UT Health San Antonio Dental School Interview: Format and Dates
What happens at the UT Health San Antonio dental school interview, how you get one, and how it decides your offer.
At UT Health San Antonio's School of Dentistry, a faculty member and a third- or fourth-year dental student interview you. Interviews start in August and end in January, with two to three weeks' notice. The day also covers the program and financial aid, plus lunch with enrolled students. First offers go out December 15.
Key facts (2027 entry)
- Format
- An interview with a faculty member and a third- or fourth-year student. Length is not published.
- Interview day
- Information on the program and financial aid, and lunch with enrolled students.
- When
- Interviews begin in August and end in January. Invitations come by email two to three weeks ahead.
- Who is picked
- Competitive review of DAT section scores, coursework, background, service, geography (especially South Texas), letters and your essay. Texas residents get preference.
- Minimums
- 2.8 BCPM GPA, 390 DAT Academic Average, 90 semester hours. No set shadowing or service hours.
- Class
- Up to 100 students.
- Application
- TMDSAS by October 1, 2026. No supplemental application or fee.
What happens on the interview day
The school answers this directly: a faculty member and a third- or fourth-year student conduct the interview. The rest of the day is about getting to know the school.
- Two interviewers. A faculty member and a third- or fourth-year dental student. The selection rules also mention Admissions Committee members and trained volunteers.
- Program and aid. You get information about the program and financial aid.
- Lunch with students. You meet enrolled students over lunch.
- Business professional. The school's tips page asks for business professional dress, and notes South Texas can be warm even in winter.
Questions the school lists
The school's Interview Tips page lists potential questions, adapted from the American Student Dental Association. A few of them:
- Experience. Your experience with dentistry, and what sets you apart from other applicants.
- Your record. Why you withdrew from a class, other schools you applied to, and your hand-eye coordination.
- Your future. Plans after graduation, where you see yourself in 10 years, and what you would like to improve about yourself.
Reread your application. The tips page warns that interviewers will likely ask about what you submitted, so remember what you wrote.
How offers are decided
After interviews, a six-member faculty Admissions Selection Subcommittee reviews each applicant. It weighs many factors, in no set order.
- The interview. Your personal interview, and the verbal communication skills you show in it.
- Bilingual ability. Speaking more than one language is a listed factor.
- Underserved Texas. Commitment to serve a medically underserved region of the state after graduation, shown in your statement or interview. A hometown in a shortage area, especially in South Texas, also counts.
- Adversity and work. Overcoming hard personal or family conditions, and working while you studied.
- Your goals. Future goals, from your statement or the interview.
If you hear nothing on December 15. More acceptances follow on a rolling basis in January until the class is full.
How you get an interview
Interviews are granted competitively, and the school lists the factors it weighs. Preference goes to Texas residents, and only outstanding nonresidents are considered.
- DAT sections. Especially the science scores for Biology, Inorganic and Organic Chemistry.
- Coursework. Course loads, upper-division science, where you studied and over what time.
- Background. Your parents' education, socioeconomic situation, barriers you faced, and circumstances that affected your grades.
- Geography. South Texas and homes in rural or underserved areas are considered.
- Shadowing and service. No minimum hours, but the committee values depth and breadth of clinical observation and dental, health and people-focused activities.
Dates for 2027 entry
Texas and non-Texas residents both apply through TMDSAS. These are TMDSAS's 2027 entry dates and the school's own timeline.
- May 15, 2026. TMDSAS submission opened.
- August 2026. The school begins interviewing.
- October 1, 2026. TMDSAS deadline, with no extensions. Letters are due October 15.
- December 1, 2026. Last day for DAT scores to reach TMDSAS for this cycle.
- December 15, 2026. First offers, then rolling offers in January. Accepted students pay a $100 non-refundable enrollment deposit.
- January 2027. The school finishes interviewing.
How to prepare
The school tells you what it values, so build your answers around those points.
- Why dentistry, in 2 to 3 minutes. The tips page says to be ready to share why you are pursuing the profession clearly and confidently in two to three minutes.
- Why this school. It also says to know why UT Health San Antonio is the best place for you, which may take real research.
- Know the issues. Be ready to speak about current trends and studies in dentistry.
- Tell your South Texas story. If you have ties to South Texas or an underserved area, say so plainly. The school weighs commitment to serving those regions.
Follow up. The tips page suggests asking interviewers for a business card and sending a thank-you note or email.
Practice questions
Questions in the style of a Interview (faculty member and student) station, written for applicants to UT San Antonio School of Dentistry (UT Health San Antonio). They are practice questions, not the school's own. Open one for what a strong answer does.
Suppose a state program offered to forgive all of your dental school loans in exchange for ten years of practice in an isolated, underserved community. What personal and professional factors would you weigh before accepting?
Be honest about the trade-offs and show you have thought about the community's needs, not just the money.
A patient comes into your private 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?
Address the pain and infection first, then look for realistic options like payment plans or community clinics.
You are a dental student at a free community clinic. The actor plays a parent who refuses fluoride varnish for their toddler because they have read that fluoride is a neurotoxin. Explain your recommendation respectfully.
Listen to the worry first, explain the evidence in plain words, and leave the door open.
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?
Describe how you practiced step by step, and what that says about how you learn a new skill.
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 tools, like explaining each step and agreeing on a stop signal.
Shadowing shows you the clinical side, but running a practice means leading a team. What was the most effective thing you saw a dentist do to lead their assistants or front desk staff?
Name a specific thing you saw, and say why it worked and how you would use it.
Frequently asked questions
Who interviews you at UT Health San Antonio dental school?
A faculty member and a third- or fourth-year dental student conduct the interview.
When are UT Health San Antonio dental interviews?
The school begins interviewing in August and finishes in January. If invited, you are notified by email two to three weeks before your date.
Does UT Health San Antonio dental have a secondary application?
No. The school does not require any supplemental application or fee. You apply through TMDSAS.
How many shadowing hours does UT Health San Antonio dental require?
There is no minimum. The admissions committee values evidence of depth and breadth of shadowing and other clinical observation.
When does UT Health San Antonio send dental acceptances?
The first round goes out on December 15, followed by rolling acceptances in January until the class is filled.
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.
- UT San Antonio School of Dentistry: DDS Admissions · read October 25, 2026
- UT San Antonio School of Dentistry: Interview Tips · read October 25, 2026
- TMDSAS: Deadlines and Important Dates (Entry Year 2027) · read October 25, 2026