Updated October 25, 2026

Maryland Dental School Interview: Virtual Format, Dates and Tips

What happens at the University of Maryland dental school interview, how you get one, and how it decides your offer.

The University of Maryland School of Dentistry interviews DDS applicants virtually, from mid-September to late February. Invitations come by email and you self-schedule a slot. Maryland does not publish the interview's length or format, but the interview outcome is one of the key personal factors in its decisions. The application deadline is December 15, 2026.

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Key facts (2027 entry)

Format: A personal interview. Maryland does not publish its length, the number of interviewers or the question style.
Online or in person: Virtual. You self-schedule after an emailed invitation.
When: Mid-September to late February.
Who is picked: Initial review looks at GPA, DAT, pre-dental association membership and shadowing hours. More than two unfinished prerequisites will prevent an invitation.
Shadowing: At least 100 hours with a general dentist (a specialist is accepted if no general dentist is available).
Last year's class: Average GPA about 3.7 and DAT about 440 (21 on the old scale). Maryland residents get preferential consideration.
Deadline: AADSAS complete and verified, with official U.S. DAT scores, by December 15, 2026. Then a $90 supplemental with no fee waivers.

What happens on the interview day

Maryland runs all its DDS interviews online. It publishes when and how you book, but not what the interview looks like.

Email invite. Invitations arrive by email with instructions to self-schedule, based on available slots.
Virtual. Interviews at UMSOD are conducted virtually.
Faculty and students. Maryland's FAQ refers to the faculty members and students you interview with, and asks you to send thank-you notes through the Office of Admissions.
Format not published. Maryland does not say how long the interview lasts or whether it is one-on-one or a panel.

Book early. Slots are self-scheduled based on availability, and review is rolling. Pick a date soon after your invite arrives.

How offers are decided

The Committee on Dental Recruitment and Admissions, made up of faculty, students and alumni, makes every decision. It weighs grades and the DAT alongside personal factors, including the interview.

Academics. Your grades, the quality of your programs and your DAT. Maryland wants GPA and DAT scores above the national averages.
Personal factors. Your AADSAS essay, letters, knowledge of the dental profession, extracurricular and leadership activities, and the outcome of the personal interview.
Rolling offers. Made until the class is filled. You are notified online, so keep your email current.
Deposits. $1,000 with your acceptance and another $1,000 by April 1, both nonrefundable. There are no deferrals.

How you get an interview

Maryland reviews files in the order they are submitted. Nothing is reviewed until your supplemental and its fee are in.

First screen. GPA, DAT scores, membership in a pre-dental association, and hours of shadowing.
Supplemental. Sent once your verified AADSAS file arrives, through Slate, with a $90 fee. There are no fee waivers.
Unfinished courses. Most prerequisites should be done when you apply. More than two in progress or planned will prevent an interview invitation.
Letters. A pre-professional committee package (or one science professor) plus a letter from a dentist you shadowed. There is no substitute for the dentist letter.
DAT retakes. If you say you will retake the DAT, your file stays on hold until the new scores arrive. Maryland uses your most recent score.

Course rules to check

10-year window. Prerequisites must be within 10 years of starting, except English composition. Nothing before Fall 2017 counts this cycle.
C or higher. A C- is not accepted, and all requirements must be done by June 30.
90 credit hours. A bachelor's degree is strongly encouraged, but three years (90 credit hours) may be considered.

Dates for 2027 entry

Maryland's December 15 deadline is final, but rolling review means earlier files are read first.

June 2, 2026. First day to submit an AADSAS application.
Mid-September. Virtual interviews begin.
December 15, 2026. AADSAS complete and verified, and official U.S. DAT scores received. DATs from 2024 or later count, and Canadian DAT scores are not accepted.
Late February 2027. Interviews end.
June 30, 2027. Any outstanding prerequisites must be finished.

How to prepare

Maryland says what it weighs, so make sure each part shows up in your answers.

Know the profession. Knowledge of dentistry is a named factor. Have specific moments from your 100+ shadowing hours ready, including what surprised you.
Bring a leadership story. Leadership activities are also named. Pick one where you made a hard call or settled a conflict.
Talk about your hands. Maryland calls fine manual dexterity essential, with examples like model building, knitting, cross stitch, pipetting and embroidery. Have one example ready.
Know the program. Students start patient care in the first year and treat emergency, medically compromised and special-needs patients. Be ready to say why that appeals to you.
Set up for video. Use a quiet room, light in front of you and a stable connection. Look at the camera when you speak.

Thank-you notes. Send them to the Office of Admissions, which forwards them to your interviewers.

Practice questions

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

Tell us about a time you had to do a delicate task with your non-dominant hand. How did you train yourself to do it?

Focus on how you practiced and improved, which shows you can build hand skills deliberately.

While shadowing, did you ever see a patient ask the dentist a clinical question they couldn't answer right away? How did the dentist handle it, and what did it teach you about professional humility?

Describe the real moment, then link it to honesty and humility in your own future practice.

During your shadowing, you may have seen a patient disagree with a dentist's diagnosis. Tell us exactly how the dentist calmed the situation without backing down clinically.

Focus on how the dentist communicated and kept trust, and what you learned from it.

Tell us about a time you had to mediate a dispute between two peers who refused to work together on a shared project.

Show how you listened to both sides, found common ground and got the work done.

You are a dentist at a city council meeting. A council member wants to stop fluoridating the town's water to save money, arguing that toothpaste already has enough fluoride. Make the case for keeping it.

Use plain language, respect the budget concern, and explain who would be hurt most if fluoridation stopped.

A lot of dentistry is about managing chronic conditions like tooth decay and gum disease over a patient's lifetime, rather than curing something once. How does that long-term focus fit your personality?

Tie your answer to something you already do with patience over time, and show you see value in long relationships.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Maryland dental school interview virtual?

Yes. Interviews at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry are conducted virtually, and you self-schedule after an emailed invitation.

When are Maryland dental interviews?

They begin each cycle in mid-September and end in late February.

How many shadowing hours does Maryland dental require?

At least 100 hours with a general dentist, or a specialist if no general dentist is available. Hours can be split across more than one practice.

What GPA and DAT do you need for Maryland dental?

Maryland's FAQ gives averages rather than cutoffs: last year's D1 class averaged about a 3.7 GPA and a DAT of about 440 (21 on the old scale).

Does Maryland dental prefer in-state applicants?

There is no residency requirement, but Maryland residents receive preferential consideration.

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.

University of Maryland School of Dentistry: DDS Application Process & Timeline · read October 25, 2026
University of Maryland School of Dentistry: DDS Academic Coursework and Prerequisites · read October 25, 2026
University of Maryland School of Dentistry: Admissions FAQ · read October 25, 2026
University of Maryland School of Dentistry: Doctor of Dental Surgery Program (DDS) · read October 25, 2026
ADEA AADSAS Applicant Help Center: Application Cycle Dates · read October 25, 2026