Updated October 25, 2026

Loma Linda Dental School Interview: Format, Dates and Tips

What happens at the Loma Linda dental school interview, how you get one, and how it decides your offer.

Loma Linda University School of Dentistry requires a formal personal interview, by invitation only, after it reviews your supplemental application, DAT, transcripts and letters. The interview assesses communication, core values, motivation, passion for dentistry and concern for others, and includes a tour of the school. Loma Linda does not publish who interviews you or how long it lasts.

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Key facts (2027 entry)

Format: A formal personal interview, by invitation only. Loma Linda does not publish the length or who is on the panel.
Online or in person: The Catalog says invited applicants come to the school for the interview, and a tour of the school is given at that time.
What it assesses: Communication skills, core values, motivation, passion for the profession, and genuine concern for others in the service of dentistry.
Who is picked: Applicants whose supplemental application, DAT scores, transcripts and recommendations are on file and reviewed. DAT scores must be in before an invitation.
Deadline: AADSAS between June 1 and November 1, 2026. Loma Linda strongly recommends applying within the first two months.
Shadowing: At least 50 hours before you interview, 20 of them with a general dentist. 100 hours are recommended.
Offers: December to March. Acceptances are mailed and emailed, and all other decisions are emailed only.

What happens on the interview day

Loma Linda invites selected applicants to the school for a formal personal interview, with a tour. It publishes what the interview is for, but not its length or panel.

Personal interview. Required for admission and by invitation only.
Noncognitive focus. The Catalog says the interview evaluates communication skills, core values, motivation, passion for the profession, and genuine concern for others in the service of dentistry.
School tour. A tour of the school is given at the time of the interview.
Format not published. Loma Linda does not say who interviews you, how long it takes, or whether it is one-on-one or a panel.

Know the faith side. Loma Linda is a Seventh-day Adventist organization and asks for a spiritual recommendation. Be ready to talk about your values and service in your own words, whatever your background.

How offers are decided

Admission rests on your GPA, your DAT and the personal interview. Loma Linda does not publish how much each part counts.

What the committee looks for. Scholastic competence, high moral and ethical standards, and strong qualities of character and personality.
Service and faith. The Catalog's standards include a commitment to a dynamic spiritual journey and service to mankind.
December to March. Acceptance letters are mailed and emailed. Accepted students also get a phone call and a letter signed by the Dean.
Two deposits. A $1,000 nonrefundable deposit holds your place, and a second $1,000 is due May 1.

How you get an interview

Your file is screened once the supplemental application, recommendations, transcripts and DAT scores are all on file. Then you may be invited.

Supplemental application. Sent by email after LLUSD receives your AADSAS file. Return it within 30 days with a Loma Linda essay, a photograph and a $150 fee.
Spiritual recommendation. A spiritual recommendation form goes in with the supplemental. The three AADSAS letters come from an employer or dental professional, a pre-professional committee, or a science professor.
DAT on file. Scores must reach Loma Linda before you can be invited. Preference goes to applicants who test by the end of summer or by October.
Grades. The minimum GPA is 2.7. Loma Linda recommends 3.5 or higher to be competitive, and DAT scores of 20 or above in all areas (old scale).
Shadowing. At least 50 hours of observation or work in a dental facility before you interview, 20 of them with a general dentist. Dental assisting experience is recommended.

Course rules to check

In person, in the U.S. or Canada. All science prerequisites must be taken in person, in the U.S. or Canada. AP science credit is not accepted.
Five-year window. Science sequences must be completed within five years, with a C or higher.
96 semester units. At least 96 semester or 144 quarter units. A bachelor's degree is preferred.

Dates for 2027 entry

Loma Linda's DDS class starts in summer 2027. Its own deadline is earlier than the AADSAS cycle close.

June 2, 2026. First day to submit an AADSAS application.
Before August. The Catalog recommends submitting AADSAS before August because of the high volume of applicants.
July to February. Supplemental applications are returned within 30 days of each invitation.
November 1, 2026. Final AADSAS deadline for Loma Linda.
December to March. Acceptances go out.

Virtual info sessions. LLUSD lists Zoom information sessions on November 18 and December 16, 2026, and January 20, 2027.

How to prepare

Loma Linda tells you what it scores, so build your answers around those qualities.

Prepare a story for each quality. Communication, core values, motivation, passion for dentistry and concern for others. Have one real example for each.
Know the mission. The DDS program aims for care that is preventive in purpose, comprehensive in scope, based on sound biological principles and focused on service. Be ready to say why prevention matters to you.
Use the LLU values. Loma Linda names compassion, excellence, humility, integrity, justice, teamwork and wholeness. Wholeness means caring for the whole person, so link oral health to a patient's wider life.
Show your hands. Loma Linda recommends ceramics and sculpture courses. If you do fine handwork, have a story about it ready.

Bring your shadowing to life. With 50 hours required before you interview, expect to talk about what you saw. Pick one patient moment that taught you something.

Practice questions

Questions in the style of a Personal interview (at the school) station, written for applicants to Loma Linda University School of Dentistry (LLUSD). They are practice questions, not the school's own. Open one for what a strong answer does.

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 tie them to why prevention serves patients better than emergency care.

A patient comes into your practice in terrible pain from an infected tooth, but tells the front desk they just lost their job and have no money at all. How do you handle this?

Put the patient's safety first, then look for realistic options like payment plans or community clinics.

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 the risk of unfinished care, and suggest ways to make the visits safer and more useful.

Working with your hands often means turning a two-dimensional picture or set of instructions into a three-dimensional action. Tell us about a time you did this successfully outside of school.

Pick a specific hobby or task, describe the steps you took, and show how you checked your own work.

Dental anxiety often comes from a fear of losing control. As a future dentist, how will you help patients feel in control while they're lying back in your chair?

Give concrete steps like explaining each stage and agreeing on a stop signal, and show real empathy.

As a dentist, your 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?

Use a real example of how oral health connects to overall health, and show how a dentist cares for the whole person.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Loma Linda dental school interview required?

Yes. A formal personal interview is required for admission to the DDS program, and it is by invitation only.

What does the Loma Linda dental interview assess?

Noncognitive factors: communication skills, core values, motivation, passion for the profession, and genuine concern for others in the service of dentistry.

How many shadowing hours does Loma Linda dental require?

At least 50 hours of observation or dental work before you interview, with 20 of them under a general dentist. Loma Linda recommends 100 hours.

What is the Loma Linda dental application deadline?

Submit AADSAS between June 1 and November 1, 2026 for the class starting in summer 2027. Loma Linda strongly recommends applying within the first two months.

What is the Loma Linda dental supplemental application?

An emailed invitation after your AADSAS file arrives. You return it within 30 days with a Loma Linda essay, a photo, a $150 fee and a spiritual recommendation form.

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.

Loma Linda University School of Dentistry: Dentistry, DDS Program · read October 25, 2026
Loma Linda University 2026-2027 Catalog: Dentistry, D.D.S. · read October 25, 2026
Loma Linda University: Dentistry, DDS · read October 25, 2026
Loma Linda University School of Dentistry: Information Sessions · read October 25, 2026
ADEA AADSAS Applicant Help Center: Application Cycle Dates · read October 25, 2026