When Do Dental Schools Send Interview Invites?

The school-by-school timeline for dental school interview invitations: when the earliest go out, when the main waves arrive, and what to do if you hear nothing.

The school-by-school timeline for dental school interview invitations — when the earliest invites go out, when most waves arrive, and what to do if you haven't heard back. return ( The question every dental school applicant asks from August through January — when do interview invitations go out, when should I be concerned, and what should I actually do while I'm waiting. Waiting for dental school interview invitations is one of the most anxiety-producing experiences in the application cycle. The forums fill up with timestamped reports of who got invites when, applicants with stronger stats wonder why they haven't heard back, and the silence between application submission and an email in your inbox can feel endless. Most of that anxiety is driven by incomplete information. Applicants don't know when schools typically send invites, don't understand how rolling admissions actually works, and interpret silence as rejection when it often

isn't. This guide gives you the information to interpret the timeline accurately — when each school typically sends invitations, what the waves look like, and what to do at every stage of the waiting period. How the Dental School Application Timeline Works Before the school-by-school breakdown, the overall cycle structure — because understanding the sequence explains why invitations arrive when they do. The AADSAS Cycle (Domestic DDS Programs) Timeline. What Happens. June 1. AADSAS opens for application submission. Applicants who submit in June have their applications verified and transmitted to schools starting in late June or early July.. July–August. Schools begin reviewing complete applications. "Complete" means AADSAS-verified, with all required supplemental materials submitted and all fees paid.. August–October. The first wave of interview invitations goes out at most schools. Schools with the earliest interview windows (UCLA

starts in July) send invitations in this window.. October–December. The majority of interview invitations at most schools. Rolling admissions programs are filling their classes in real time during this window.. January–February. Final interview waves. Some programs send invitations through January for remaining seats. By this point, many programs are significantly or fully committed.. March–April. Waitlist movement and final decisions. Most programs have issued the majority of their admissions offers.. Rolling Admissions Is Not a Level Playing Field. An equally qualified applicant who submits in June and interviews in September is competing for a different class than the same applicant who submits in September and interviews in January. Early submission — not just before the deadline, but among the first applications submitted — is one of the highest-leverage decisions in the cycle. The CAAPID Cycle (Advanced Standing Programs)

Timeline. What Happens. March 5. CAAPID portal opens (2026 cycle date). The competitive submission window is March 5–31.. April–June. Programs begin reviewing complete CAAPID applications. UMN sends Kira invitations as early as April. BU and Tufts begin filling interview slots in this window.. June–August. Peak interview invitation period for most CAAPID programs. Many programs' classes are substantially committed by August.. August–October. Final interview waves. Some programs continue interviewing into the fall for remaining seats.. CAAPID Rolling Is More Extreme. BU Goldman's January cohort is typically full by August. Tufts DIS fills by August. UMN sends its earliest Kira invites in April. Applicants who submit CAAPID in May or June — even before the deadline — are genuinely late relative to the competitive applicant pool. Domestic DDS Program Interview Invitation Timeline The timing data below is based on historical SDN applicant

reports and program-published interview windows. Exact dates shift by 1–3 weeks between cycles. "Early" means among the first invitations sent in a cycle; "Peak" means when most invitations go out. School. Early Invites. Peak Window. Interview Window. Format. UCLA. July. August–September. July–January. Two 1:1 faculty, open file. UCSF. August. September–October. August–December. Two closed-file interviews. Harvard SDM. September. October–November. September–March. Two-round virtual + in-person. Penn Dental. September. October–November. September–March. Two 1:1 open + closed file. University of Michigan. August. September–November. August–January. MMI, multiple timed stations. Columbia CDM. September. October–November. September–January. 1:1, rolling. NYU. August. September–November. August–January. Kira → Candidate Day. USC. September. November. September–February. 1:1, open file. Tufts University SDM. September. December.

September–February. 1:1, open file. Boston University. August. September–November. August–January. 1:1, open file. UNC Chapel Hill. September. November. September–February. 1:1, open file. Ohio State University. August. September–November. August–January. 1:1, open file. University of Maryland. September. October–November. September–January. MMI. University of Florida. September. October–November. September–January. 1:1. University of Washington. September. October–November. September–January. 1:1. University of Iowa. August. September–October. August–January. 1:1. Indiana University. September. October–November. September–January. 1:1. UIC. September. December. September–February. 1:1. Virginia Commonwealth. August. November. August–January. 1:1. UT Houston. September. November. September–February. 1:1. UT San Antonio. September. November. September–February. 1:1. Case Western Reserve. September. October–November. September–January.

1:1 / panel. University of Louisville. September. October–November. September–January. 1:1. University of the Pacific (Dugoni). August. November. August–February. 1:1. UNLV. September. December. September–February. Interview + skills. Creighton University. September. October–November. September–January. 1:1. Marquette University. September. October–November. September–January. 1:1. Loma Linda University. August. September–October. August–February. Testing → Interview. UCLA: The July Outlier. UCLA sends its first invitations in July — months before most programs even begin reviewing applications. This is the only major program with a confirmed July invitation window. Applicants who complete their application in early June can receive UCLA invitations before August. Don't Wait for Your Invitation to Start Preparing. Start practicing interview questions now so you're ready when your invite arrives. DentPrep's AI coach gives you instant

feedback on every answer.. Start Practicing Free →. CAAPID Advanced Standing Program Invitation Timeline Program. Kira/First Stage. Interview Invitation. Interview Window. Class Fills. UMN PASS. April (Kira). May–June. Bench + interview. By June/July. BU Goldman DIS. N/A. April–July. May–August. By August. Tufts DIS. April–June (Stage 1 Kira). May–August (progressive stages). June–October. By August. NYU. March–May (Kira). May–July. June–September. Rolling. Columbia CDM. April–June (Kira). June–September. July–October. Rolling. Rutgers IED. N/A. April–July. May–September. Rolling. USC ASPID. N/A. May–August. June–October. Rolling. Temple Kornberg. N/A. May–August. June–October. Rolling. CU Anschutz. N/A. April–May. June (bench date fixed). After June. UCLA IDP. N/A. May–July. June–September. Rolling. UCSF IDP. N/A. June–August. August–September. After interviews. Penn PASS. N/A. May–August. June–October. Rolling. UNC ASPID. N/A.

May–July. July–August. Rolling. Loma Linda. N/A. June–August. July–October. Rolling. UMKC. N/A. June. Late July. After July interviews. Indiana IU. April–June. June–August. July–September. After bench. Howard. N/A. June–August. July–September. Rolling. UNLV. N/A. May–July. June–August. Rolling. Pitt. N/A. May–July. June–August. Rolling. Buffalo. N/A. May–July. June–August. After bench. Nova SE. N/A. May–August. June–October. Rolling. CU Anschutz: Fixed Bench Date. Unusual in CAAPID — the bench test date is fixed and published in advance (June 13, 2026 for the Class of 2029). All bench-eligible applicants test on the same day. Plan travel accordingly as soon as your application is complete. UMKC: Structured Multi-Day Visit. Interview and bench test happen in a structured multi-day visit in late July. Offers go out starting August 1 on a rolling basis. The July interview event is essentially the final evaluation stage. → Full CAAPID

programs comparison guide What Rolling Admissions Actually Means For You "Rolling admissions" is on almost every dental school's website, but most applicants don't fully understand what it means in practice. It does not mean applications are considered in submission order. It means admissions decisions are made and communicated continuously throughout the cycle rather than in a single batch after all applications are reviewed. Schools review complete applications as they arrive, make decisions, and fill seats — while simultaneously receiving new applications. It does mean early seats are more available than late seats. A program with 88 seats that interviews 400 applicants starts the season with 88 seats available. By November, if they've made 60 acceptances and 50 applicants have committed, there are 38 seats remaining. By January, there may be 12. The interview you attend in September is competing for a different class size than the

interview you attend in January. It does not mean applying early guarantees an interview. Applications submitted in June to schools that receive 2,000+ applications still go through a review process. But among qualified applicants, earlier submission means earlier review, earlier decision, and access to more available seats if the decision is positive. The practical implication: Submit your AADSAS application on June 1 or as close to it as possible. Verify every school's supplemental requirements and submit those within 48 hours of receiving the request. Have your letters of recommendation submitted before June 1. The Invitation Waves: What They Are and How They Work Most schools don't invite all applicants they plan to interview simultaneously. They send invitations in waves — batches reviewed and processed together, often with 1–3 weeks between waves. Why waves exist: Admissions committees have limited time for review. They process a

batch of complete applications, decide who to invite, send those invitations, then move to the next batch. The size and frequency of waves varies by school. What this means for you: Not hearing from a school during the first wave does not mean rejection. Many applicants receive invitations in the second, third, or fourth wave weeks after the first wave went out. Schools do not publicly announce when waves are sent. SDN threads — particularly the "[School Name] Class of 20XX" thread for the current cycle — are the best real-time source for wave activity. Some schools send rejection notifications between waves. Others don't send rejections until after interview season is complete (or not at all). If your application status shows "under review" or "complete," you have not been rejected. School-by-School: What to Watch For UCLA — The July Outlier UCLA's July invitation timeline is the earliest in dental admissions. SDN records from multiple

cycles confirm invitations going out by early August, with some applicants reporting invitations as early as late July. If you've applied to UCLA and it's October and you haven't heard back, you're likely in a later wave or may have been screened out of the interview pool — but you haven't necessarily been rejected if your status shows "under review." → UCLA dental school interview guide Harvard — The Long Process Harvard's multi-round format means the timeline extends further than most programs. First-round invitations may go out in September. Second-round invitations (for those advancing) may arrive in October or November. On-campus final-round invitations can arrive as late as January or February. If you receive a first-round Harvard invitation in September, don't assume the process is nearly complete — there are likely two more stages before an admissions decision. → Harvard dental school interview guide Penn Dental — The Volume

School Penn receives 2,000+ applications per cycle (the highest volume of any dental school in the country for its CAAPID PASS program — similar dynamics apply to its DDS program). With that volume, the review process is extended and waves may span a longer period than at lower-volume programs. → Penn dental school interview guide | Penn PASS (CAAPID) interview guide Michigan — Early and Fast Michigan sends invitations starting in August for its MMI format. Given the structured nature of MMI scheduling, Michigan's interview schedule fills quickly. An August invitation at Michigan is valuable — the slots are competitive. → Michigan dental school interview guide BU Goldman DIS (CAAPID) — The Rolling Speed Trap BU's January enrollment date and ~100-seat cohort means their rolling process moves faster than almost any other program. Interviews happen through the summer. The cohort can be substantially committed by August — four months before

the January program start. Applicants who submit CAAPID in May expecting to hear back in the fall often discover BU has already filled most of their seats. Submit in March. → BU Goldman advanced standing guide Practice While You Wait. Use the waiting period to build your interview skills with AI-powered mock interviews. When your invitation arrives, you'll be weeks ahead.. Start Mock Interviews →. How Long After Submission to Expect Invitations This question has no single answer — it depends on when you submitted, when the school begins reviewing, how competitive your application is relative to the pool reviewed at the same time, and how many seats remain. General patterns: For June submissions to most schools: first wave invitations begin arriving in August, 6–10 weeks after your application is complete and verified by AADSAS. For July submissions: first possible invitations in September, depending on the school. For August

submissions: first possible invitations in October. For September or later submissions: interview slots at rolling programs are increasingly limited. Some programs with strict quotas may be significantly committed before late-submission applications are reviewed. What To Do If You Haven't Received Any Invitations by October October without any invitations is concerning but not diagnostic. Here's how to think about it: Step 1: Check Application Completeness Log into AADSAS and each school's individual portal. Confirm that every school shows your application as "complete" — not "received" or "waiting for materials." An application showing as incomplete has not been reviewed. Step 2: Check Your Email Spam Folder Interview invitations from AADSAS, school portals, and Kira Talent are regularly filtered to spam. Check spam weekly during the September–December window. A missed invitation that expires unacknowledged is a significant loss. Step

3: Evaluate Your Application Honestly Compare your DAT scores and GPA against the published averages for each school on your list. If your metrics are significantly below a program's average, your application may be screened before reaching the interview stage regardless of when it was submitted. Step 4: Add Schools If Your List Is Small Some applicants with 5–7 schools on their list are waiting for invitations from programs where their metrics put them at the margin. Adding 3–5 schools with published averages closer to your actual profile creates more realistic opportunities. Step 5: Don't Stop Preparing The worst outcome of an anxiety-driven October is that when an invitation finally arrives, you've been so consumed by waiting that you haven't prepared. Treat October as preparation time regardless of your invitation status. What To Do If You Haven't Received Any Invitations by December December without invitations is a materially

different situation from October without invitations. For programs with January application deadlines or later interview windows: December silence isn't necessarily late. Some programs' primary interview windows are October–February. Check each program's publicly stated interview dates rather than assuming December represents the end of the window. For rolling programs where October–November is the peak window: December silence often signals one of two things — your application wasn't competitive enough for the programs on your list, or your application had a completeness issue that delayed review. Practical steps: Contact individual programs where you haven't heard back. A brief, professional inquiry — "I submitted my application on [date] and wanted to confirm it was received and complete" — is appropriate. Begin a realistic reapplication assessment. If your primary concern is getting into dental school in this cycle, late December is

the time to honestly evaluate whether the remaining opportunities are sufficient — or whether a strategic reapplication in the next cycle with a strengthened application is the right move. → CAAPID reapplicant strategy guide How to Use the Waiting Period Productively The waiting period between application submission and interview invitations is typically 6–16 weeks. Here's how to use it: Start interview prep immediately — don't wait for invitations. The moment your applications are submitted, begin the preparation work. Build your story bank. Draft your "why dentistry" answer. Research each school on your list. These are high-value tasks that compound over time. Research each school's current format. SDN threads for the current cycle begin filling with format confirmation data as the first interviewees report their experiences. By October, you should know whether each school is still using the format published on their website. Practice

one mock interview per month minimum. Don't let the waiting period become a practice-free gap. One full 30-minute mock interview per month means you arrive at your first invitation having already practiced 2–3 times. Monitor SDN's interview tracker for your schools. Many dental school applicant communities maintain spreadsheet trackers showing when invitations were received, applicant stats, and interview dates. Follow up on any missing application materials. Use the waiting period to confirm that every letter of recommendation has been submitted, every transcript has been verified, and every supplemental has been received. → Full 30-day dental school interview prep plan → Interview formats by school guide The Specific Anxiety: "Others Are Getting Invites and I'm Not" This is the experience that drives most of the forum anxiety during August–December. Someone with a lower GPA posts that they got a Michigan invite. Someone with a higher

DAT posts that they haven't heard from anywhere. The comparisons feel meaningful and they often aren't. Why individual comparison doesn't tell you much: Schools review applications in batches based on when they arrive and when they're complete — not in order of strength. Different geographic regions, different applicant demographics, different program-specific diversity considerations all affect invitation patterns in ways that aren't visible from individual SDN posts. Interview invitations are not merit rankings. Programs send invitations to applicants they believe meet the threshold for a productive conversation — not in rank order of quality. What individual comparison does tell you: If applicants substantially similar to your profile are consistently reporting invitations from a school and you haven't received one by late October, that's a signal worth paying attention to — not panicking over, but paying attention to. It may mean

reviewing your application for completeness, or honestly evaluating whether your profile is competitive for that program. Start Preparing Now — Don't Wait for Your Invitation. The waiting period between application submission and interview invitation is the best time to build the preparation that determines whether the invitation converts to an acceptance.. Start Interview Prep Now →. ); }; export default DentalSchoolInterviewInviteTimeline; When do dental schools send interview invitations? Most domestic dental programs send their first wave of interview invitations in August or September, with peak invitation activity in October and November. UCLA is the outlier — invitations begin as early as July. CAAPID advanced standing programs begin much earlier: UMN sends Kira invitations in April, BU Goldman begins interview invitations in May, and most CAAPID programs have sent their primary waves by August. How long after submitting does it

take to get a dental school interview? For June submissions, first invitations typically arrive 6–10 weeks after your application is verified as complete by AADSAS and transmitted to schools — meaning August or September for most programs. Later submissions push this timeline later. The key variable is when your application reaches "complete" status at each school, not when you hit submit on AADSAS. What does it mean if I haven't received any interview invitations by November? First, confirm your applications are genuinely complete at every school — not just submitted. Missing letters or supplementals silently stall applications. Second, evaluate whether your school list is appropriately matched to your metrics. November without invitations is concerning for rolling programs but is not necessarily the end of the cycle — some schools interview through January or February. Is it okay to contact dental schools asking about your application

status? Yes, but with appropriate framing. A professional inquiry asking whether your application is complete and under review is appropriate. Asking why you haven't been invited to interview, or requesting feedback on your application status, is not — admissions offices don't provide this during the active cycle. Keep contact brief, professional, and specific to completeness verification. Do dental schools interview everyone who meets their stated minimum requirements? No. Published minimums are screening floors, not guarantees. Programs that receive 1,000–2,000+ applications for 80–120 seats invite a fraction of minimally-qualified applicants. Meeting a program's minimum GPA and DAT means you're eligible to be reviewed — not that you'll receive an interview. Should I send a letter of interest or update to a school I haven't heard from? A well-crafted update letter — describing a meaningful recent development in your application

(significant new clinical experience, a publication, a meaningful volunteer milestone) — is appropriate and can be beneficial. A generic "I'm still very interested in your program" letter without substantive new content adds no value. If you have something genuinely new to add, add it. If you don't, wait.