Dental School Letter of Intent: When, Length, Sample
A dental school letter of intent goes to one school, best between your interview and Dec. 15, 2026. Which schools say they read one, length, and a sample.
Dental School Letter of Intent: When, Length, Sample
A dental school letter of intent says "if you admit me, I will attend", and it goes to one school only. Its best window is between your interview and December 15, 2026, the earliest offer date in ADEA's guideline, at a school that says it reads such letters. Keep it to one page.
Treating this letter as a waitlist tool misses two facts. Some schools say outright that they accept letters after the interview, and others say they accept nothing at all once you submit. And a letter of intent is a promise: send two, then hold two seats, and the ADEA report on March 1, 2027 is how each school learns you kept another seat.
Every ADEA and school page quoted below was checked on November 7, 2026. For the general difference between letters of intent, interest and update, see the medical school letter of intent, interest and update guide; this page covers the dental rules.
Letter of intent vs letter of interest
- Letter of intent: you will attend if admitted. One school, once.
- Letter of interest (or continued interest): you want to attend and say why. You can send one to each school you mean it for.
If you are not ready to commit, write a letter of interest. A letter of intent you would not honor is worse than none.
Does the school read them? What four dental schools say
Each row quotes the school's own page:
| School | What the page says | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | "In the waiting period between the interview and the tell date, candidates may send in updates, letters of intent, etc." and, if waitlisted, "candidates may submit updates and letters of intent." | Send after your interview, before or after December 15 |
| UIC | "unable to accept transcripts, additional letters of recommendation, resume's and other documents once the AADSAS application is submitted, unless requested by the Admissions staff." | Do not send one unless asked |
| Florida | Lists "Letters of Interest" among items waitlisted applicants email to the office (page written for the 2026 entering class). | A letter belongs on the waitlist, by email |
| Penn | The admissions page does not mention letters of intent or interest. | Ask before you send |
If you trained as a dentist outside the US and an advanced standing program asks for a "letter of intent" as an application document, that is a different document; the CAAPID personal statement guide covers it.
Our view: send a letter of intent only to a school whose page says it takes letters, or whose admissions office tells you so when you ask. At a school like UIC, a letter you were told not to send says the wrong thing about you.
The countercase: Penn's page says nothing either way, and silence is not a ban, so a one-line email asking whether the committee accepts letters after the interview is a fair first step.
Timing: before December 15, after a hold, on the waitlist
The ADEA guidelines for extending offers say schools notify applicants "no earlier than Dec. 15". That sets your three windows:
- After the interview, before December 15, 2026. Our pick. The committee is still deciding and no offers have gone out. Kentucky names this exact window: "between the interview and the tell date".
- After a hold or alternate notice. Send it once the notice arrives, if the school takes letters, and add any real news.
- On the waitlist. The letter becomes a letter of continued interest with a commitment line. The dental waitlist letter of continued interest page covers it.
Never after an acceptance. Once that school admits you, a letter of intent has nothing left to do. Accept the offer instead.
When offers start and how long each one stays open is on the December 15 ADEA rules page.
Why one school only
The rule is about honesty, and ADEA's own process makes the cost visible. Under the ADEA guidelines, schools report by March 1 who holds a seat in their class, and after March 5 ADEA tells each school which of those applicants also hold a seat elsewhere. The applicant agreement adds that from March 1 your status "will be disclosed to all other schools that you designated to receive your application materials" (ADEA CAS policies). The full March 1 text is on the holding multiple dental school acceptances page.
A school that received your promise and then sees your name on that report knows the promise was not kept. Schools also have "the option of rescinding an offer of admission to candidates who are holding positions at multiple institutions." Write to the school you would actually choose, and write a letter of interest to the rest.
Length and structure
Our recommendation, not a published rule: 250 to 400 words, one page, in the body of an email unless the school gives a portal.
- Subject line: "Letter of intent, [Your name], AADSAS ID [number]".
- Commitment sentence first. "If admitted, I will enroll." No hedging words such as "likely" or "strongly considering".
- Two reasons from your interview day that are specific to this school: a clinic, a program, a person you met, a patient group.
- One real update, if you have one. A new grade belongs in the AADSAS Academic Update, not here; the dental school update letter guide explains the split.
- A short close with your contact details.
Constructed sample, dissected
Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant's letter. Context (invented): Teodora Demirci interviewed at the fictional Harlan Brook University School of Dentistry on November 13, 2026 and is writing on December 1. The letter is 276 words, not counting the subject line.
Subject: Letter of intent, Teodora Demirci, AADSAS ID 3141592
Dear Dr. Okonkwo-Reyes and the Admissions Committee,
Harlan Brook is my first choice, and if I am admitted I will enroll. I am writing to tell you that before December 15 so the committee has it when it decides.
Two parts of my interview day settled this. The first was the mobile clinic. Third-year student Daniel Cho described the Tuesday route to the two rural counties north of campus, where the van is the only dental care many families see in a year. I spent two summers as a scheduler for a county health department, booking patients who had driven over an hour for a cleaning, and I want my training to include that drive from the other side.
The second was the small-group anatomy model Dr. Inouye-Bell described, with eight students to a faculty member for the first year. I learn by explaining. I tutored organic chemistry for three semesters, and the format at Harlan Brook is the one where I would ask the most questions and answer the most.
One update since my interview: I finished my fall semester of biochemistry and immunology, and those grades will reach you through the AADSAS Academic Update in December. Separately, my poster on fluoride varnish uptake in a county school-sealant program was accepted for the state public health association meeting in March 2027. I was the second of three authors and ran the chart review.
I understand what this letter commits me to, and I am not sending it to any other school. Thank you for your time and for the care your students and faculty showed on November 13.
Sincerely, Teodora Demirci (555) 010-4477 · teodora.demirci@example.com
What each part does:
- Commitment first, and stated once. "If I am admitted I will enroll" is unconditional. The closing line repeats that it goes to one school, which is the honesty the letter rests on.
- Reasons tied to the school and to her. The mobile clinic is joined to her scheduling job, and the anatomy format to her tutoring. Each names something she saw or heard on the day.
- The grades are pointed to, not listed. They travel through Academic Update. The letter uses its space for the poster, which AADSAS cannot carry, and states her role exactly.
- No praise for the school without a reason. There is no "renowned faculty" or "state-of-the-art facilities".
Questions about dental school letters of intent
Do letters of intent help at dental schools?
No school we checked publishes what weight a letter carries. Kentucky says candidates may send them. Whether a letter moves a decision is not published anywhere we found.
Can I send a letter of intent to two dental schools?
No. A letter of intent is a promise to attend, and you can keep it at only one school. Send letters of interest to the others.
How long should a dental school letter of intent be?
None of the four dental school pages we checked sets a length. Our recommendation is 250 to 400 words.
Should I send it before or after December 15?
Before, if you have interviewed and the school takes letters. After December 15 it still works on a hold or a waitlist. Once the school has admitted you, do not send one. Applying to a GPR, AEGD or specialty residency instead? The Dental Match bans rank-position statements: see the dental residency letter of intent under Match rules.
If a dentist is writing for you this cycle, send them the dentist letter of recommendation guide; it shows the chairside detail a dental letter needs.
A letter of intent is a promise; ADEA's authorship and misrepresentation wording applies to it.
Get a free review of your letter of intent
Get a free Quick Review of your letter of intent against GradPilot's letter of intent and interest rubric. It is the closest rubric for a dental letter and reads for a specific reason to attend the school and a commitment stated at its true strength. If the news in your letter is the main point, use the update letter rubric instead.
More dental guides for this stage:
- Dental school update letter vs AADSAS Academic Update: what goes where.
- Dental waitlist letter of continued interest: the letter after December 15.
- Holding multiple dental school acceptances: March 1 and deposits.
- The medical school essays hub for the rest of the dental guides.
Sources
Retrieved November 7, 2026, except where noted.
- University of Kentucky College of Dentistry, DMD Admissions (no year stated): updates and letters of intent between interview and tell date, and on the waitlist.
- UIC College of Dentistry, How to Apply to the DMD Program (2026-27 cycle): no documents after submission unless requested.
- University of Florida College of Dentistry, Waitlisted Students (2026 entering-class page): letters of interest by email.
- Penn Dental Medicine, DMD Admissions (2026-27 cycle): no mention of letters.
- ADEA, Guidelines for Dental Schools When Extending Offers of Admission and Scholarships (revised January 2022): December 15, March 1 and March 5 reports, rescinding.
- ADEA, ADEA CAS Policies and Applicant Release Statements: Disclosure of Status.
Review your medical-school letter
Check your school-specific reason and whether your wording matches your actual interest or commitment.