Selection Criteria
Applicants are selected on the basis of:
- Academic record
- Dental Aptitude Test results
- Personal interview
The method of evaluation and relative weights are as follows:
1. Academic Record (65% overall weighting)
REQUIRED PRE-DENTISTRY COURSES:
Applicants must have a minimum overall average of no less than 70% in the required pre-dentistry courses. The overall average of these courses will be used to determine the applicant’s eligibility for further admissions considerations. Applicants who have not completed this requirement will not be considered.
Applicants are required to complete courses equivalent to those listed under “Admission Requirements” in this section of the Calendar. Equivalent course work will be evaluated upon submission of official transcripts.
Examples of acceptable courses from Canadian post secondary institutions are listed on the
College of Dentistry website.
Acceptable course equivalencies follow these general guidelines:
- Biology – one full year (two terms) of introductory level biology.
- General Chemistry – one half year (one term) of introductory general chemistry.
- Organic Chemistry – one half year (one term) of introductory organic chemistry.
- Physics – one full year (two terms) of introductory level university physics. Acceptable topics include mechanics, wave motion and sound, heat, electricity and magnetism, light and modern physics. Unacceptable topics include astronomy and high fidelity.
- Social Science/Humanities – one full year (two terms) of social science/humanities course(s).
- Biochemistry, molecular – one half year course that covers molecular biology (see the College of Dentistry website for acceptable biochemistry equivalencies from Canadian post-secondary institutions).
- Biochemistry, metabolism – one half year course that covers metabolism (see the College of Dentistry website for acceptable biochemistry equivalencies from Canadian post-secondary institutions).
Course Evaluations Course evaluations, re-evaluations, and decisions pertaining to course equivalencies are on-going. Course evaluations that do not appear on the course equivalency list, or courses not previously evaluated, shall be conducted when a candidate completes an application for admission for the year in which admission is being sought. This list is subject to frequent revisions.
If you request an evaluation of your transcript without completing an application for admission, you will be required to pay the application fee of $125 for this service. Should you decide to apply for admission for the current admission cycle, the fee will be credited to your application for admission; that is, you will not pay a second application fee if you apply in the same year that you requested the evaluation. Please note, however, that you will forfeit the fee if you do not submit an application for admission.
In addition to completing the specified required pre-dentistry courses, students should choose a program and courses that will lead to an alternate career if dentistry is no longer a viable option.
It is recommended that applicants’ program of studies be in the area of the natural sciences.
MINIMUM CREDIT UNIT REQUIREMENT: The full weighting of 65% is given to your TWO best academic years of study. Each academic year must have no fewer than 30 credit units of university level work. An academic year is defined as TWO standard academic terms consisting of eight (8) consecutive months (September to April). Applicants must have obtained a minimum cumulative weighted average of 75% over their TWO best academic years of study. Applicants will not be considered if they do not have the required minimum credit units within the 8-month period, September to April, or the minimum cumulative weighted average.
Non-Saskatchewan/Transfer Credentials:
Applicants who have attended other post-secondary institutions must complete the equivalent of the required pre-dentistry courses and a minimum of two 30 credit unit years (see pre-dentistry courses under Admission Requirements). Applicants who do not complete these requirements will not be considered. (See "Special Cases" Category applicable to Saskatchewan Residents only).
2. Dental Aptitude Test (25% overall weighting) - Under Review All applicants must take the Dental Aptitude Test (DAT) administered by the Canadian Dental Association. The test is conducted each year by a number of universities across Canada, including the University of Saskatchewan. The test can be written on November 1, 2008 and February 21, 2009. The deadline dates for DAT applications are September 15, 2008 and January 15, 2009, respectively. The results of both dates will be accepted and considered. For further information, contact
Admissions, College of Dentistry.
DAT results older than three years are not accepted for admission purposes. If an applicant has taken more than one DAT within this time period, the best overall DAT score will be used as the final score.
DAT scores used will be the total of those earned on Reading Comprehension (25%), Academic Average (25%), Perceptual Ability (25%) and Carving (25%).
Applicants should contact the Canadian Dental Association directly for application information at: Tel: 613-523-1770, Fax: 613-523-7489, E-mail:
dat@cda-adc.ca.
3. Interview (10% overall weighting) - Under Review - Interviews are granted based on the academic record as of the deadline date for receipt of applications;
- Applicants not selected for interviews in March/April will not be re-evaluated for the final selection in the current year;
- Eligible applicants will be notified of their interview date;
- Interviews follow the C.D.A. structured format of approximately 40 minutes in duration;
- Candidates may be disqualified from the admission competition for the year under consideration if their interview score is significantly below the mean of the current pool of candidates;
- Interview scores older than ONE year are not acceptable for admission purposes;
- Candidates who have multiple interviews shall have only the best score of either the current year or preceding year’s interview score used for admissions purposes. (Under Review)
4. Reference Letters Three letters of reference testifying to the character of the applicant are required. The candidate is to fill in Part I of the standardized form, "Confidential Letter of Recommendation", and forward to the evaluator to complete. The evaluator is to send the completed form directly to Admissions, College of Dentistry, University of Saskatchewan, 105 Wiggins Road, Saskatoon SK S7N 5E4.
Relatives cannot provide character references.