The University Of Puerto Rico School Of Dental Medicine offers an Advanced Placement Program for internationally trained dentists and upon completion they will earn a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree. The program consists of a five weeks summer course followed by two years of full-time dental curriculum comprising both third and fourth years of dental school.
Eligibility
Admission to the Advanced Placement Program is highly competitive. Applicants are encouraged to apply for admission well before the deadline of October15th. Graduates from international dental schools who have satisfactorily completed an academic program of studies culminating in a degree, diploma or certificate in dentistry recognized by the appropriate civil authorities of the country in which the school is located, will be considered for admission to the School. Candidates must submit their credentials to an international credential evaluation service (http://www.ece.org) for proper evaluation. Candidates must pass Part I of the National Dental Board Examination or the Integrated National Dental Board Examination. Candidates must also take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) http://www.toefl.org/. Student copies of the score reports are not acceptable. Proficiency in the Spanish language is required as well as ample knowledge of English. Candidates will be contacted in writing or electronically to schedule a personal interview and a Practical Test (Bench Test) where a set of standard dental procedures will be examined.
This program is available to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and international students. However, it primarily targets dentists who have obtained their dental degrees from Spanish-speaking international dental schools. Spanish language proficiency will be evaluated during the interview process.
Candidates applying to the Advanced Placement Program of the University of Puerto Rico wishing to apply for licensure to practice dentistry in Puerto Rico after completing the program, must comply with the licensure requirements of the Puerto Rico Dental Board in order to practice dentistry in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. One of the requirements is to complete 90 semester hours or 135 quarter hours of predental education from an accredited College or University. These semester hours should include the following courses:
These requirements are in addition to the basic courses required at some schools (ex. the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus). Basic courses in Physical Sciences, Biological Sciences and Social Sciences may not substitute departmental course work. Candidates that do not comply with these requirements will also be considered for admission.
Additional Requirements
Application Procedure
All applications to the University Of Puerto Rico School Of Dental Medicine (UPR-SDM) are filed through the Centralized Application for Advanced Placement for International Dentists, (CAAPID). Applications for UPR-SDM Advanced Placement Program may be filed from August 1st to October 15th of the year of admission. The Summer Calibration Course will begin in June 2025.
Complete the application electronically via the CAAPID web site:
https://programs.adea.org/CAAPID/programs/university-of-puerto-rico-school-of-dental-medicine
The UPR-SDM is not responsible for delay in CAAPID’s processing the application due to their error or the applicant error. If you have any questions at any time during the CAAPID application process, contact the American Dental Education Association at (202) 667-1887.
The admission cycle for entering class 2025, will open on August 1, 2024.
Supplemental Application Required
The School of Dental Medicine does require a supplemental application. There is a non-refundable application fee of $50.00 made payable to the UPR School of Dental Medicine for the processing of your application. For supplemental application and Admission fee payment, please go to the fallowing link:
APPLICATION FOR ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAM (Click here)
If requested, all documents should be sent to the following address:
Regular Address:
Dr. Jose R. Matos
Advanced Placement Program
Office of Students Affairs Office A-156
School of Dental Medicine
UPR Medical Sciences Campus
PO BOX365067
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-5067
Federal or UPS Address:
Dr. Jose R. Matos
Advanced Placement Program
Office of Students Affairs
Office A-156 1st Floor
School of Dental Medicine
UPR Medical Sciences Campus
PO BOX365067 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00935-5067
Interview and Bench Test
Selected candidates will be invited for an interview and bench test, only at the discretion of the Admissions Committee. An interview and /or bench test will not be granted at the request of the student. No candidate will be accepted without an interview and bench test. If invited for an interview and bench test, there will be a $175.00 administrative and clinical utilization fee. The personal interview will be conducted in Spanish.
Notification
All candidates are informed electronically of the action taken on their applications. The time for notification of status is set at the discretion of the Admissions Committee.
For information about our program, please contact us at:
manuel.centeno@upr.edu
jose.matos5@upr.edu
Telephone Number:
787-758-2525
Ext: 1057
Tuition and Frees (Please note that tuition and fees rates may change annually.)
