Dental Schools in Virginia
1 DDS/DMD dental program in our catalogue for Virginia. Compare DAT score requirements, GPA profiles, in-state preference and AADSAS application strategy.
About Virginia: Pop. ~8.7M; Northern Virginia (DC suburbs), Richmond, and the Hampton Roads corridor are the primary medical training areas. UVA Health and Virginia Commonwealth University are the flagship academic health systems.
In-state context: UVA School of Medicine and VCU School of Medicine strongly favour Virginia residents; typically 70–85% in-state. Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) and Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine also emphasise Virginia and regional applicants.
Major health systems: VCU Health · UVA Health · Inova Health System · Sentara Healthcare · Carilion Clinic
DDS vs DMD — what is the difference?
Both DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) and DMD (Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry / Doctor of Dental Medicine) are equivalent degrees. The title used depends solely on the university, not on any difference in training, scope of practice, or licensure. All CODA-accredited programs lead to the same dental licence. Applications go through AADSAS (ADEA) for most schools. The DAT (Dental Admission Test) is required by virtually all programs.
1 Dental Program in Virginia
- VCU School of Dentistry (DDS)
Richmond, VA
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry (VCU Dental), located in Richmond, is Virginia's only dental school and one of the largest dental programmes on the US East Coast. Founded in 1893, VCU Dental is known for its high clinical volume — the school operates one of the busiest dental clinics in the region — and its strong research enterprise. As Virginia's sole public dental school, VCU carries a significant mission to train dentists for communities across the Commonwealth.
DDS5.5% acceptanceStrong in-state pref.
Applying to dental school in Virginia?
Expert DAT prep, AADSAS personal statement coaching, secondary essay strategy and mock interview practice — tailored to the DDS/DMD programs you want.