Bachelor of Science Program Application Requirements

Applicants for the Dental Hygiene Bachelor of Science program can submit their applications between October 15 and February 13 to be considered for admission. The recommended minimum GPA for applicants is 3.0; preference in admission is given to students with high scholastic averages, especially in the sciences. Applications that are submitted or remain incomplete after the deadline will not be considered. 

A group of studentsThe following application materials should be submitted by February 13:

  • ADEA DHCAS Primary Application - Application must have a status of Complete in order to be considered for the current cycle

    • Completion of  Prerequisite Courses


      A minimum of 16 of the 24 science credits must be complete at the end of the fall semester PRIOR to the fall you wish to be considered for our program. All pre-requisite courses must be complete at the end of the spring semester PRIOR to the fall you wish to be considered for our dental hygiene program.

    • Dental Hygiene Shadowing Form Permitted file format: PDF

      Baccalaureate degree-seeking students are required to observe a registered dental hygienist who is presently working in practice for a minimum of eight hours to increase awareness and knowledge of the profession prior to applying for the Dental Hygiene Program. 

    • Official Transcripts


      Official transcripts must be received from each college or university attended. Foreign transcripts must be evaluated by WES or ECE. If you are enrolled in school during the fall semester, request another transcript after fall grades have been included.

    • Recommendation Letters


      One recommendation must be from a college-level science teacher and another from a dental hygienist or dentist. Recommendations must be from non-family members. Members of the Dental Hygiene faculty at the University of Maryland CANNOT write letters of recommendation. You may wish to submit another recommendation from an employer for a total of three recommendations.

    • Resume Permitted file formats: PDF or Microsoft Word
  • Instate Residency Form Please complete if you wish to be considered for in-state tuition

International Students

  • Applicants must submit completed applications and all supporting documents, by  November 15.
  • Foreign documents must be certified official and be submitted in sealed envelopes from the institution issuing them. If the documents are not in English, they must include an English translation.
  • WES  wes.org or ECE  www.ece.org evaluations are required. Ask for a course by course evaluation.


    Only courses equivalent in U.S. course names, U.S. letter grades and U.S.  semester hours from the Phase I Preprofessional Curriculum categories of inorganic chemistry (also known as general chemistry), organic chemistry, basic statistics, social sciences, lower-level elective and humanity elective if taken will be considered.

     At minimum, the remaining Phase I Preprofessional Curriculum courses in General Biology w/lab, Anatomy & Physiology I & II with labs, Microbiology with lab, Principles of Nutrition, English composition, Introduction to Psychology, Introduction to Sociology and Public Speaking must be completed at a U.S. accredited college or university prior to applying to the University of Maryland Dental School for the Phase II Professional Dental Hygiene Curriculum.

  • Please see  http://www.umaryland.edu/ois for rules and regulations regarding international students.
  • Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate English language proficiency. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required. Results should be sent to the Office of Admissions and Student Affairs. The code number is 5848.


    TOEFL scores must be between 80-85 iBT (internet based test), 550 paper based or 213 computer based to be considered for the dental hygiene program here at the University of Maryland Baltimore.

While it is not a program requirement, it is highly recommended that our students purchase loupes for use in the program; the use of loupes is considered state of the art and assists in vision and ergonomics. The cost of loupes is not included in your tuition and fees, therefore, we recommend students budget for such a purpose in the fall of their first year. The approximate cost of loupes for a student is $1500. Vendors regularly visit our school and a vendor night is held annually for purchases such as this.

The University of Maryland Dental Hygiene Program is accredited regionally by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, (267) 284-5000 and the Commission on Dental Accreditation, (CODA).