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.

The PPID Supplemental Application will be emailed to you within two weeks following the completion of your ADEA CAAPID application. Please submit your completed PPID Supplemental Application with your curriculum vitae/professional resume as a combined pdf, no larger than 5 MB, to ppid_admissions@dentistry.ucla.edu by the deadline, June 30, 2025, 4PM-PST.   

IMPORTANT - The Supplemental Application/CV Combined pdf must be labeled as follows: LAST NAME, FIRST NAME. If the label does not include the applicant's name, the supplemental application will not be processed.  

Please include education, professional employment/organizations, research/publications, honors/awards, and community service.

A non-refundable application fee of $250 U.S. dollars must be submitted online. 

If you are invited for an interview, a non-refundable Interview/Testing Fee of $300 U.S. dollars must be submitted on-line.

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

An official, sealed (unopened), physical TOEFL score report must be mailed by the applicant directly to the Office of Student Services (the school address is listed below). If you are unable to mail your official, sealed TOEFL report due to mailing limitations, you may request an official hard copy from ETS using the University Code of 8354.  ETS will then mail the official, physical report directly to UCLA School of Dentistry.   Do not request the report be emailed as electronic TOEFL reports will not be accepted.
 

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 2023 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 2025-2026 application cycle).

Minimum score requirements for internet-based 
TOEFL (iBT), for each section 

• Reading - 21
• Listening -17
• Speaking - 24
• Writing - 25

OR combined total (iBT) TOEFL score of 95 or more

PPID supplemental documents that do not meet the requirements or are missing or are received after the June 30, 2025 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 "Casper Assessment" through Acuity Insights, as part of their application for the 2025/2026 admission cycle.  Visit the Acuity Insights website to create an account and complete the following assessment: 

Casper: 60-85 minute online,open-response situational judgement test (SJT)

If you have any questions please contact Acuity Insights directly.   

NOTE: Applicants are encouraged to submit all the required documents as early as possible and may do so before their CASPER testing date. Acuity Insights will be administering the CASPER Assessment in May and June 2025 only, for UCLA applicants.