Lower Division Admissions
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Students beginning or continuing to study dental hygiene program prerequisite coursework and Bachelor's degree requirements for general education. Admission to the lower division of study does not guarantee admission to the upper division clinical and professional phase of the dental hygiene program.
Ways to apply
Deadlines – February 15th for Fall Term; November 1st for Spring Term; March 1st for Summer Term
Prospective UofL freshman students must be admitted to study in the lower division of the dental hygiene program through the UofL Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Students will select major code DS DHL.
Admission in good standing to the Dental Hygiene lower division requires a minimum cumulative high school GPA of 2.8 along with an ACT Composite score of 21 (SAT equivalent 1060). Students with an ACT Composite score of 20 (SAT equivalent 1030) and minimum 3.0 high school GPA may also qualify for admission in good standing to the lower division. High school students who do not meet this criteria may be admitted to the UofL College of Arts and Sciences as a Pre-Dental Hygiene student to study lower division coursework and prerequisites.
Students who are currently enrolled in another academic unit at UofL may transfer into the Dental Hygiene lower division by completing a Change Major request. To be eligible to transfer to the lower division, a student must have a cumulative undergraduate UofL GPA of 2.8 and have completed at least one semester at UofL. Change major requests are approved for the following semester.
Deadlines – July 1st for Fall Term; December 1st for Spring Term
Students who have 24 or more transferable credit hours and at least a 2.8 cumulative undergraduate GPA including all colleges attended may apply to the lower division by visiting the Office of Undergraduate Admission- Transfer Services website Please select major code DS DHL. Transfer students not meeting this requirement may be admitted to the College of Arts and Sciences as a Pre-Dental Hygiene student.
Transfer students with less than 24 credit hours earned will be evaluated on both high school and transfer GPA. Transfer students are not reviewed for the ACT or SAT. However, please note that a standardized test score will be required when applying for admission to the upper division of the Dental Hygiene program.
All transfer students are required to be advised prior to course registration.
Early Admission to the Upper Division
Each year, the dental hygiene admissions committee may reserve space in each dental hygiene upper division cohort for early offers of admission. Matriculation in to the upper division from early admission is conditional upon the applicants successful completion of program prerequisites and maintenance of specific academic criteria given at time of acceptance. Students must still complete admission requirements of the upper division, including completion of the DHCAS application to the upper division. Students forfeiting their conditional offer of admission may still apply for admission to the upper division with the traditional applicant pool.
HIGH SCHOOL APPLICANTS
Deadline – February 1, HS GPA minimum: 3.5, ACT composite: 26 (or SAT Total: 1240)
No external application, based on academic criteria provided with undergraduate application for admission.
UofL FRESHMAN
Deadline – January 15, UofL GPA minimum: 3.3, Science GPA minimum: 3.3
Application provided to Dental Hygiene Lower Division students and Pre-Dental Hygiene students by the dental hygiene program academic counselor. Students must have at least 12 earned credits and at least one science course completed in their fall semester at UofL. Students will also be required to complete 12+ hours of Dental Hygiene Observation Hours on their own before the application deadline. Applicants will be required to respond to an essay prompt as part of the application process.
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