Dental School Timeline 2028: Apply in 2027

Fall 2028 Dental School Means You Apply in 2027

If you want to start dental school in Fall 2028, you apply in the 2027–28 ADEA AADSAS cycle, not in 2028. ADEA has not published the exact open and submit dates for that cycle yet. The only 2027–28 date it has already stated is that the Fee Assistance Program reopens in April 2027.

Use the finished 2026–27 cycle as a planning template, then replace every date when ADEA posts the real one. Already applying for Fall 2027? Use the Fall 2027 timeline. If you still have not submitted, read is it too late to apply for 2027?.

Source for the 2026–27 column: ADEA AADSAS and the Liaison cycle-dates page.

When Should You Take the DAT for a 2027 Application?

Take the DAT in spring 2027, or by early summer 2027, if your sciences are finished. Official scores are reported within three to four weeks of the test date, and there is no unofficial score at the center. A test in the same week you want to submit is too late.

The 2026 DAT Candidate Guide also says you must wait 60 days between attempts, with at most four attempts in any 12-month period. After three attempts you need permission to test again. If you want one retake before an early-June submit, a first attempt in January or February 2027 leaves more room than a first attempt in May.

Book the Prometric seat 60 to 90 days before the date you want. Eligibility lasts about six months after the ADA accepts your application. If you test in 2027, you are on the reorganized organic chemistry outline: what changed in DAT organic chemistry.

A competitive Academic Average is about 420 on the 200–600 scale (old 20). Selective programs often look for about 460 (old 22). The table is on the DAT conversion chart.

What to Finish Before the 2027 Submit Week

Have the file ready in May 2027, even though you cannot submit until the cycle’s first submit day. The 2026–27 cycle let people open the application in May and submit in June. Treat May as build month and the first submit day as send day.

Before that week:

• Prerequisite courses are on the transcript, or marked in progress. The list most schools expect is in dental school prerequisites.
• Shadowing hours are logged with dates and the dentist’s name. A target range is in dental shadowing hours.
• Letters are requested with a deadline before you submit, not after.
• The personal statement is done. Start from how to write a dental school personal statement.
• The school list matches your GPA and DAT, not a list of only the most famous programs. Use dental school GPA requirements.
• If you may qualify, apply for FAP in April 2027 as soon as it reopens. Approval is first-come, and you cannot edit the FAP application after you send it.

Texas residents applying to Texas dental schools use TMDSAS, not AADSAS. In recent cycles TMDSAS has opened earlier than the AADSAS submit day. Check TMDSAS directly when you build the 2027 calendar.

DAT Fee Waiver in 2027

The ADA grants partial DAT fee waivers in batches starting January 1, April 1, and July 1. The waiver is 50% of the exam fee for a first attempt and can cover 50% of one later attempt. It also includes one full practice test. It does not cover reschedule fees.

You need a DENTPIN first. The Candidate Guide limits waivers to people who have not taken the DAT before, have not already received a waiver, can show financial hardship, received financial aid at their school, and meet the U.S. citizen or qualifying foreign-national test. The ADA’s DAT page said the 2026 waivers had all been granted and pointed people to January 1, 2027 for the next batch. Request it from the DENTPIN account. Review can take up to 10 business days.

A Month-by-Month Plan for 2026–27, While You Wait

This is preparation, not an application. Fall 2027 applicants are in their cycle now. You are building the next one.

• Now through December 2026: Finish the science courses you are weak in. Do not start a full DAT block the week of finals.
• January 1, 2027: If you need it, request the DAT partial fee waiver when that batch opens.
• January–February 2027: Diagnostic test, then a study block. A free schedule builder is on the DAT study plan generator.
• March–May 2027: Take the DAT if you are ready. Request letters.
• April 2027: FAP application, if you will use it.
• May 2027: When AADSAS opens, enter coursework, essays, and schools. Do not submit before the first submit day.
• Early June 2027: Submit on the first day you are allowed to, if the file is actually complete. A complete June file beats a rushed file with missing transcripts.
• Summer–fall 2027: Secondary questions, then interviews. Academic Update is how you add final grades later. You can update a planned or in-progress term only once in a window, so wait for the real grade.
• December 2027: Expect the first acceptance date only after ADEA publishes it. December 15 was the date for the prior cycle.
• August 2028: Dental school starts, if you are admitted for Fall 2028.

FAQ

When do I apply for dental school if I want to start in 2028?

You apply in 2027, in the 2027–28 AADSAS cycle. Starting in Fall 2027 is a different cycle, and that application window already opened in 2026.

When does AADSAS open in 2027?

ADEA has not posted the 2027 open date yet. In the 2026–27 cycle the application opened on May 12, 2026, and the first submit day was June 2, 2026. Plan for a May open and an early-June submit, then confirm on the ADEA site before you rely on a day.

When should I take the DAT for Fall 2028 entry?

Spring 2027, or by early summer 2027, after organic chemistry is done. Leave three to four weeks for the official score, and 60 days if you might retake. Details on a retake are in should I retake the DAT?.

Is December 15, 2027 Decision Day?

Not yet. December 15, 2026 is Decision Day for the current cycle. The 2027–28 acceptance date is not published. Do not put December 15, 2027 on a form until ADEA lists it.

Next Step

Pick the DAT month that still leaves a retake, then build the weeks backward from that date.

Build a free DAT study plan or schedule a call if you want the 2027 calendar checked against your coursework.