Admissions Information

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Carrie Mason 504-941-8156
Director, Program of Dental Hygiene & DH Counselor

PHILOSOPHY OF ADMISSIONS
Admission to all programs at the LSUHSC School of Dentistry is done on a competitive basis. The admissions committee is charged with the responsibility of reviewing the applicants and accepting those who possess the best credentials. The committee attempts to select the best possible students based on the criteria set forth below while at the same time seeking a diverse student population. Between March 20 and April 30, the most competitive candidates are interviewed individually by members of the admissions committee. At the completion of all the interviews, a meeting is held to act on their applications. The earliest date for notification of acceptance is late May.

CLASS SIZE: For the Program in Dental Hygiene, the admissions committee selects up to 30 students for the program in New Orleans and 6 students for the program in  Lafayette. The applicant pool consists of approximately 100-140 students.

RESIDENCY: To be admitted to the Program in Dental Hygiene, you must be a Louisiana resident. If you have questions about residency, they should be addressed to the Registrar of the LSUHSC Health Sciences Center by calling 504-568-4829.

Admissions Requirements

APPLICATION MATERIALS
Application packets for admission to LSUSD may be obtained online October 1st of the year prior to year of application.

ds-admissions@lsuhsc.edu
Phone: 504-941-8124

The LSUHSC School of Dentistry Office of Admissions must receive the following materials by March 15th of the year of application.

COMPLETED APPLICATION
All sections of the application as supplied by the Office of Admissions must be completed by the applicant. 

APPLICATION FEE
A fee of $50.00 must accompany the application. The fee must be paid by check since our business office is unable to accept cash. Make Check Payable to LSUHSC.  

PASSPORT-TYPE PHOTOGRAPH
A recent color or black-and-white photograph must accompany the application, affixed to the upper left hand corner. 

OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS
Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended by the applicant must be sent to the Office of Admissions. These materials should come directly from the Registrar of the institution. Transcripts, hand-carried or mailed by applicant, in sealed envelopes signed across the seal are also acceptable in special situations.  

AMERICAN COLLEGE TEST SCORES
Official ACT scores must be submitted to our office from ACT. It is the students responsibility to contact the ACT Office at 319-337-1313 for permission to release scores to LSUHSC. The ACT School Code is 1601. No photocopies accepted. 

RECOMMENDATIONS
Each applicant is required to submit a confidential recommendation from one college professor who has instructed them in a course. The confidential rating form is available online and should be mailed directly to the Office of Admissions. The teacher should personally mail the form, or it can be hand-carried by the applicant if it is in a sealed envelope with the teacher's signature signed across the seal. Additional teachers, beyond the one required, and non-teachers, such as dentists, co-workers, etc. are also invited to submit recommendations. Generally these recommendations should be done in the form of a letter and a reasonable number (3-4) are welcome.

STATUS OF APPLICATION
The Office of Admissions attempts to inform applicants of the status of their application. Upon receipt of the application, an e-mail is sent informing the applicants of its arrival with a checklist of items received and not received by the office. An e-mail indicating “application complete” will be sent when that status is achieved. It is the applicant’s responsibility to make sure that all items are received by the March 15th deadline in order to be considered for admission. An applicant will not be considered for an interview or admission until the application is complete. Applications not completed by March 15th will not be considered for admission.

CREDIT HOURS A minimum of 61 semester hours of academic coursework must be completed at a college or university accredited by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) prior to registration in the Dental Hygiene Program. Non-academic courses (i.e. bowling, dancing…) or courses for a specialized field of study (i.e. pharmacy, nursing…) are not acceptable. Pre-requisites by college are listed on the dental hygiene web site under the heading Prerequisites by College. Applicants may contact the Program in Dental Hygiene for a specific list of the courses required for the college or university they are attending. 

REQUIRED COURSES:

College Requirements
You must complete a minimum of 61 hours of college work to be considered for admissions. You must have successfully completed:

Students may apply for the Dental Hygiene program before completing all classes.  However, all required courses must be completed by May for the Dental Hygiene class  starting in August.

Admissions Criteria

1. ACADEMIC ABILITY LSUSD considers dental hygiene to be a profession with a solid scientific basis. Students entering this educational program must possess a strong educational base and the ability to comprehend the basic sciences to build on this existing knowledge. The following information is helpful to the admissions committee in determining the intellectual ability of the applicants: 

• OVERALL GPA This numeric factor is calculated on the basis of all academic college work attempted. In other words, if a student makes an F in a course, which is subsequently retaken with a grade of B, both the F and B will be used in calculating the GPA. Generally an overall GPA of around 3.2 is required for a competitive application.  
• SCIENCE GPA Many studies have shown that science GPA is one of the best indicators of academic success in professional school. This average is calculated from the grades achieved in biological sciences and chemistry. In recent years a 3.1 science GPA has been necessary for a competitive application.  
• ACT SCORES The American College Test (ACT) is a standardized exam, which acts as the “great equalizer” for applicants from different colleges. The ACT enables the committee to directly compare applicants to one another. A competitive composite score must be a 20 or above.  
• RECOMMENDATIONS Applicants are required to submit a recommendation from one college teacher who has instructed them in the classroom. These written statements give the committee insight into the applicant’s characteristics both as a student and as a person. 

2. PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES Since dental hygiene is regarded as a “people profession,” possession of the ability to communicate and to provide and obtain cooperation from other individuals is a must. Ability to manage stress and possession of high ethical standards are also considered to be desirable qualities. In addition, those interested in a career in dental hygiene should determine whether they have the commitment and flexibility required to succeed in the profession. These criteria are assessed by:

• PERSONAL INTERVIEW Each applicant deemed by the Committee to be competitive academically is invited to the dental school for a personal interview with the Admissions Committee. 
• RECOMMENDATIONS The confidential recommendation forms are designed to evaluate these traits. 
• DENTAL EXPERIENCE Experience in a dental setting is STRONGLY encouraged. This experience will better enhance the applicant’s understanding of a dental hygienists’ job responsibilities. 

Want More Information?

Contact: Ms. Carrie Mason, RDH, MEd, Director of Dental Hygiene
Local: (504) 941-8153
Fax: (504) 941-8154
Web: http://www.lsusd.lsuhsc.edu
email: cmason@lsuhsc.edu