Dental and Pharmacy School Admissions in the USA (DAT, PCAT, AADSAS, PharmCAS)

Two health professions, two centralized routes

Dentistry and pharmacy are distinct professions with separate admission machinery, but both run through centralized application services. US dental schools generally use ADEA AADSAS, and the standard admission test is the Dental Admission Test (DAT). US pharmacy programs leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) generally use PharmCAS.

A centralized service lets you complete one application and send it to many programs, which then add their own supplemental requirements. This guide explains how each route works without quoting score targets, prerequisite GPAs, fees, or deadlines as fixed facts — those are set by the testing bodies and individual programs and change. Verify the current details on the official pages linked below.

Both fields lead to licensed clinical practice after the doctoral degree (and, for some, additional residency/specialty training); this guide focuses on getting into the degree program.

The Dental Admission Test (DAT)

The DAT is owned and administered by the American Dental Association (ADA) and is required by US dental schools. It is a computer-based test delivered at Prometric test centers after you apply to the ADA and receive an eligibility letter. The exam covers natural sciences (biology and chemistry), perceptual ability, reading comprehension, and quantitative reasoning.

A recent change to note: starting March 1, 2025, the ADA moved the DAT to a new three-digit scoring scale (200–600), replacing the older two-digit scale. Because schools may describe requirements using either scale during the transition, check how each dental school states its DAT expectations and read the current ADA DAT pages for how scores are reported. This guide does not quote target scores — those are set by individual schools and change.

You choose your score recipients when you test. To make sure dental schools receive your scores through the centralized service, follow the ADA's guidance on selecting an AADSAS-participating school as a recipient.

Applying to dental school through ADEA AADSAS

ADEA AADSAS (the American Dental Education Association's Associated American Dental Schools Application Service) is the centralized application most US dental schools use. You enter your coursework, experiences, personal statement, and letters of evaluation once, and AADSAS verifies and distributes your application to your selected programs.

Typical dental prerequisites include a sequence of science coursework (such as general biology, general and organic chemistry, and physics, often with labs), though exact requirements vary by school. After the centralized application, programs may request secondary/supplemental materials and interviews.

• Take the DAT and route official scores to an AADSAS-participating program
• Complete prerequisite science coursework (requirements vary by school)
• Enter coursework, experiences, and a personal statement in AADSAS
• Arrange letters of evaluation through AADSAS
• Select your dental programs and submit for verification
• Respond to any school-specific secondary applications and interview invitations

Pharmacy: PharmD admissions and PharmCAS (and the retired PCAT)

The professional pharmacy degree is the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD). Most PharmD programs accept applications through PharmCAS, the centralized pharmacy application service, where you submit coursework, experiences, essays, and references once for distribution to your chosen schools.

About the PCAT: the Pharmacy College Admission Test was retired on January 10, 2024 and is no longer offered. As a result, many pharmacy programs are test-optional or do not require a standardized admission test; some may consider other tests. Always check each program's current standardized-test policy in the PharmCAS school directory rather than assuming a test is or is not required.

Pharmacy prerequisites commonly include sciences (biology, chemistry, and often anatomy/physiology and calculus or statistics), but they vary by program, so confirm each school's list directly.

Side-by-side: choosing and planning your route

If you are deciding between or preparing for these paths, the key differences are the test and the portal: dentistry uses the DAT and AADSAS; pharmacy uses PharmCAS and (since the PCAT's retirement) frequently no required admission test. Both reward early planning of prerequisite coursework and centralized-application timelines.

Many programs review on a rolling basis, so completing your centralized application and any supplements promptly can help — though it never guarantees admission. Treat every fee, deadline, prerequisite, and score policy as something to confirm on the official ADA, AADSAS, or PharmCAS pages and on each school's site for the current cycle.

• Dentistry: DAT (ADA) + ADEA AADSAS centralized application
• Pharmacy: PharmCAS centralized application; PCAT retired (Jan 2024)
• Both: plan prerequisite sciences early and confirm each school's list
• Both: budget for application, supplemental, and (for dentistry) test fees
• Verify all test policies, fees, and deadlines on official sources