What is the Upper Division?

The Upper Division is considered the final third and fourth year track of study for students who have acquired at least 40 college credit hours (completing all prerequisites) prior to the August fall semester start date.

There are 70 credit hours in the Upper Division curriculum. Click here to view the courses required in the third and fourth year of Upper Division study.

Admission to the Upper Division is competitive with only 30 positions in each class. Students selected for the Upper Division continue their education by entering the dental hygiene professional phase.

Upper Division Admission Requirements

• The application deadline is March 1.
• Students are admitted to the Upper Division in the Fall term only.

1. Students wishing to be admitted to the dental hygiene Upper Division should complete the following steps:
   1. If new to UofL, submit a UofL Undergraduate Admission Form.
   2. If enrolled in a UofL department other than Dental Hygiene (such as A&S, Nursing, etc.) at UofL, submit an online IUT (Intra-University Transfer) request.
2. Submit a Dental Hygiene Professional Application [PDF]*
3. Return the DH Professional Application to the Student Affairs Office in the School of Dentistry along with the following documents:
   1. Statement of 12 hours of dental work experience/observation
   2. Three letters of recommendation
   3. A 150 word personal statement stating why you wish to become a member of the dental hygiene profession.
   4. Send a progress grade report signed by the instructor from any college course in progress during the spring semester to the professional dental hygiene advisor at the School of Dentistry. The grade report is due by March 10.

*Please note, the professional application is a web-formatted Microsoft Word document. You may either complete the form on the computer and print it out, or print the form and complete it by hand.