University of Colorado School of Dentistry
Aurora, CO
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School Detail
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APPLICATION FEE
$75
Tuition In State
$33,330
Tuition Out of State
$58,633
Average GPA
3.57
AVERAGE DAT
19.6
School Overview
- Degrees
- DDS
- Ownership
- Public Non-Profit
- Program Length
- 4 years
- Total Enrollment
- 80
- Founding Year
- 1957
- Accreditation Year
- N/A
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SDN Insights
Cost of Attendance: $317,862
Estimate repayment
Estimated loan burden for CU-Dental using 4 years of in-state tuition, $1,500 annual fees, $3,000 monthly living expenses, government-derived local cost-of-living adjustment, $1,000 loan fees, and an 8.5% interest assumption.
Cost of Living: Above national average cost of living
Aurora, CO is about 1.06x higher than the national average for cost of living. In the debt estimate, the government-derived local cost adjustment raises the living allowance from $3,000 to about $3,180 per month, mainly reflecting rent, food, transportation, and day-to-day expenses. Compare this with your own housing plan before treating it as exact.
Environment: Urban
There is currently insufficient information to assess the neighborhood around CU-Dental.
Interview Feedback
Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 22% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview generally impressive with a moderate stress level and felt they did well.
Secondary Essays for CU-Dental
1. Motivation and Fit
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2. Other
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3. Academic and Research Experiences
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About the School
The Lazzara Center is indeed impressive; however, just as impressive are the other ways in which the School of Dentistry is on the move. Since the dental school enrolled its first class in 1973, the program evolved as advances in dental research and practice have occurred. The school's concise mission and progressive vision have allowed the young program to flourish and to garner a reputation for the personalized quality of its educational experience and for its successful graduates that continues to grow today. The relatively small class size (50) of the school contributes to the teaching and learning processes.
Curriculum
In the fall of 1996, the University of Colorado inaugurated a Comprehensive Care Program spanning six semesters as the primary intramural clinical curriculum for all pre-doctoral dental students. Early clinical experiences include observing and assisting upperclassmen in treating patients. Following this first year, students begin treating patients on a limited basis, performing primarily oral diagnosis, periodontal and operative dental procedures. After accumulating a family of patients, the students are responsible for the total care of these patients. During the semesters that follow, students continue to treat patients while rotating through the Oral Surgery, Emergency and Pediatric Clinics. All senior dental students beginning with the summer semester will continue to treat patients in the Comprehensive Care Clinic while participating in the Advanced Clinical Training Service (ACTS) program simultaneously. This nationally recognized service learning program, which is a cooperative effort between the School of Dentistry and community-based providers, emphasizes external programs in the urban clinics and rural public health centers across the state to care for Colorado's underserved populations. The ACTS program provides direct dental services to underserved communities in Colorado.
Facilities
Excitement is high and the energy palpable in the innovative setting as students, faculty and staff navigate through the Lazzara Center's wide hallways and explore the spacious classrooms and laboratories. In the simulation laboratory, a mannequin head and torso display a full set of teeth which allows the students to not only learn dental procedures, but also to learn the proper ergonomic position in which to perform those procedures. The School of Dentistry is also set up for clinical functions, including general dentistry, endodontics, orthodontics, periodontics, surgery, radiology, esthetic dentistry and specialized areas for pediatric care, geriatric care and special needs care.
Last Updated: Aug 31, 2026