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For internationally trained dentists

AEGD and GPR Programs for International Dentists: Programs, Applications, and Residency Licensure States

Which residencies take foreign-trained dentists, how to apply, and the states where a residency can replace a US dental degree.

Last updated 2026-11-08

States that accept a residency Programs that accept foreign graduates Check your state route free

Key facts, sourced

Foreign graduates eligible?: Program by program; CODA Standard 4-2(c) allows international graduates with equivalent education "as determined by the institution and program."
Length: 1 year, or 2; Most AEGD programs are one year; many offer an optional second. Most licensure states require two.
Shortest licensure route: Virginia · Vermont · Iowa; Virginia: a 12-month advanced general dentistry program. Vermont: a 1-year program the Board accepts. Iowa: a one-academic-year GPR (not AEGD).
ADEA PASS fee, 2026–27: $199 + $92; First program, then each additional. PASS opened May 13, 2026 and closes February 12, 2027.
Match registration: $100; Needed only for programs in the Postdoctoral Dental Matching Program; many foreign-friendly programs are not in it.
Money: Stipend or tuition; Examples: UConn pays foreign-trained residents $48,000; UCLA charges $64,200 a year.

The basics

What AEGD and GPR programs are

Both are CODA-accredited postdoctoral programs in general dentistry for dentists who already hold a dental degree.

	AEGD	GPR
Full name	Advanced Education in General Dentistry	General Practice Residency
Setting	Dental schools and clinics; emphasis on clinical dentistry	Sponsored by or affiliated with a hospital; residents join the hospital house staff
Length	One year, one year with an optional second, or two years	Same options
Typical focus	Comprehensive clinical general dentistry	General dentistry with intensive hospital experience

CODA notes that "the majority of AEGD programs are one year." That matters, because most states that license through a residency require two years.

Can foreign-trained dentists apply? Yes, where the program allows it. CODA Standard 4-2 lists three eligible groups, the third being: "Graduates from an international dental school with equivalent educational background and standing as determined by the institution and program." So acceptance is the program's decision, and it varies sharply.

Stipend or tuition? Both exist. Washington's AEGD pays first-year residents $87,708; UConn pays $75,000 to US or Canadian citizens and $48,000 to foreign-trained graduates; High Point pays $61,500 to CODA graduates only. Programs open to foreign graduates more often charge tuition: Howard $20,000 (2025–26), Rochester Eastman $32,037 a year, Miami GPR about $55,000, UCLA $64,200 a year (rate set July 2024), and Florida $23,233 a semester. UT Health San Antonio pays no stipend but covers tuition.

Licensure

States where a residency can replace a US dental degree

The ADA's summary is the right starting point: "In the majority of states, completing an advanced dental education program does not satisfy the educational requirements for licensure if the initial dental degree was obtained from a non-accredited program." The states below are the exceptions. The length is the most common mistake: a one-year AEGD qualifies in very few of them.

State	What a foreign-trained dentist needs	Residency length	Details
Virginia	A diploma or certificate from a CODA- or CDAC-accredited post-doctoral advanced general dentistry program (or a 24-month clinical specialty program)	12 months	Virginia
Iowa	A postgraduate general practice residency "of at least one academic year at an accredited dental college" (other equivalency routes exist)	1 academic year	Iowa
Ohio	At least two years of clinical training in general dentistry in an accredited GPR or AEGD, plus other requirements including a basic science and laboratory exam and the TOEFL	2 years	Ohio
Indiana	A clinical training program of at least two years, including a GPR or AEGD at an accredited institution	2 years	Indiana
Kentucky	Two years of postgraduate training in a CODA-accredited general dentistry program, plus a TOEFL iBT of 116 if English is not your first language (rule effective August 18, 2026). Apply within two years of finishing, or you will need another US license or a board-approved CE plan; the clinical exam must be within 5 years	2 years	Kentucky
North Carolina	A 2-year CODA AEGD or GPR substitutes for the DDS in licensure by credentials, but you also need five years of active practice immediately before applying (G.S. 90-36(c)(1)), the Board's clinical-hours requirement, and ADEX scores under 5 years old	2-year program + 5 years' practice	North Carolina
Washington	At least two additional CODA-approved predoctoral or postdoctoral academic years with clinical training. A one-year Washington residency serving low-income patients can replace the clinical exam, not the two years	2 years	Washington
Louisiana	A CODA-approved postgraduate general dentistry program of at least two consecutive years	2 years	Louisiana
West Virginia	A two-year or longer CODA-accredited advanced general dentistry program at a US or Canadian dental school	2 years	West Virginia
Mississippi	A CODA postdoctoral program of two or more years, through licensure by examination, plus six years of postsecondary study, foreign licensure, and a dean's certification	2+ years	Mississippi
Illinois	An accredited advanced dental education program of at least 2 academic years approved by IDFPR; the rule lists specialty programs, so confirm whether a 2-year AEGD or GPR qualifies	2 years	Illinois
Vermont	A foreign dental degree plus a CODA-accredited postgraduate program of at least 1 year that the Board accepts as general-dentistry training (Board Rule 4-2(a)(2))	1 year (Board must accept the program)	Vermont
Connecticut	Two years of CODA residency, then three more years of residency or fellowship in a Connecticut dental school (or three years as full-time faculty)	5 years total	Connecticut
Florida	A two-year CODA supplemental general dentistry program (for example, Florida's two-year AEGD for internationally educated dentists) before the licensure exams	2 years	Florida

Specialty only, not AEGD or GPR: Michigan accepts a CODA specialty master's or certificate of at least two years, and Texas a CODA specialty program of at least two academic years; a general residency does not qualify. Minnesota's route is a board equivalency review, a Limited General License, and three years of supervised practice in Minnesota.

No residency route: California, New York, and Massachusetts require a CODA-accredited or board-approved DDS or DMD. New York also requires a one-year residency of every new licensee, US-trained or not.

Rules change, and several of these states amended them in 2025–26. Open the state page, then confirm with the board before you rank programs.

Programs

Programs that accept foreign-trained dentists, and some that do not

From each program's ADEA PASS profile or its own page, November 8, 2026. Requirements change every cycle; open the profile before applying.

Accept graduates of non-CODA dental schools:

Program	Type, length	Status and visa	Tests and evaluation	Cost or stipend
UConn AEGD	AEGD, 12 months	Offers J-1 sponsorship to eligible applicants	INBDE or NBDE; TOEFL 5 overall with section minimums, no waivers; WES only, ECE not accepted; certified translation of the degree	$48,000 stipend for foreign-trained graduates; $100 supplemental fee
Nova Southeastern AEGD	AEGD, 12–24 months	Applicant arranges own sponsorship	INBDE or NBDE; TOEFL 4.5	No stipend
Howard University AEGD	AEGD, 12 months	Offers sponsorship	INBDE; ADAT required for non-CODA graduates (ADAT prep); ECE only	Tuition $20,000 (2025–26)
Rochester Eastman AEGD	AEGD, 24 months	Offers sponsorship	TOEFL; WES only, ECE not accepted	Tuition $32,037 a year
Temple Kornberg AEGD	AEGD, 12 months	Offers sponsorship	INBDE or NBDE; TOEFL 5 (100 old scale); ECE	Tuition; no stipend
UT Health San Antonio AEGD	AEGD, 12–24 months	Offers sponsorship	INBDE	No stipend; tuition covered
Paris Regional Health AEGD	AEGD, 12 months	Applicant arranges own sponsorship	INBDE or NBDE; TOEFL	Stipend; $100 supplemental fee
High Point University AEGD	AEGD, 12–24 months	US citizens and permanent residents	INBDE; TOEFL	Stipend for CODA graduates only; tuition for others
University of Mississippi Medical Center AEGD	AEGD, 12 months	US citizens, permanent residents, Canadians; no visa sponsorship	INBDE or NBDE; proof of equivalent education	Stipend
UCLA AEGD	AEGD, 1 year; one position for non-CODA graduates	F-1 students pay an international fee	NBDE performance considered	Tuition $64,200 a year
University of Florida AEGD for internationally educated dentists	AEGD, 24 months	US citizens and permanent residents	INBDE or NBDE; TOEFL	$23,233 a semester; leads to Florida exam eligibility
Columbia postdoctoral AEGD	AEGD, postdoctoral track	Foreign-trained visa holders not eligible for the NYP residency position	TOEFL 100; ECE or WES	Tuition
University of Kentucky GPR	GPR, 1 year	Applicant arranges own sponsorship	INBDE or NBDE; considered case by case	Stipend
University of Miami Hospital GPR	GPR, 12–24 months	US citizens and permanent residents; no visas	INBDE or NBDE; TOEFL above 80	Tuition about $55,000 a year
LSU Health New Orleans GPR	GPR, 12–24 months	Applicant arranges own sponsorship	INBDE or NBDE	Stipend

Do not accept non-CODA graduates: Penn AEGD (CODA degree and US citizenship or permanent residency required), University at Buffalo AEGD, UTHealth Houston AEGD, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia GPR, University of Virginia GPR, Mount Sinai GPR, and NYU Langone Brooklyn GPR.

The pattern in these profiles: well-paid, Match-participating residencies more often limit themselves to US and Canadian graduates, while programs open to foreign graduates more often charge tuition or pay a smaller stipend. For UCLA's and Columbia's international positions, confirm the position is CODA-accredited before relying on it for licensure. Search the ADEA PASS Program Finder for the field "will consider applicants who graduated … from a non-CODA accredited dental school."

Applying

How to apply: ADEA PASS and the Match

ADEA PASS is the application service for postdoctoral dental programs, the residency counterpart to CAAPID.

	2026–27 cycle
Fee	$199 for the first program, $92 for each additional
Opened	May 13, 2026
First program deadline	July 1, 2026
Closes	February 12, 2027

Do not send foreign transcripts to PASS. Order a course-by-course evaluation from ECE or WES and have it sent directly to PASS; the Help Center names the BDS among degrees that need one. Check each program: Howard accepts ECE only; UConn and Rochester accept WES only.
TOEFL goes electronically from ETS to PASS; paper copies are not accepted.
Program deadlines run from summer to late fall: Nova Southeastern August 1, Howard and Miami September 1, UConn September 15, Rochester, UT Health San Antonio and Florida October 1, Mississippi and LSU November 1.
Many programs add a supplemental application or fee (UConn charges $100 to non-US and non-Canadian graduates).

The Match. Programs that fill through the Postdoctoral Dental Matching Program require a Match registration as well: $100, covering both phases, and you need your DENTPIN to register. Phase I covers AEGD and GPR; for the 2027 Match, Phase I rank lists are due November 16, 2026, and results come out November 23, 2026. Many programs open to foreign graduates (Nova Southeastern, Rochester, Temple, Paris Regional, High Point, UT Health San Antonio, Miami) do not use the Match, so you apply through PASS or the school only.

A realistic sequence: pass the INBDE, take the TOEFL, order the ECE or WES evaluation, open PASS in May, apply to programs that both accept non-CODA graduates and sit in a state whose rules you have checked, register for the Match only if your programs use it, then interview in the fall.

Decide

Residency or advanced-standing DDS?

	Residency route (AEGD or GPR)	Advanced-standing DDS or DMD
Time	1 to 2 years (5 in Connecticut)	24 to 45 months
Cost	Tuition from about $20,000 (Howard, 2025–26) to about $70,000 a year (Florida's two-year AEGD, $23,233 a semester), or a stipend	About $260,000 to $470,000 total cost of attendance
Where you can be licensed	Only states that accept your residency, usually as an initial license there	Every state; the degree meets the education requirement everywhere
Moving states later	Depends on licensure-by-credentials rules in the new state	Same rules as any US graduate
Application	ADEA PASS, sometimes the Match	ADEA CAAPID

Choose the residency route when you are sure of your state and it accepts the length of program you can get into. Choose the DDS when you need flexibility to move, or your state requires it. Many candidates apply to both in the same year.

Full program comparison: international dentist programs. Working while you wait: foreign-trained dentist to dental hygienist.

Straight answers

Questions candidates actually ask

Residency pathway by state International dentist programs INBDE for international dentists

Do AEGD programs accept international dentists?

Some do. CODA lets programs admit international graduates with equivalent education as the program determines. UConn, Nova Southeastern, Howard, Rochester Eastman, Temple, UT Health San Antonio, Paris Regional, UCLA, and Florida's two-year AEGD accept non-CODA graduates; Penn, Buffalo, and UTHealth Houston do not.

Which states give a dental license after a residency to foreign-trained dentists?

Virginia (12-month program), Vermont (1-year program the Board accepts), and Iowa (one-academic-year GPR at an accredited dental college) have the shortest routes. Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Washington, Louisiana, West Virginia, and Mississippi require two years, and Connecticut five. North Carolina accepts a two-year program only with five years of practice, through licensure by credentials. Michigan and Texas accept only specialty programs.

Is a one-year AEGD enough to get licensed?

Only in a few states. Virginia accepts a 12-month advanced general dentistry program, and Vermont a 1-year general-dentistry postgraduate program the Board accepts. Iowa accepts a one-year GPR (not an AEGD) at an accredited dental college. Most residency states require two years.

How much does ADEA PASS cost?

For 2026–27, $199 for the first program and $92 for each additional. Some programs add a supplemental fee, and Match registration is a separate $100.

Do AEGD programs pay international residents?

Some pay a stipend (UConn pays foreign-trained residents $48,000; Kentucky and LSU GPRs offer stipends), but many programs open to foreign graduates charge tuition, from about $20,000 at Howard to about $70,000 a year for Florida's two-year AEGD.

Can I do a GPR in California or New York instead of a DDS?

No. California, New York, and Massachusetts require a CODA-accredited or board-approved DDS or DMD for foreign-trained dentists. New York additionally requires a one-year residency of every new licensee.

Sources

Primary sources and disclaimers

Program rules come from each program's ADEA PASS profile or own page. State rules come from the board's rule or statute; Louisiana, West Virginia, Mississippi, Illinois, Vermont, and Florida link to Dentovio state pages that carry their official sources.

CODA-AEGD CODA — Accreditation Standards for Advanced Education in General Dentistry (Standard 4-2)CODA-GPR CODA — Accreditation Standards for General Practice Residency CODA-FIND CODA — find a program (AEGD and GPR descriptions)ADA ADA — licensure for international dentists PASS ADEA PASS — applying, fees and 2026–27 dates PASS-HC ADEA PASS Help Center — foreign transcripts NMS National Matching Services — Postdoctoral Dental Matching Program NMS-REG National Matching Services — applicant registration VA Virginia Administrative Code 18VAC60-21-200 IA Iowa Administrative Code 481-572 OH Ohio Administrative Code 4715-18-01 IN Indiana Professional Licensing Agency — dentistry licensing information KY Kentucky 201 KAR 8:533 NC-GS N.C. Gen. Stat. 90-36 — licensure by credentials NC North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners — options for international dentists WA Washington WAC 246-817-160 CT Connecticut DPH — graduates of foreign dental schools MI Michigan Admin. Code R 338.11202 MN Minnesota Statutes 150A.06

Educational information only, not legal, immigration, or admissions advice. Requirements, fees, and deadlines change every cycle; confirm each one with the program, ADEA, JCNDE, or the state dental board before you apply or pay.

Dentovio is an independent publisher. It is not affiliated with ADEA, the ADA, JCNDE, CODA, any dental school, or any state dental board.