Advanced Standing for Internationally Trained Dentists
Description of Placement Option
The University of Louisville School of Dentistry offers an Advanced Standing admission option into the DMD program for selected individuals who have received a dental degree from an institution outside the United States or Canada. ULSD does not admit advanced standing students every year as the program is depending on space available in the D2 class. We do not reserve spaces for internationally trained dentists.
The CAAPID application for Spring 2026 enrollment opens March 2025. We anticipate having at least 1 spot available for classes beginning in January 2026 to join our D2 class.
Details
Length of Program: minimum of 28 months Apply through ADEA Centralized Application for Advanced Placement of International Dentists (CAAPID) at http://www.adea.org/CAAPIDapp/
Program Start Date: Spring 2026
Class Size: To Be Determined
Degree Awarded: D.M.D.
Tuition: Same as ULSD traditional program, (available on Tuition & Aid tab)
Requirements to Apply for the Advanced Placement Option through CAAPID
Timeline
Important Dates (all are mandatory)
- Application and materials deadline: May 15 (all materials must be received to be considered for admission)
- Application review: April-July
- Virtual interviews: June-August (various dates/times to be scheduled)
- Virtual Bench Test orientation: August/September TBD
- Bench Test (in-person): TBD
English Language Proficiency
- Must be proficient in the English language
- Applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the TOEFL (preferred) or IELTS. We accept the TOEFL home edition. This requirement may be waived if an applicant has completed 90 college credit hours or a masters degree in the United States. Applicants should indicate their qualifications for a waiver in the "Custom Questions" portion of the CAAPID application. ULSD Office of Admissions will send e-mail notification of waiver status. Please do not email materials to our office.
- Internet-based TOEFL (iBT) scores - preference given to scores at or above 100 total and 26 in speaking and listening OR IELTS - preference given to scores at or above 7.5
- Scores must be valid (not expired) at the time of application submission.
National Board Dental Examination Requirements
- Program requires passing of NBDE Part I and NBDE Part II (or INBDE)
- Submit Part I and Part II (or INBDE) National Board Dental Examination scores to CAAPID
- Application eligibility requires a minimum score of 75 or “pass” if no numerical score is issued
Personal Statement
Short essay describing why you desire to enter the DMD program
Letters of Evaluation
Two letters of evaluation required (one professional and one from the senior administrator or dean of applicant’s dental school), written within one year of the application- submit to only to CAAPID
Transcripts and Evaluations
Applicant must submit to CAAPID a detailed evaluation by Educational Credentials Evaluators, Inc. (ECE)
Application Fee
Pay $65 application fee to program online only AFTER requested to do so by program – do NOT send payments to ULSD.
Special notes
- Applicants- please DO NOT submit original documents to ULSD. Only admitted students are required to submit original documents directly to ULSD.
Contact Information
Please direct your questions to our Advanced Standing email address.
Address
University of Louisville
School of Dentistry
Office of Student Affairs, Room 234
501 S. Preston St.
Louisville, KY 40202
Phone: 502-852-5081
Fax: 502-852-1210
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Application Specifics
Dentists who received a dental degree from an institution outside the United States and have passed Part I and Part II of the NBDE or INBDE may apply.
The School will consider only applicants who have applied through the ADEA Centralized Application for Advanced Placement of International Dentists (CAAPID) at http://www.adea.org/CAAPIDapp/ Applicants must have submitted all documents required by the University of Louisville School of Dentistry (as listed in the CAAPID requirement section).
Applicants are expected to submit materials by the deadline. We are constantly monitoring conditions and will update the website if changes are implemented.
TOEFL scores are required of all who speak English as a second language unless they have completed at least 90 college credit hours or a masters degree in the US. The admissions committee reserves the right to request a TOEFL from any candidate. Preference is given to those who score a total at or above 100 and 26 in speaking and listening. The IELTS is also accepted and a score at or above 7.5 is preferred.
All application materials are submitted ONLY to CAAPID. ULSD does not accept additional documents from applicants. At the time of enrollment, accepted students may be required to submit official documents to us as requested.
DMD Program Specifics
The number of ASP students accepted each year is variable and depends on the number of available positions in the second year class of the traditional DMD program at ULSD. Typically this number ranges from 0-3.
Accepted ASP students begin studies in January of the year following the application cycle (i.e., if you apply in 2022 and are accepted, you begin classes in January, 2023). ASP students join the D2 class in the Spring term.
Interview Specifics
If we predict we will have space available, we will likely conduct interviews anytime between August-November but could be as late as December.
