When Do Dental Schools Send Secondary Applications? (2026 Timeline)

Most U.S. dental schools send secondary applications between July and early September, usually within days or weeks after your AADSAS primary is verified. A few schools send secondaries only to selected applicants, and some (like Tufts and Harvard) wait until interview invitation.

Because dental schools use rolling admissions, submitting your secondary within 14 days of receiving it is one of the strongest signals you can send.

AADSAS typically opens in late May. The earliest applicants submit in the first 1–2 weeks of June. Earlier submission means earlier verification — and earlier secondaries.

• Early: Submit in June
• On time: Submit by mid-July
• Late: August or later (fewer interview seats left)

While you wait for verification, pre-write your essays using our Secondary Database so you can submit the moment secondaries arrive.

This is when most applicants receive a flood of secondaries — often 10–20 schools within a few weeks. Expect overlapping deadlines and heavy writing volume.

How secondaries are distributed:

• AADSAS supplemental questions — appear inside your primary (UCLA, NYU, USC, UNC, etc.)
• Emailed to all qualifying applicants — UAB, ATSU, Midwestern, Meharry
• Emailed selectively — some schools only invite competitive applicants
• Interview-day only — Tufts and Harvard send prompts at interview

Aim for within 2 weeks of receiving each secondary. Rolling review means schools fill interview slots as complete applications arrive. A polished secondary submitted in 10 days beats a perfect one submitted in 6 weeks.

1. Browse every school on your list in the Secondary Database
2. Draft answers for the most common prompts: Why our school?, Diversity, Challenge, Anything else
3. Research 2–3 specific programs at each school for your "Why us?" essays
4. Set a personal rule: submit within 14 days — no exceptions

For school-specific guides, start with NYU, UCLA, and USC.