Augustana Pre-Dentistry

Pre-Dentistry

Are you interested in pursuing a career in dentistry?
Dentistry is currently a fantastic field and Augustana provides an exceptional preparation for students wishing to become dentists. In the past five years, Augustana has had an acceptance rate into dental schools of 70%. Also, once in dental school, our alumni have performed exceedingly well, earning Augustana an outstanding reputation among the dental schools.

It is largely due to this reputation that Augustana has a three-four, early admissions program with the dental schools at both Southern Illinois University and the University of Iowa. Students may apply for admission to these programs with Iowa and/or SIU during their first year at Augustana. If accepted, they spend three years at Augustana taking courses in the various areas of the liberal arts and sciences, carefully planning their curriculum so that after their first year at dental school they receive a BA degree from Augustana.

One characteristic that almost all dental schools have in common is the desire for all applicants to have a good understanding of the dental field, especially through clinical observations. Most undergraduate schools will require you to obtain this experience on your own. Augustana has a mentoring program for our pre-dentistry students. This mentoring program allows students to get valuable clinical experience and insight into the profession during their years here at Augie. Typically, we start students in the clinics during their second year. This allows them to adjust to college during the first year and get a good start on the academics.

The greatest strength of any pre-dental program should be the academics. Augustana is an excellent college and you will find that our preparation for dental school is second to none. Your classes will be taught by professors with PhDs, not by teaching assistants (we don’t have any TA’s!). Faculty members here are hired to teach, not to do research or publish. Our class sizes are small. Classes seldom are over 60 and professors teach their own labs in the Biology Department. Therefore, they will get to know you personally.

Our new $23 million science complex secures Augustana’s place among the nation’s most respected centers of undergraduate instruction in science and the pre-health professions. The science building offers students the latest in high tech labs and research facilities, including the human cadaver dissection lab. Cadaver dissection offers pre-professional students an additional edge in preparation for dental school as Augustana is one of the few undergraduate schools in the country to offer this hands-on opportunity to its students.

Augustana College graduates do not merely survive dental school, they succeed and are commonly their class leaders.

For more information contact:
Augustana Admissions
E-mail: admissions@augustana.edu