University of Kentucky School of Dentistry
Lexington, KY
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School Detail
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APPLICATION FEE
$75
Tuition In State
$31,088
Tuition Out of State
$63,472
Average GPA
3.75
AVERAGE DAT
19
School Overview
- Degrees
- DMD
- Ownership
- Public Non-Profit
- Program Length
- 4 years
- Total Enrollment
- 66
- Founding Year
- 1962
- Accreditation Year
- N/A
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SDN Insights
Cost of Attendance: $287,820
Estimate repayment
Estimated loan burden for UKCD 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: Below national average cost of living
Lexington, KY is about 0.93x the national average for cost of living. In the debt estimate, the government-derived local cost adjustment lowers the living allowance from $3,000 to about $2,790 per month. Local rent and commuting choices can still move your actual budget meaningfully.
Environment: Urban
There is currently insufficient information to assess the neighborhood around UKCD.
Interview Feedback
Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 21% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview very impressive with a low stress level and felt they did well.
Secondary Essays for UKCD
1. Personal Experiences and Challenges
If you have a DAT score of 380 (or 17 on the former scale) or believe your scores do not fully reflect your abilities, explain any contributing factors. What steps have you taken to strengthen your...
2. Personal Experiences and Challenges
Describe a significant challenge or setback you have faced in an academic, personal, or professional setting. What feedback or insight did you receive, and how did you respond? How did this...
3. Personal Attributes and Characteristics
Describe a time you received constructive feedback on a skill you were actively developing (technical, artistic, or athletic). How did you respond, and what steps did you take to improve?
4. Understanding and Commitment to Medicine
Describe a time you encountered an ethical dilemma, integrity, concern, or unprofessional behavior in an academic, work, or service setting. How did you respond, and what did the experience teach you...
5. Academic and Research Experiences
If you received a grade of C-plus or loer in any course, please explain the circumstances and your role in them. What actions did you take to improve? What specific habits or strategies have you...
About the School
Founded in 1962, the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry is recognized as one of the nation`s outstanding dental institutions. In addition to the Doctor of Dental Medicine degree, the College offers postdoctoral programs in six fields of study: General Practice Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Orofacial Pain, Orthodontics, Pediatric Dentistry and Periodontics. Graduate students in Orofacial Pain, Orthodontics and Periodontics receive a Master of Science degree from the University of Kentucky Graduate School and a specialty certificate.
Curriculum
The curriculum is increasingly problem oriented, focusing on developing the student dentists? critical-thinking skills imperative for the contemporary practice of dental medicine. The faculty is committed to inculcating in students an attitude of life-long learning, believing that only such an orientation enables a practitioner to provide competent, state-of-the-art services in a rapidly changing clinical environment. The expanding knowledge base of the profession requires that the curriculum focus on principles of dentistry and on teaching future dentists how to learn and instill in them the desire to continue to learn about the profession.
Facilities
Recently renovated clinics give UK one of the most modern teaching facility in the United States. Each operatory is designed to meet high infection control standards. Operatories feature chairs that allow for computerized patient positioning, articulating lights, fiber optic units, and photopolymerization units for curing biomaterials. In anticipating the future, the College included provisions for connecting electric handpieces into the 60 operatories. UK is the first institution in the nation with these new features in its clinics. Similar equipment also has been added in oral radiology, orthodontics, and pediatric dentistry. An additional feature in the renovation included preclinical simulations using mannequins in a clinical setting. Also, all operatories on the third floor were wired with ethernet to provide a gateway to the internet and to build a foundation for an electronic patient record.
Last Updated: Aug 28, 2026