DALLAS - Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service opened to students May 1 this year. Here is Texas A&M University College of Dentistry’s information and advice to predental students hoping to enter the Class of 2030.

“Get a good science foundation,” said Dr. Alicia Spence, the dental college’s director of recruitment and admissions. “That first year of dental school is tough.” 

She recommended 30-40 hours of science before entering dental school.

Texas A&M’s enrollment is capped at 106 dental students for each entering class. With 10 dental specialties offered and serving as the largest oral health provider in North Texas, the dental college’s four-year program for dentists is competitive; a 3.6 grade-point average overall is typical, and volunteer hours, leadership activities and shadowing and internships are considered.

The dental college is on Gaston Avenue in Dallas. It opened 120 years ago.

The UT Health Houston School of Dentistry, UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso School of Dentistry Woody L. Hunt School of Dentistry, the three other state-supported dental schools, have similar caps. Applicants can apply for any or all Texas dental schools in one application.

The application fee is $230, and it is the same whether a student applies for one or four schools. The deadline to apply is Oct. 1.

Texas A&M also requires a secondary application available for electronic submission on the Texas A&M Health Science Center Application. After the TMDSAS application is received, each applicant will receive an emailed invitation to complete the secondary application.

“Students should apply as early as possible,” Spence said.

Ninety percent of the students accepted must come from Texas, Spence said. There are several ways to qualify as a Texas resident, and TMDSAS has detailed information on its website. Texas A&M also reserves a few spots each year for Arkansas and New Mexico residents because those states don’t have state-supported dental schools; private dental schools open soon in both states.

Spence said she’s recruiting from all the major Texas universities this year. She also plans to recruit at Texas Tech University for the first time, schools in the Rio Grande Valley and smaller colleges and universities.

Spence met with more than 500 local students earlier this month during a busy recruitment push that included college visits and in-person and one-hour video conferences with small groups. Current students participated in the meetings at local universities and the dental college.

“I think predental students like to hear from our students,” she said. “Sometimes they’re more willing to ask them questions than to me, and that’s fine. If they feel more comfortable asking a peer, I think that’s helpful.” 

More information about Texas A&M’s dental college admissions process is available here.