Admissions and Applying

All PPID applicants are required to have their transcripts translated and evaluated by the Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) Course by Course report. The applicant should specify on the ECE application that they would like the evaluation to be sent directly to CAAPID. The following materials must be submitted directly to ECE for evaluation: 

• Original certified college (post-secondary) transcripts

• Original certified professional education transcripts

• Official copy of the diploma and/or degree from the applicant's dental school program

If accepted into the program, we will also require an official ECE report to be sent directly to the Office of Student Services. For more information please visit Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. (We do not accept WES reports.)

(All letters of recommendation need to be originals on letterhead, in English or English translation) 

The applicant must submit one letter of recommendation from each of the following individuals:

• Dean or head of the applicant's dental school (If the Dean during your time of study is not available to write a letter on your behalf, please refer to our FAQs for instructions.)

• Dental school clinical instructor who is able to evaluate the applicant's potential

• A person of the applicant's choosing, preferably someone with whom the applicant has worked with

We recommend that letters of recommendation be written within the last two years.

Applicants must pass both NBDE Part I and Part II OR pass the INBDE. Official NBDE or INBDE score reports must be requested by the applicant online and submitted to the UCLA School of Dentistry, PPID Coordinator at ppid_admissions@dentistry.ucla.edu.

Questions: Visit the ADA

Official, sealed TOEFL scores must be submitted by the applicant directly to:

UCLA School of Dentistry/ Office of Student Services
Professional Program for International Dentists
10833 Le Conte Ave, Rm A0-111CHS
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1762. 

Scores are valid for 2 years from the exam date, therefore score reports from exams taken in March 2021 to present will be accepted. For more information please visit the Educational Testing Service website.  Notarized copies or opened scores will not be accepted. 

The TOEFL exam is required of all applicants who did not complete their High School education in the United States. Permanent residents, US citizens, students who hold degrees from the United States are all required to submit a TOEFL score report. For the internet-based TOEFL (iBT), you must meet the minimum score requirement in each of the four sections (listed below) OR have a total combined TOEFL score of 95 or higher to be considered. Waivers will not be granted. (We will accept the TOEFL "Best Score" and "Home-based" TOEFL score reports for the 2023-2024 application cycle).

 PPID supplemental documents that do not meet the requirements or are missing or are received after the June 30, 2023 deadline, will be regarded as incomplete. Incomplete applications will not be considered for review.

Certification of Finances

Qualified applicants who require an F-1 visa must complete a confidential financial statement before final admission. The certification is necessary for UCLA to provide a certificate of eligibility, which allows the applicant to apply for a student visa. 

Only those accepted to the program will need to complete the Certification of Finances.

All applicants are required to complete the Altus "Casper" Assessment through Acuity Insights, as part of their application for the 2023/2024 admission cycle.  (Acuity Insights is the new company name for Altus Assessments). Visit Acuity Insights -TakeAltus to create an account and complete the following assessment:

Casper: 60-90 minute online,open-response situational judgement test (SJT)

NOTE: In mid-April 2023, Altus will post available testing date for UCLA.  Testing dates are scheduled for May and June. If you have any questions please contact Acuity Insights/Altus.   

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that instructions are followed and all materials are received by the Office of Student Services by the June 30, 2023 deadline. The postmarked deadline is June 30, 2023, the email deadline for the supplemental application and curriculum vitae is June 30, 2023 at 11:59 PM PST, and the deadline for supplemental documents that are hand delivered to the Student Services office is June 30, 2023 at 4:00 PM PST. Late applications will not be considered. Begin the application process early and leave time to submit your application by our deadline date, as we will not make any exceptions. Only complete applications that meet all minimum requirements will be eligible for review by the Admissions Committee.

Finalists invited for the second phase of our selection process will be notified via email, no later than mid-October, to participate in a skills evaluation and personal interview at the UCLA School of Dentistry.   

Acceptance notifications will be sent in mid-November. For the candidates offered admissions to the program, a non-refundable deposit will be expected. Formal letters of non-accept will not be distributed.