U.S. Dental School Applicants and Enrollees, 2017 Entering Class.

Abstract

The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) collects information on U.S. dental school applicants and first-time, first-year enrollees as part of the administration of dental school applications. This report presents an analysis of the data on the characteristics and academic qualifications of the 11,873 applicants who applied to U.S. dental schools during the 2016-17 application cycle and of the 6,122 first-time, first-year enrollees who began dental school in fall 2017. Among the key findings are the following: the number of applications decreased in 2016-17, while enrollment continued its steady 12-year rise; the number of women applicants exceeded the number of men by a larger margin than the previous two years, reversing the long-term trend of having more men apply to dental school (although men continued to have slightly higher levels of enrollment); when race/ethnicity was viewed alone or in combination, the number of applicants and first-time enrollees from most race/ethnic groups increased, although falling slightly were Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander and White applicants and enrollees; regionally, the Mid-Atlantic had the highest share of its population applying to dental school and the Northwest had the highest share to enroll in dental school; and applicants overwhelmingly had a biological or biomedical science educational background. The data and analysis presented in this report offer a unique picture of dental school applicants and enrollees. It provides school administrators with a national view of the qualifications of applicants, and it provides prospective applicants with a better understanding of the qualifications they likely need to enroll. The analysis also gives policymakers a preliminary view of future trends in the dental workforce.