UT San Antonio
School of Dentistry
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D.D.S./ Ph.D. Admissions Requirements

The application to the COSTAR D.D.S./Ph.D. Program has multiple components. You must complete all steps to be considered.

You will submit three applications: to the Texas Medical and Dental School Application Service (TMDSAS), the Craniofacial Oral-Biology Student Training in Academic Research (COSTAR), and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. On TMDSAS you would check the box for DDS/PhD. Candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and must apply to and be accepted separately to both the UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

The first three years will focus on the Ph.D. component. You will enter the customized dental school training component only after completing the Ph.D. qualifying exam and making significant progress with your dissertation research.

The remaining requirements of the Ph.D. program (dissertation research and preparation) will be conducted concurrently with the requirements of the D.D.S. curriculum. The combined program will take at least seven years to complete.

  • Timeline for Applications

    May 1 - October 1 - application period for submission of all three applications.

    August - School begins interviewing applicants.

  • How to apply through TMDSAS

    TMDSAS processes applications to all medical and dental schools of The University of Texas System. Applications are accepted between May 1 and October 1 of the year preceding anticipated matriculation. All actions on admission are the prerogative of the Admissions Selection Subcommittee of the Dental School. Applicants to UT Health San Antonio are responsible for instructing the Division of Education Measurements of the American Dental Association to send Dental Admission Test (DAT) results directly to The University of Texas Medical and Dental Application Center. Please refer to the appropriate information section on the Dental Admission Test.

    Texas residents:

    Apply through the Texas Medical & Dental Schools Application Service (for all Texas residents).

    For non-Texas residents:

    All non-Texas residents must apply through TMDSAS. 

  • How to apply through COSTAR and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

    FUNDING: Candidates accepted to the D.D.S./Ph.D. program can apply for funding through COSTAR. This funding will include a stipend, tuition, travel and other training-related expenses. In the event that the student’s program lasts longer than the duration of the grant, the responsibility for funding additional years will be that of the student’s major research advisor.

    ADVISORY COMMITTEE: When selected for the COSTAR Track I D.D.S./Ph.D. program, each student will be assigned a member of the Leadership Council as an advisor. This individual will work closely with the student and the assigned Committee on Graduate Studies (COGS) of the department in which the student is pursuing the Ph.D. until such time that the student chooses a major advisor. At this time the COSTAR Leadership Council Advisor will work closely with the major advisor and appropriate departmental COGS.

Minimum Admission Standards for Pre-Doctoral D.D.S./Ph.D. Program:

DomainAdmission StandardsMinimum Requirement
Academic PerformanceGPA – BCPM (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math)2.8
 DAT - Academic Average (3-digit scale)390
 Total hours of course credit90
 Grade of C or higher for all required courses

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Activities and Related ExperiencesClinical Observation* 

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 Community Service** 

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Personal Evaluation3 Letters of Recommendation or HPE packet

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*There is not a minimum number of hours of dental shadowing required for admission. However, the admissions committee values evidence of depth and breadth of shadowing and other means of clinical observation.
** There is not a minimum number of hours required for admission. However, the admissions committee values dental-related, health-related, and interpersonal-type activities.