The Best Dental Schools in California
/Learn all about the best dental schools in California, including cost of attendance, average GPA and DAT, and clinical and research opportunities.
The best dental schools in california
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Part 1: Introduction
California is home to more dental schools than any other state in the U.S. If you plan to attend any one of the seven California dental schools—whether because you already call California home or simply because you’re hoping to build your future as a dentist there—you have plenty of options to choose from.
But how can you narrow down that list? How can you determine which are the best dental schools in California (and, therefore, which you should prioritize in the application process)?
In this guide, we’ll give you a thorough overview of the three best dental schools in California and describe how they earned that reputation. We’ll show you how to closely analyze their profiles to determine not only which California dental schools are the best, but which are the best for you.
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Part 2: Dental schools in California
California’s seven dental schools are concentrated in the greater San Francisco and Los Angeles areas, each offering a unique campus environment. In alphabetical order, they are:
California Northstate University College of Dental Medicine
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC
Loma Linda University School of Dentistry
University of California, Los Angeles, School of Dentistry
University of California, San Francisco, School of Dentistry
University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry
Western University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine
Many factors should influence your decision about which dental schools in California you’ll ultimately apply—and eventually commit—to. Without a systematic, standardized ranking system like that of U.S. News and World Report, it can be difficult for dental school applicants to parse out the pros and cons to determine which schools are the best.
In reality, the best dental school in California for one applicant might not be the best for another applicant, particularly if they have their sights set on different career paths or residency programs.
For example, a student who plans to pursue a career in general dentistry need not worry too much about attending the best dental school because prestige is unlikely to impact their ability to build a great career in their chosen field.
On the other hand, a student interested in pursuing a residency and subsequent career in oral and maxillofacial surgery should consider applying to schools that are feeders to the best oral and maxillofacial residency programs. In contrast, a student interested in specializing in orthodontics should consider schools that produce many successful applicants to top orthodontics residency programs.
How to determine the best dental schools
Nevertheless, a few essential criteria should be used to determine the best dental schools in terms of reputation, student opportunity, and connection to residency programs. When researching a dental school, look closely at the following factors:
- Educational resources: Does this dental school have a rigorous, well-rounded curriculum that will enable you to explore multiple facets of dentistry? Do they offer robust academic and career advising services?
- Academic reputation: This one’s a little more ambiguous because a school’s academic reputation is often linked to these other criteria. But in general, you should focus on schools that are known to hold their students to a high standard of excellence.
- Average GPA and DAT scores of incoming students: The best dental schools will attract some of the best applicants, and that’s often reflected in the stats of the students they accept. Even if they don’t declare a minimum GPA or DAT score for their applicants, the best dental schools typically are home to students with an average GPA of ~3.6 to 3.8 or higher and a DAT score of ~20 to22 or higher.
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- Clinical opportunities: Are there an abundance of clinical opportunities available to students as early as their first year in the program? Specifically, will those clinical opportunities afford you the experience of learning the areas of specialization and serving the types of communities that you envision for your future career as a dentist? The best dental schools will typically have several partnerships with local clinics, through which students can gain extensive clinical experience in various contexts.
- Research opportunities: Are there extensive research opportunities available to students as early as their first or second year in the program? Do these research opportunities correspond to your interests and goals? Will you have to compete with dozens of other students for a single research position, or are there ample opportunities? Is a significant portion of the program’s budget devoted to research, funding new equipment, regular training, and generous grants or stipends?
- The reputation of its associated medical school: There’s often a significant amount of overlap in clinical and research opportunities between medical and dental schools affiliated with the same university, so the US News and World Report medical school ranking list is a good place to start if you’re curious to learn about the reputation of a medical school associated with one of the dental schools you’re considering.
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Part 3: What are the best dental schools in California?
With these criteria in mind, we’ve compiled a list of the top three dental schools in California, along with the most updated stats on their incoming class, their current tuition costs, and their notable admission requirements. In addition, we’ve put together an overview of what each school is best known for, which unique opportunities they offer, and other valuable details on the professional success of their graduates.
1. University of California—Los Angeles School of Dentistry
Incoming class profile, fall 2023:
Class size: 87 (94% in-state)
Four-year cost of attendance: $432,359 (in-state); $481,399 (out-of-state)
Average GPA: 3.84
Located in the heart of Los Angeles, UCLA School of Dentistry is known for its strong research focus. In fiscal year 2023, the school received over $13 million in research grants from the National Institutes of Health and over $17 million in research grants overall. In addition to abundant research opportunities, you’ll have access to a wide array of clinical opportunities at the 20+ associated sites throughout the surrounding community.
And if you’re interested in pursuing a specialization and choose to apply to do your residency at UCLA as well, you’ll find an abundance of residency programs here—13 in total—including for Endodontics, Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology, Pediatric Dentistry, Advanced Prosthodontics, and more.
Whether or not you’re a resident of California, tuition to UCLA dental school won’t be cheap. Financial aid opportunities are available, but 90 percent of institutional financial aid takes the form of student loans, with only 10 percent disbursed through work-study paychecks, grants, and institutional scholarships. It’s also worth noting that most financial aid options depend upon a student’s citizenship or residency status.
2. University of California—San Francisco School of Dentistry
Incoming class profile, fall 2023:
Class size: 60 (70% in-state)
Four-year cost of attendance: $443,208 (in-state); $492,188 (out-of-state)
Average GPA: 3.76
Average DAT score: 22.6
Does not require the Casper test
The University of California—San Francisco of Dentistry offers a broad range of research and clinical opportunities, and with around $34 million in annual research funding, you’ll likely never have trouble finding a way to get involved. Just a few of these opportunities include those available through the faculty mentorship-focused Dental Student Research Fellowship Program, the Center to Address Disparities in Children’s Oral Health (CAN DO), and the multidisciplinary, clinical research-oriented Global Oral Health Program.
In particular, UCSF School of Dentistry prides itself on its new “group practices” teaching model for clinical contexts. This unique design enables students to get closer to a simulation of the real-world clinical environment by placing them into small groups and assigning each group to a team of full-time clinical teaching faculty. This way, students can receive close mentorship from their teachers, build strong rapport with their patients, and learn to complement one another's strengths as they work to provide the best care possible.
UCSF’s DDS curriculum is also well-equipped to expose students to several areas of specialization and prepare them to apply for residency programs if they choose to. In 2023-24, 47 percent of graduates participated in Match, with the remaining 53 percent presumably going straight into a career in General Dentistry. Of those 47 percent who participated, 82 percent matched into programs including orthodontics, oral maxillofacial surgery, periodontics, pediatric dentistry, and advanced education in general dentistry. Six percent of those who participated in Match withdrew, and 12 percent ultimately did not match.
While most students take out loans to fund the majority of their education at UCSF School of Dentistry, all students are automatically considered for scholarships. About 10 merit- and need-based scholarships are awarded per year, ranging from around $5 thousand to $40,000. A variety of subsidized housing options are also available to first- and second-year UCSF dental students to help offset the city’s notoriously high cost of living.
3. USC Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry
Incoming class profile, fall 2023:
Class size: 143 (73% in-state)
Four-year cost of attendance: $578,064
Average GPA: 3.78
Average DAT score: 20.7
Does not require the Casper test
University of Southern California’s Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry places an enormous emphasis on community service through clinical opportunities. Boasting the second-largest mobile dentistry fleet in the country (after the U.S. Army), Ostrow has served over 500 thousand patients from underserved communities in the past decade. Through the Office of Community Health Programs, dental students have the opportunity to serve a broad spectrum of at-risk communities throughout southern California, including disabled veterans, low-income seniors, and elementary school students.
The USC dental school also boasts a robust research network, including the unique Summer Dental Student Research Program for incoming DDS students; the annual Research Day for faculty, staff, and students to share their research with the wider campus community; and the interdisciplinary research conducted through the Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology (CCMB), which investigates topics such as the molecular genetics behind tooth development, nanotechnology treatments for bone and tooth growth, and stem cell solutions for craniofacial tissue regeneration.
Students with their sights set on a career as a dental specialist may consider applying to one of Ostrow’s various residency programs, which include Endodontics, Advanced Operative and Adhesive Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Orofacial Pain, Periodontics, and more.
Although Ostrow has the highest cost of attendance out of all three top California dental schools, they are also the only California dental school within the top three to host their own scholarship database. Ostrow applicants and current students can apply for their share of the over $2 million available in scholarship funds each year through the USC Scholarship Universe portal.
In addition to need- and merit-based scholarships, students may also be eligible for grants, loans, and work-study opportunities on a case-by-case basis. Further, students may apply for assistance with covering the cost of housing, equipment, childcare, and some uninsured medical expenses.
Final Thoughts
It’s no secret that California is home to some of the best dental schools in the country, and each of California’s top three dental schools offers a unique array of rigorous coursework, hands-on clinical experience, cutting-edge research, and personalized mentorship.
If you plan to attend dental school in California—whether merely due to the location or due to the specific opportunities that these schools offer—these three are sure to afford you a top-notch education and set you on the path to a successful career in dentistry, particularly if you intend to pursue a career as a specialist.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school using his exclusive approach.
