To assist you in navigating the application process and understanding our guidelines, we have compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). This section provides detailed answers on many topics, including eligibility, requirements, submission deadlines and general policy. Reviewing these FAQ is highly recommended.
The 2026-27 CAAPID application cycle opens on March 5, 2026. It is your choice when to apply, as completed applications are reviewed in the order in which they are received. Early application is encouraged to avoid having any problems with meeting our June 1, 2026 deadline.
The 2026-27 IDP application deadline for all candidates is June 1, 2026. Our admissions committee will not make any exceptions to our application deadline. Please do not wait until a few days before the application deadline to complete your application.
Yes. Returning applicants will need to submit a new application along with required documents via the online CAAPID application portal.
Please email CAAPID customer support or by phone at 617-612-2035.
Applicants must submit a detailed Educational Credential Evaluator (ECE) course-by-course evaluation to ADEA CAAPID. We will not review your application without an ECE evaluation. Our school does not accept the World Education Services (WES) evaluation.
There is no minimum grade-point average (GPA) required for admission to our International Dentist Program. Our admissions committee understands that IDP applicants come from various countries and that ECE GPAs can vary between institutions. We take this into consideration when evaluating applicants.
Our admissions committee considers all academic performance as grades and GPAs differ between countries.
No. We do not consider the ADAT for admission consideration. Our admissions committee understands that some other advanced standing programs require the ADAT exam. However, we do not. Even if your ADAT scores are reflected in your CAAPID application for other programs, these scores will not be considered for admission consideration to our program.
No. You are not required to submit a dean's letter for admission to our International Dentist Program.
Our admissions committee does not require letters of reference from specific individuals (e.g., dean's letter). You can choose to obtain letters from anyone. The content of your reference letters is important. Therefore, we encourage you to choose referees who know you well. When choosing references, we advise selecting individuals who can best attest to your academic qualifications, professional experience and personal qualities.
No. We do not accept additional reference letters directly to our office as all applicants must be evaluated in the same manner.
No. Your ECE evaluation must indicate that you completed your dental degree in your home country. While you can begin your application before completing your dental degree, you must have an ECE evaluation indicating a completed degree by our June 1, 2026 application deadline.
No. All IDP applications are evaluated in the same manner regardless of country of citizenship. If an admitted student requires a student visa, our office works with UB International Admissions to help process the I-20.
No. There is no supplemental application required. However, there is a $100 USD supplemental application fee that can be paid online. Candidates will receive instructions for the supplemental fee payment after they submit their online CAAPID application.
IMPORTANT - You will receive the supplemental application fee payment link the day after you submit your CAAPID application. Your CAAPID application status must be designated as COMPLETE to receive the supplemental fee link. If your CAAPID application status is listed as RECEIVED, you will not receive the supplemental link until it changes to COMPLETE.
You do not need to send any application materials directly to our admissions office. They will not be accepted. After submitting your CAAPID application, you will receive an email providing instructions to pay the supplemental fee. It is important that you designate the University at Buffalo to receive your CAAPID application. Please do not send any documentation to our IDP admissions office directly. Only documents submitted via the ADEA CAAPID portal will be reviewed and considered for admission.
All applicants are required to pay the $100 USD supplemental application fee by the application deadline in order for their application to be processed and reviewed. The $100 USD supplemental application fee payment can only be made after you submit your CAAPID application and the status is COMPLETE. Once submitted, our supplemental application fee is non-refundable.
Our admissions office will either send a supplemental fee payment confirmation or a reminder to submit the supplemental application fee. No exceptions will be made for a late supplemental fee payment after the June 1, 2026, admissions deadline.
Our office reviews and processes CAAPID applications on a daily basis (with exceptions to weekends and holidays). However, if you submitted your application over the weekend, over holiday, or outside of regular business hours, please allow a few business days for processing. We appreciate your patience as our team carefully reviews each application to ensure completion.
Our admissions office will send a supplemental fee payment confirmation or a reminder to submit the supplemental application fee. No exceptions will be made for a late supplemental fee payment after the June 1, 2026, admissions deadline.
Yes. Applicants will be notified via email once their application is completed and under review. Our committee will notify applicants if any additional application documents are required to complete their application. However, you are welcome to contact our admissions office to inquire about the status of your application.
No. Our committee will only review completed IDP applications.
Once your application is complete, it will be sent to the admissions committee for a full, formal review. The formal review process can take several weeks. Candidates will receive all application status updates directly via email. Our committee does its best to keep candidates apprised of their status at all times. Please feel free to contact our admissions office with any additional questions.
Applicants are highly encouraged not to wait until the June 1, 2026, deadline to submit their CAAPID application. Applicants who apply on or near the ADEA/CAAPID deadline must take full responsibility to complete both the CAAPID application and University at Buffalo requirements by the June 1, 2026, admissions deadline. Candidates who have not submitted a completed application by June 1, 2026, will not be considered for the 2027 cycle.
If English is not indicated as your native language in your online CAAPID application, then you are required to submit an official, valid TOEFL score directly to CAAPID.
Yes. The only exception is if you indicated English as your native language in your online CAAPID portal.
No. The only exception is if you indicated English as your native language in your online CAAPID portal.
Applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the TOEFL within two years of the start of the program (May 2025 for 2027 admission). TOEFL score reports dated from Jan. 1-April 30, 2025, will be considered for review by the Admissions Committee.
If selected to bench test and interview, candidates with Jan. 1-April 30, 2025, scores will be asked to submit an updated TOEFL prior to our interview day to meet our admissions requirements and submission timeframe (two years from the start of the program). IDP interview dates have no bearing on TOEFL score timeframes. We adhere to the program start date to determine TOEFL score timeframes.
Other dental schools have different TOEFL policies. Please be sure to consult the TOEFL policy for each school you apply to.
The minimum TOEFL score for admission consideration is either:
The official, valid TOEFL score must be seen in your CAAPID portal by our June 1, 2026, admissions deadline. If an applicant submits a secondary official TOEFL score after June 1, 2026, it may or may not be considered depending on where the IDP Admissions Committee is in the cycle.
Yes. For those students taking the home-based iBT, only official home scores will be accepted. Please make arrangements to have scores submitted directly to CAAPID. Do not submit TOEFL scores directly to the University at Buffalo.
Yes. You can apply first, but the official, valid TOEFL score must be seen in the CAAPID portal by our June 1, 2026, admissions deadline. No exceptions are granted.
No. Your application will be considered incomplete without an official, valid TOEFL score. The only exception to submitting a TOEFL score is if your native language is listed as English in the CAAPID portal.
Applicants must submit official TOEFL score reports directly to ADEA CAAPID. Official score reports are accepted directly from ETS only and must be provided electronically. To have your official TOEFL scores sent directly to ADEA CAAPID, please request scores to be sent to the score code for institution B451: American Dental Education Association’s ADEA CAAPID.
The CAAPID institution code is: B451. Please don't enter the University at Buffalo's institution code, as your official TOEFL scores must be reported directly to CAAPID.
No. Our school does not accept the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam for admission consideration. You must submit official TOEFL scores within our application timeframe to be considered for admission to our program.
No. In order to be considered, your most recent set of official TOEFL scores must meet our minimum requirements. You cannot combine scores from two different TOEFL exams to meet our minimum admission requirements.
Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) is a nonprofit organization that evaluates academic records from other countries and converts them to U.S. or Canadian equivalents. If you want to study or work in or immigrate to the U.S. or study in Canada, an ECE® evaluation report will help to ensure that you are recognized for your educational accomplishments. ECE has been providing educational credential evaluations for over 40 years.
Your ECE evaluation should be submitted directly to CAAPID. Please do not submit your ECE evaluation to our admissions office. It will not be accepted.
If you are having problems submitting your official ECE evaluation to CAAPID, please email CAAPID customer support or call them at 617-612-2035. Please do not send your ECE evaluation to the School of Dental Medicine directly. It will not be accepted. Your official ECE evaluation must be reflected in the CAAPID portal by our June 1, 2026, deadline. Otherwise, you cannot be considered for admission to our program.
No. There is no minimum grade-point average (GPA) required for admittance to our International Dentist Program. Our IDP admissions office receives applications from students with dental degrees from many different countries. As such, our committee is aware that grades and GPAs differ between countries. Therefore, we do not have a minimum GPA requirement.
No. Our International Dentist Program admissions office does not accept the WES evaluation for admission consideration.