Information for Internationally-Educated Dentists

The University of Florida College of Dentistry sponsors advanced and graduate education programs in almost all American Dental Association-recognized dental specialties.

Practicing Dentistry in the United States

An important concern for many dentists with international degrees is licensure to practice dentistry in the United States. Our Advanced Education and Graduate Programs are designed to prepare dentists to become specialists and highly trained general dentists.

These programs MAY NOT prepare dentists to become licensed to practice dentistry in Florida.

If you are interested in practicing dentistry in Florida, you will need a dental degree from an ADA-accredited dental school in order to be eligible to take the Florida Dental License examination.

Advanced & Graduate Education Programs Offered

Please see our Programs & Application Process page for a list of our postgraduate programs in dentistry.

Application Materials

Admissions requirements are different for each program. Here are some general materials needed for all programs. The program you choose may require additional information. Contact our office for application materials at the address at the bottom of this page.

To apply, you will need:

  1. Official transcripts from every institution of higher learning which you have attended. Unofficial transcripts are not accepted. These must be translated and certified in aCourse by Course evaluation report by ECE (Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc., P.O. Box 92970, Milwaukee, WI 53202-0970, 414-298-3400, www.ece.org) Only documents certified by ECE will be considered.
  2. A DDS or DMD degree from an accredited dental school or an academic background equivalent to requirements established by the Council of Dental Education.
  3. Complete the TOEFL (Testing of English as a Foreign Language, www.toefl.org)
  4. Complete all sections of Part 1 and Part 2 of the National Dental Board Exam (www.ada.org).
  5. Three letters of recommendation, one from the dean of the dental school you attended and two from dental school faculty who are acquainted with your work.
  6. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are required for students applying to the orthodontics graduate degree programs. The GRE requirement can only be waived for graduate endodontics, periodontics, and prosthodontics in cases where foreign-trained applicants have a prior master’s, doctoral, or professional degree from an accredited US institution. You can get information about the GRE on the Educational Testing Service website or write to GRE-ETS, P.O. Box 6000, Princeton, NJ 08541-6000.
  7. The Advanced and Graduate Education programs, oral and maxillofacial surgery program, and pediatric dentistry program participate in the Postdoctoral Application Support Service (PASS). Participation in PASS is mandatory. Visit the PASS website or contact: Postdoctoral Application Support Service, 1400 K Street NW, Suite 1100B, Washington, DC 20035-2403, 202-289-8123 or toll free at 800-353-2237.
  8. The pediatric dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and orthodontics programs participate in the Postdoctoral Dental Matching Program. Participation in the Match Program is mandatory. Visit the Postdoctoral Dental Matching Program website or contact: National Matching Service, 595 Bay Street, Suite 300, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M56 C2C.
  9. All official application documents completed and required fees paid BEFORE the program deadline.

Application Status Updates

Once the admissions office receives your application, you will be notified via email of any missing documentation throughout the application cycle, and up to the application deadline. Once the application deadline is reached, your file is forwarded to the program director – please contact the program director for future questions on your application, and the program selection process.