about clinic hours, ACTS sites or interprofessional work. It shows you have read about the school.
Practice questions
Questions in the style of a Formal interview (on campus) station, written for applicants to University of Colorado Anschutz School of Dental Medicine. They are practice questions, not the school's own. Open one for what a strong answer does.
In rural areas without a local dentist, people with toothaches often end up in the emergency room, where they may get pain relief or antibiotics but no dental treatment. If you practiced in a nearby town, what steps could you take to reach these patients before they end up in the ER?
Offer concrete steps, like partnering with the ER or schools, and be honest about what one dentist can do.
A mobile dental clinic visits a rural school once a year, and follow-up care is almost impossible to arrange. What are the ethical pros and cons of providing one-time treatment in this setting?
Weigh real benefit against harm from unfinished care, and suggest what the clinic should treat or avoid.
You're a pre-dental volunteer on a dental outreach trip. The autoclave has broken, and the lead dentist starts soaking surgical instruments in household bleach between patients, saying it's better than turning patients away. What do you do?
Put patient safety first, raise it with the dentist directly and respectfully, and look for a safe way to keep helping patients.
As a dentist, your clinical focus is mostly the mouth, head and neck. During your shadowing, did you ever worry that you'd miss out on caring for the whole person the way a primary care physician does?
Show how oral health ties to overall health and how dentists work with other health professionals.
Tell me about a day while shadowing when the schedule fell completely apart. How did the dentist keep the team's morale up and the patients happy?
Describe what the dentist actually did, then say what you would copy in your own practice.
Tell us about a time you had to mediate a dispute between two peers who refused to work together on a shared project.
Show that you listened to both sides, found common ground, and got the work done.
Frequently asked questions
Is the CU Anschutz dental interview in person?
Yes. Invited applicants come to campus in Aurora for a formal interview and a tour of the school.
Does CU Anschutz dental use an MMI?
The school does not say. It describes a formal interview and does not publish the format, length or who interviews.
Does CU Anschutz require Casper?
No. The DDS apply page says the school does not require the CASPer, and supplemental materials are needed only on request.
How many shadowing hours does CU Anschutz dental require?
50 hours of dental shadowing, finished when you submit. Applicants below 50 hours are not reviewed or considered for interview.
When does CU Anschutz send dental acceptances?
Acceptances are offered as early as December 13 and continue on a rolling basis, possibly through March of the admission year.
Sources
Official pages only, read on the date shown. Schools change their process every year, so check the school's own page before you apply.
- CU Anschutz School of Dental Medicine: DDS How to Apply · read October 25, 2026
- CU Anschutz School of Dental Medicine: Doctor of Dental Surgery Program · read October 25, 2026
- CU Anschutz School of Dental Medicine: Visit Us (DDS) · read October 25, 2026
- CU Anschutz School of Dental Medicine: ACTS Program · read October 25, 2026
- CU Anschutz School of Dental Medicine: Mission, Vision, Goals and Values · read October 25, 2026
- ADEA AADSAS Applicant Help Center: Application Cycle Dates · read October 25, 2026