International Dentist Programs in the US: Requirements, Costs, and All 47 Programs Compared

The ADA describes advanced-standing programs as "designed for internationally-trained dentists who wish to get a license to practice dentistry in the U.S." Instead of starting as a first-year dental student, you join the DDS or DMD program with advanced standing and finish in about two to three years. You graduate with the same degree as every other student in the school.

Schools give these programs different names, which matters when you search their websites:

Every program in the ADEA CAAPID list is part of a CODA-accredited dental school. Boston University states its DMD "meets the educational requirements for dental licensure in each state," and Tufts that graduates "are eligible for licensure to practice dentistry in the United States." The degree does not license you by itself: you still pass the INBDE and the clinical exam your state accepts, and apply to the state board.

In most states, yes. The ADA puts it plainly: "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. Most states require that graduates of international dental programs obtain additional general dentistry education at the predoctoral level and receive a D.D.S. or D.M.D. degree."

But not in all of them. Several states license foreign-trained dentists after a CODA-accredited residency instead. Virginia, for example, accepts at least a 12-month post-doctoral advanced general dentistry program, and Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky accept two years of GPR or AEGD training. California does not: a foreign-trained dentist there must still earn a DDS or DMD from a CODA-accredited or Board-approved school before any other route opens. A residency route takes one or two years instead of two or three and often costs far less, but the license may only be valid in that state. Compare both before you spend $300,000 or more:

• AEGD and GPR residencies for international dentists: which states accept a residency, and which programs take foreign graduates.
• Foreign-trained dentist licensure by state: the route each state publishes.

Two state rules apply even after a DDS. New York requires a clinically based residency of at least one year for every new licensee (NYU notes this), and Columbia warns that New York also counts years of education before the advanced-standing program. Check your target state's rules before choosing a school.

Almost every program asks for the same core file, but the thresholds differ:

1. A passed INBDE. 45 of 47 profiles list it. Most schools want it passed before you apply: Indiana says it "must be taken prior to submitting your CAAPID application," and Howard that it must be "completed, scored and passed prior to application deadline." The INBDE is reported as pass/fail; no school states a numeric target. Older NBDE Part I and II results are still accepted by many schools (Columbia's profile still requires them). UCSF lists the board exam as optional but "strongly recommended," and Florida uses the DAT instead.

2. TOEFL. Nearly every CAAPID program requires it; Ponce does not. Since January 21, 2026 the score is on a 1–6 scale. Minimums: 4.0 at Florida; 4.5 at Boston University, Pacific, UIC, and Western; 5 at NYU, UCLA, Minnesota, and Colorado; Temple asks for 5.5 (100 on the old scale). Some schools also set section minimums. Penn sets no minimum but its January 2026 class averaged 102, and UIC's last class averaged 101. Penn and Touro do not accept IELTS. Details in the CAAPID guide.

3. Credential evaluation. A course-by-course ECE or WES report, sent to CAAPID. 25 programs accept ECE only. Your ECE GPA matters: Pacific will not consider 1.99 or lower, Minnesota sets 2.5, and UIC calls for a "highly competitive" GPA.

4. Clinical experience. Boston University weighs "clinical experience practicing dentistry" and US dental assisting or hygiene experience. A.T. Still Missouri requires at least two years of unsupervised practice in your home country. Minnesota, UIC, and UAB prefer letters from US dentists, and UMKC requires one.

5. Citizenship and visa status. 11 programs accept only US citizens or permanent residents: A.T. Still Missouri, Ohio State, UAB, Florida, UMKC, Nebraska, New England, Oklahoma, Penn, Pikeville, and UTHealth Houston. UIC takes applicants already in the US on a visa that allows study, not tourist visas. See visas.

Bench tests (36 of 47 programs). These are hands-on tests on a typodont or manikin, usually after an interview invitation. Formats that schools publish:

• Pikeville: Class I and Class II cavity preparations and a PFM crown preparation.
• Ponce: operative, fixed prosthodontics, and RPD design.
• Indiana: all procedures on a typodont with air-turbine handpieces ($400 fee).
• LSU and Nebraska: manikin-based psychomotor testing.
• Temple: a bench test, an OSCE, and CASPer.
• Howard: calibration on preclinical manikins after admission; Howard rescinds the acceptance if you are unsuccessful.

Some schools sell preparation courses (Pittsburgh, LSU, UTHealth Houston). Pittsburgh says plainly that its course "will not guarantee admission." The programs without a bench test are NYU, Boston University, Tufts, Penn, Columbia, UCSF, Pacific, Rutgers, UIC, Meharry, and Florida.

Screening and interviews. CASPer, a situational-judgment test, is required at UCLA and Pacific and used at Temple. NYU, Columbia, Minnesota, and UT Health San Antonio use Kira Talent video screens. NYU follows with an in-person candidate day, and Boston University interviews over Zoom.

What schools say they weigh: clinical experience, US dental experience (assisting, hygiene, or observing), scholastic record, research and teaching, specialty training, and a first-attempt board pass (Boston University gives preference to first-attempt passes, and Buffalo and Touro prefer applicants who have passed the INBDE or NBDE Part II).

How many to apply to. ADEA reports that applicants apply to 9 to 10 programs on average and that almost half are reapplicants. Narrow your list by citizenship eligibility first, then evaluator, TOEFL threshold, and bench test, before cost and location.

Published 2026–27 figures from each school's own cost page. The program totals are our sums of one year's published rates; schools raise them every year (Tufts says by "usually between 4-6%").

Then add the cost of applying: about $3,500 to $5,500 for ten programs including the INBDE ($1,325), the TOEFL (priced by test country), ECE ($199), CAAPID ($264 + $115 per added program), and supplemental fees (itemized here). Accepted students often pay a seat deposit: $5,000 at Columbia and LSU.

For F-1 students, schools ask for proof of first-year funds before issuing an I-20: about $95,000 at USC per its ADEA profile ($93,000 on USC's own page).

Every row comes from that program's ADEA CAAPID Program Finder profile, read November 8, 2026, sorted by state. Seats marked "estimate" are the schools' own estimates. Minnesota, New England, and Touro already show 2027–28 deadlines.

How to apply to all of them through one application, with every deadline in date order: the ADEA CAAPID application guide.

This is what programs publish, not immigration advice. Confirm your situation with the school's international office.

• Programs that state they admit F-1 students: Michigan ("those requiring an F1 visa"), Minnesota, Western University, and Tufts (applicants "eligible for a student visa"). Harvard "offers visa sponsorship for accepted students," and Boston University's international office assists with I-20 and DS-2019 forms.
• UCLA: "does not take visa status into consideration during the application process," but admitted F-1 students must document first-year funds.
• UIC: applicants must already live in the US on a visa that allows study; tourist visas do not qualify.
• UT Health San Antonio: citizens, permanent or conditional residents, and anyone with a legal US visa status may apply.
• US citizens and permanent residents only: 11 programs, listed under requirements. Nebraska states it "does not sponsor student visas."

1. Months 0–3: create your DENTPIN, order an ECE course-by-course evaluation ($199), and decide your target states. State rules decide whether you need a DDS at all.
2. Months 3–12: pass the INBDE ($1,325 per attempt for non-CODA graduates) and the TOEFL ($280). Gain US clinical exposure if you can: assisting, observing, or research.
3. March to June of the application year: apply through ADEA CAAPID. The largest cluster of deadlines falls in late May and June; others run to January.
4. Summer to winter: interviews and bench tests; offers and deposits.
5. Following January to July: start the program (most start dates are January or May to July).
6. 24 to 36 months later: graduate, pass a clinical licensure exam your state accepts, and apply for the license.

From starting your paperwork to holding a license, plan on four to five years for most applicants, longer with reapplication. Working in dentistry while you wait? See foreign-trained dentist to US dental hygienist.