Columbia Dental School Interview (Kira and Zoom): Format and Dates
What happens at the Columbia dental school interview, how you get one, and how it decides your offer.
Columbia's College of Dental Medicine has two steps you may meet. Designated applicants complete an online, recorded Kira Talent video assessment. Selected applicants are then invited to interview, and its Apply page says interviews run on Fridays from September to February via Zoom. Columbia gets more than 2,000 applications for about 92 seats.
Key facts (2027 entry)
- Video assessment
- An online, asynchronous Kira Talent assessment for designated applicants, run as a recorded video interview. Details come by email once your application meets all requirements.
- Interview
- By invitation. Columbia does not publish whether it is one-on-one or a panel, or how long it lasts.
- Online or in person
- Online. The Apply page says interviews take place via Zoom.
- When
- Invitations from August, then interviews on Fridays from September to February. The Apply page does not name a cycle.
- Who is picked
- More than 2,000 applications a year for about 92 seats. Upper-level science is preferred because of Columbia's biomedical curriculum.
- Deadline
- December 31 is the last day to submit AADSAS to Columbia. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis from August.
What the Kira assessment and interview involve
Columbia uses a recorded video assessment for designated applicants and a Zoom interview for selected ones. It publishes few details about either.
The Kira Talent assessment
- Recorded, not live. An online asynchronous Kira Talent assessment, run as a video interview so Columbia can meet candidates virtually.
- Your chance to add more. Columbia says it lets you give more information about your potential match with the program.
- Details by email. Columbia sends instructions once your application is received and meets all requirements. It does not publish the number of questions or the timing.
The interview
- By invitation. Selected applicants are invited to interview, and invitations come through the AADSAS portal.
- Fridays on Zoom. The Apply page says interviews are on Fridays from September to February, via Zoom, except holidays.
- Format not published. Columbia does not say who interviews you, how many interviewers there are, or how long it lasts.
Practice to a camera. A recorded assessment gives no nods or follow-ups. Practice timed answers to a webcam and watch them back.
How offers are decided
Columbia makes offers on a rolling basis and keeps reviewing through the spring. It does not publish how the Kira assessment or the interview is scored.
- First offers. The Apply page lists December 1 for first offers. ADEA's traffic guidelines say schools may not tell applicants of acceptance before December 15, so watch for the date in your own emails.
- 30 days to answer. If you get an offer, Columbia gives you 30 days to respond.
- Waitlist. You have seven days to say you want to stay on the waitlist. Waitlisted candidates are considered from February through July.
How you get an interview
The Admissions Committee reviews applications on a rolling basis from August. It reviews each applicant as a whole and sets no minimum GPA or DAT.
- What Columbia weighs. Academic achievement and rigor, DAT scores, higher-level science, leadership and community service, plus integrity and a passion for healthcare.
- Who it wants. People who add to a collaborative student body, contribute through outreach and volunteering, and make innovative and creative contributions.
- Upper-level science. Applicants with strong higher-level sciences get preference because of the biomedical curriculum.
- Letters. Three letters from science professors or one pre-health committee letter, through AADSAS. Extra letters from employers or non-science professors do not meet the requirement.
- Fee. A $75 non-refundable supplemental fee, paid by card when you submit AADSAS.
Grades and scores
Columbia looks for grades and DAT scores in line with its current students. The class that entered in 2025 averaged a 3.8 GPA and a DAT of 24, against a national average of about 19.
Dates and other details
Columbia's Apply page gives a timeline without a year. These are its dates, set beside the AADSAS dates for this cycle.
Dates for 2027 entry
- June 2, 2026. First day to submit an AADSAS application. Columbia says it accepts applications from June 1.
- August. Review and interview invitations begin, on a rolling basis.
- September to February. Friday interviews on Zoom.
- December 31. Last day to submit your AADSAS application to Columbia.
- March to April. The waitlist is used to fill the class.
The program
Columbia is one of four US dental schools that train students alongside medical students. The first 18 months are shared with the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and grading is pass/fail.
How to prepare
You may face a recorded video first and a live Zoom interview later, so practice both.
- Time your answers. For the Kira assessment, practice short, structured answers that make one clear point and finish on time.
- Know why Columbia. Its curriculum treats dentistry as the oral health specialty of medicine. Be ready to say why learning next to medical students matters to you.
- Bring a service story. Columbia names outreach, volunteering and community service. Have one example with a clear result.
- Set up for Zoom. Test your camera, light and sound, and use a quiet room with a plain background.
One point per answer. Recorded answers go wrong when they ramble. Say your point first, give one example, then stop.
Practice questions
Questions in the style of a Kira video + Zoom interview station, written for applicants to Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (CDM). They are practice questions, not the school's own. Open one for what a strong answer does.
Describe a time you failed at something because you were overconfident in your natural ability and didn't prepare enough.
Be honest about the failure, then show exactly how you changed the way you prepare.
Tell us about a time you were on a team where the members had very different work ethics. How did you establish a common standard?
Show how you set expectations without blaming anyone, and what the team achieved.
Many low-income adults only see a dentist when they are in severe pain. How could a community clinic with tight resources shift these patients toward preventive care?
Offer two or three practical ideas and explain why each would work on a small budget.
Dentistry is often described as a blend of art, science and patient care. Which of the three do you expect will be the hardest for you to master, and why?
Pick one honestly, and show a plan for how you will get better at it.
Tell us about a time you damaged equipment or materials that belonged to someone else. How did you break the news to them?
Show that you told them quickly and directly, took responsibility and fixed what you could.
In medicine, a physician might prescribe a medication and wait weeks to see if it works, while a dentist often diagnoses and treats in the same visit. How does that immediacy fit the way you like to work?
Connect it to something you have done, and show you value medicine's wider view as well.
Frequently asked questions
Does Columbia dental use Kira Talent?
Yes. Designated applicants are invited to an online, asynchronous Kira Talent assessment, run as a recorded video interview. Columbia sends details by email once your application meets all requirements.
Is the Columbia dental interview virtual?
Yes. Columbia's Apply page says interviews are held on Fridays from September to February via Zoom.
What is Columbia dental's application deadline?
December 31 is the last day to submit your AADSAS application to Columbia. Review is rolling, so earlier is better.
What GPA and DAT do you need for Columbia dental?
There is no minimum. The class that entered in 2025 averaged a 3.8 GPA and a DAT of 24.
How many students does Columbia dental admit?
About 92 a year, from more than 2,000 applications.
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.
- Columbia College of Dental Medicine: DDS Admissions Requirements · read October 24, 2026
- Columbia College of Dental Medicine: DDS Admissions and Application · read October 24, 2026
- Columbia College of Dental Medicine: Apply (DDS) · read October 24, 2026
- Columbia College of Dental Medicine: DDS Program FAQ · read October 24, 2026
- Columbia College of Dental Medicine: DDS Curriculum · read October 24, 2026
- ADEA: Traffic Guidelines for offers of admission · read October 24, 2026
- ADEA AADSAS Applicant Help Center: Application Cycle Dates · read October 24, 2026