Admissions Requirements & Procedures

AEGD Program applications for the 2026-2027 academic year are now open with a deadline of October 15, 2025. Candidates must submit completed application materials, all supporting documents, and application fees.

Applicants must have completed a dental degree (DDS or DMD) from a CODA accredited dental school and must be United States citizens or hold United States Lawful Permanent Resident status. Applicants with advanced dental training and/or clinical practice experience beyond a dental degree will also be considered.

Program Application – Penn Dental Medicine participates in ADEA’s centralized application service, Postdoctoral Application Support Service (PASS). All applicants must apply by October 15, 2024.

Penn Dental Medicine GDE Supplemental Application – Both the GDE Supplemental Application and $90 non-refundable application fee are submitted in the PDM Applicant Portal made available to applicants when we confirm receipt of a complete ADEA PASS application as defined by ADEA PASS.  It is to the applicant’s best advantage to submit the items listed below well in advance of the application deadline. The following items must be received by the program’s deadline.

  • The Penn Dental Medicine GDE Supplemental Application: Complete the Penn Dental Medicine GDE Supplemental Application online through the PDM Applicant Portal. A separate GDE Supplemental Application is required for each program if you apply to multiple Penn Dental Medicine programs.
  • Application Fee: The $90 non-refundable application fee should be submitted directly to the PDM Applicant Portal. A separate application fee is required for each program if you apply to multiple programs. No application fee waivers are available.

Official dental school transcript – is required to complete the ADEA PASS application: one of the following must be received to fulfill this requirement: official U.S. dental school transcript.

Unofficial Undergraduate Transcripts – applicants must upload unofficial transcripts for each undergraduate college attended to the ADEA PASS application. Do not send official college transcripts directly to the Office of Student Admissions.

Letters of Evaluation – The following letters are required:

  • Institution Evaluation Form: IEF (also called the dean’s letter) is an evaluation of the applicant completed by the dean or designated official of the dental school attended. NBDE or INBDE scores or results, GPA and class rank (if applicable) are also included in the IEF.
  • Professional Evaluation Form: PEF is the traditional evaluation letter required for every applicant. Penn Dental Medicine requires 2 PEFs for applicants.

Official National Dental Board Scores (NBDE) Part I: An official NBDE Part I or INBDE Passing score from January 2012 – present is required for all U.S.-educated dentists. Applicants must submit official NBDE Part I scores electronically by the program application deadlines through ADEA PASS.  Although an official NBDE Part II score is not required for admission, it is required from U.S.-educated dentists for matriculation into Penn Dental Medicine’s GDE programs.  For NBDE/INBDE information and registration materials, visit the American Dental Association-Testing or contact: The Joint Commission on Dental Examinations, 211 East Chicago Avenue Suite 600, Chicago, IL 60611; (800) 324-1694.

ADA ADAT Scores (ADA Advanced Dental Admission Test – ADAT Scores are not required for admission to Penn Dental Medicine Graduate Dental Education Programs. ADAT scores will be accepted if available through the ADEA PASS application when released by the ADA

Application Process

The AEGD Admissions Selection Committee will review completed applications on a rolling basis. We recommend that applicants submit their completed applications with all documents as early as possible and no later than October 15, 2024 deadline for interview consideration. All admitted candidates will be notified by email.

All application materials and documents become the property of Penn Dental Medicine and will not be returned to the applicant.

Annual Stipend

As part of the AEGD program, each resident will receive an annual stipend transportation allowance, plus employee benefits (medical, dental, vision, and life insurance).