UNC ASPID Interview, Bench Test & Requirements 2026

UNC's ASPID runs one designated interview date, charges $300 for the bench test, and sends no rejection letters. Requirements, TOEFL floors and deadlines.

UNC runs one designated interview date you cannot reschedule, charges $300 for the bench test, and sends nothing at all if you are not selected. return ( <> One Interview Date, and Silence If You're Not Invited Two of UNC's rules deserve reading twice, because both are absolute and neither is softened anywhere on the page. There is one designated interview date. UNC's wording: "Individuals who are not able to attend the designated interview date will not be eligible for acceptance." Not rescheduled — not eligible. If you are applying from abroad, that makes visa timing, flights and time off work part of the application rather than an afterthought. No rejection letter is sent. UNC states that "formal letters of non-acceptance will not be sent to applicants not selected for an interview." Silence is the answer. There is no email to wait for, which matters if you are holding a decision on another program. The interview day itself is a

programme overview, a personal interview with faculty from the ASPID admissions committee , and a bench test on manikins in the preclinical laboratory. One date, one interview, one chance to explain yourself. Practise answering out loud and get scored on clarity, structure and reasoning before the day that cannot be rescheduled.. Try it free →. You Pay $300 for the Privilege of Interviewing Most programs charge you to apply. UNC also charges you to interview. Stage. Cost. When. Application fee. $150. Paid during the supplemental application. Bench test fee. $300. Paid by applicants selected for interview — details come with the invitation. Enrolment deposit. $5,000, non-refundable. Within 14 days of an offer of admission. The $300 is the one to plan for, because it arrives at the moment you are also booking flights to Chapel Hill for a date you cannot move. And the $5,000 within fourteen days is a genuinely short window if you are

waiting to hear from other programs — worth knowing before you are holding an offer and a deadline at the same time. UNC separately estimates books, room, board and personal expenses at $21,000, not including living expenses. The TOEFL Rule With Two Numbers UNC publishes a recommended score and a hard floor, and the floor is the one that decides whether anyone reads your file. Threshold. Score. What it means. Recommended. 5 on the new scale, or 100 on the old with 20+ in each section. What UNC asks for. Absolute minimum. Below 90 — not reviewed. \. . So a 92 is reviewed and uncompetitive; an 89 is not reviewed at all. No waivers are accepted, and the score must be under two years old at application. UNC accepts the TOEFL Home Edition — Washington does not. UNC states plainly: "WE DO ACCEPT TOEFL HOME EDITION". The University of Washington rejects Home Edition and Best Result scores outright. This is exactly the kind of rule that does

not carry between programs, so check each one rather than assuming. Our TOEFL requirements guide covers every CAAPID program's minimum on both scales. ECE Only — and No, UNC Does Not Recommend WES You will find pages stating that UNC recommends World Education Services. It does not. UNC requires that all transcripts, diplomas and dental licences obtained outside the US are translated and certified by ECE . Its own FAQ asks "Do you accept WES transcript reports?" and answers "No." UNC even explains why, which is unusual and worth understanding: it wants a standardised process for admissions and future accreditation, because the same transcript evaluated by different services can produce different outcomes. If you are choosing one evaluator for a whole cycle, this is another entry in the column that makes ECE the safer purchase — see our ECE vs WES guide . Harvard and Washington accept either; UNC, Michigan and NYU require ECE. The Letter

That Takes Months to Arrange UNC requires three letters, and prescribes where they come from: Preferably from the dean or a faculty member of the dental school you graduated from. From a dentist practising in the United States who supervised you, worked with you, or whom you shadowed. From someone who has supervised you in a professional setting. Start on the second letter now. A letter from a US-practising dentist is not something you can arrange in the week before a deadline, and if you have never worked or shadowed in the US you do not have this relationship yet. Building it takes months. If UNC is on your list for this cycle or the next, this is the item to act on first — everything else on this page can be done in weeks. All letters must be signed, on the writer's letterhead, in English, and submitted directly through CAAPID . UNC does not accept letters sent outside the CAAPID system. Boards, and Why You Cannot Apply First and

Test Later UNC accepts NBDE Parts I and II, or the INBDE . Notably, it says it only records that the exam was taken with a grade of Pass — there is no minimum score beyond passing, which is more forgiving than it first appears. The timing, though, is not forgiving. UNC's FAQ is explicit that all score reports must be submitted by the application deadline, and that you cannot apply now and take the boards later. Everything goes in together. Two more things worth knowing before you plan a visit: UNC does not meet candidates before an interview invitation, though campus tours are available — you simply cannot enter clinical areas, for HIPAA reasons. And the programme is open to graduates of foreign dental schools except Canadian graduates . For how UNC's requirements sit against the other 46 programs, see our CAAPID program finder . ); }; export default UNCDentalAdvancedStanding; unc-dental-advanced-standing-interview UNC Adams School of

Dentistry UNC ASPID One Date a $300 Bench Test and No Rejection Letter UNC ASPID Interview Bench Test & Requirements 2026 UNC s ASPID runs one designated interview date charges $300 for the bench test and sends no rejection letters. Requirements TOEFL floors and deadlines. UNC ASPID UNC Adams advanced standing UNC international dentist DDS UNC ASPID interview North Carolina advanced standing dental UNC dental CAAPID 2026-08-02 2026-08-02 International Program Faculty interview plus manikin bench test single fixed date UNC runs one designated interview date you cannot reschedule charges $300 for the bench test and sends nothing at all if you are not selected. One interview date and silence if you are not invited. Degree DDS Location Chapel Hill NC Program Advanced Standing for International Dentists (ASPID) Interview Format Faculty interview + manikin bench test Interview Date One designated date — no alternatives Bench Test Fee $300

paid if selected Seats 8 Length 29 months Deadline May 23 2026 Evaluator ECE only — WES not accepted TOEFL 100 recommended; below 90 not reviewed Deposit $5 000 within 14 days one-date One Interview Date 2 the-money You Pay $300 to Interview 2 toefl The TOEFL Rule With Two Numbers 2 ece-only ECE Only — Not WES 2 letters The Letter That Takes Months 2 boards-and-timing Boards and Timing 2 Interview with the ASPID committee Why do you want to practise dentistry in the United States? Ground it in your own clinical history rather than general opportunity → be specific about the scope of practice you want → avoid framing that reads as purely economic. Tell us about your clinical experience since graduating. Volume and range first → one case you managed independently → what it taught you → how it maps onto US practice. What will be most difficult about retraining here? Name something real — the clerkship model documentation standards the pace

→ then what you have already done to prepare for it. Bench test day Walk us through your approach to this preparation. Narrate your reasoning as you work — the bench test assesses judgement as well as hands. Say what you are checking and why. How current are your hand skills? Be concrete about recent clinical volume and any refresher work. A gap is fine if you can say what you did about it. What would you do differently given more time? Self-assessment is being tested. Name a genuine limitation rather than claiming satisfaction. Start the US dentist letter months ahead UNC requires one letter from a dentist practising in the United States who supervised worked with or was shadowed by you. If you have never been to the US you do not have that relationship yet and building it takes months. Everything else on this application takes weeks. Treat the interview date as fixed UNC states that anyone unable to attend the designated date is not

eligible for acceptance. Plan visa timing flights and leave around it before you apply not after an invitation arrives. Budget $450 before you are admitted $150 to apply and $300 for the bench test if you are selected plus travel to Chapel Hill. Then $5 000 non-refundable within 14 days of an offer. Check the 90 floor not just the 100 target UNC recommends 100 but an application scoring below 90 is not reviewed at all under a university-wide policy with no exceptions. There is no appeal on that one. Buy ECE not WES Aggregator pages claim UNC recommends WES. UNC s own FAQ answers No to WES and requires ECE certification for all foreign transcripts diplomas and licences. Requirement UNC ASPID 2026-27 Application service ADEA CAAPID Deadline May 23 2026. Late or incomplete applications not considered Eligibility Foreign dental school graduates except Canadian graduates Credential evaluation ECE only. WES explicitly not accepted National

boards NBDE Parts I and II or INBDE. Pass is what is recorded Board timing All score reports due by the deadline — no testing later TOEFL 5 new scale or 100 old with 20+ per section. Home Edition accepted TOEFL hard floor Below 90 is not reviewed — university-wide no exceptions Letters school dean/faculty a US-practising dentist a professional supervisor Supplemental Via photo passport visa status Application fee $150 Bench test fee $300 if selected for interview Interview One designated date in Chapel Hill. Cannot be rescheduled If not selected No letter is sent Deposit $5 000 non-refundable within 14 days of an offer Months ahead Start building the relationship for the US-practising dentist letter Order the ECE evaluation — WES will not be accepted Sit NBDE/INBDE and TOEFL early; all reports must arrive by the deadline Check your TOEFL clears 90 at minimum and aim for 100 By May 23 Submit the CAAPID application with all three letters

Complete the Slate supplemental application when the email arrives Pay the $150 application fee Confirm every score report has arrived — late items are not accepted If invited Pay the $300 bench test fee Book travel to Chapel Hill for the designated date — it cannot be moved Prepare hand skills for a manikin bench test Have $5 000 available in case of an offer — 14 days is a short window Does UNC accept WES evaluations for ASPID? No. UNC requires that all transcripts diplomas and dental licences obtained outside the US are translated and certified by ECE and its FAQ answers No directly to whether WES reports are accepted. UNC explains that it wants a standardised process because different services can evaluate the same transcript differently. Some third-party pages state the opposite and they are wrong. What TOEFL score does UNC ASPID require? UNC recommends an average of 5 on the new scale or 100 on the old scale with 20 or above in

each of the four sections. Separately an application scoring below 90 will not be reviewed at all which UNC describes as a university-wide policy with no exceptions. No waivers are accepted and the score must be under two years old. UNC does accept the TOEFL Home Edition. Is there a bench test for UNC ASPID and does it cost anything? Yes to both. Applicants selected for interview pay a $300 bench test fee with payment details included in the interview invitation. The interview day consists of a programme overview a personal interview with faculty from the ASPID admissions committee and a bench test using manikins in the preclinical laboratory. Can I reschedule the UNC ASPID interview? No. UNC states that individuals unable to attend the designated interview date will not be eligible for acceptance. There is one date so plan travel leave and visa timing around it before applying. Will UNC tell me if I am not selected for interview? No.

UNC states that formal letters of non-acceptance will not be sent to applicants not selected for an interview. Silence is the outcome which matters if you are timing decisions across several programs. What letters does UNC ASPID require? Three submitted directly through preferably one from the dean or a faculty member of your dental school one from a dentist practising in the United States who supervised worked with or was shadowed by you and one from someone who supervised you professionally. The US dentist letter is the one that needs months of lead time if you have never worked in the US. Can I apply to UNC ASPID and take my boards afterwards? No. UNC s FAQ states that all score reports must be submitted by the application deadline and that you are required to submit all supplemental documents together. There is no route that defers the boards. Washington IDDS Guide Bench test and interview each summer and five procedural rules that

sink applications. International Program /schools/washington-dental-advanced-standing-interview Harvard ASID Track Guide Three interview rounds ending with a bench skills assessment on campus. International Program /schools/harvard-dental-advanced-standing-interview ECE vs WES for CAAPID Which evaluator each program accepts and why ECE covers more of them. Credentials /blog/ece-vs-wes-caapid