Dental School Update Letter vs AADSAS Academic Update
Fall grades go through the AADSAS Academic Update, Dec. 1, 2026 to Feb. 5, 2027. New experiences go in a dental school update letter. When to send each.
Dental School Update Letter vs AADSAS Academic Update
Your fall grades do not go in a dental school update letter. They go through the AADSAS Academic Update, open December 1, 2026 to February 5, 2027, and you can update your grades once. An update letter is for what AADSAS cannot carry: a new role, an award, a publication, a finished project.
That split is the point. AADSAS verifies those grades and sends them to every school, and a letter that repeats them spends its best paragraph on news the school already has. The letter should hold the one thing the school cannot learn any other way.
Every ADEA, Liaison and school page quoted below was checked on November 7, 2026. A letter of intent is a different document with a different rule; see the dental school letter of intent page.
Two channels: what goes where
The ADEA AADSAS help center page on updating your application says: "Once you submit your application, most sections are locked to prevent edits." It lists what you can still change, and ends: "If you have updates for other sections of your application, submit these updates directly to your programs."
| What is new | Where it goes | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Fall grades | AADSAS Academic Update | Dec. 1, 2026 – Feb. 5, 2027; "you can only update your grades once during the Academic Update period" |
| A new DAT score | The ADA sends it to the schools you chose and to AADSAS | "within three to four weeks of the testing date"; "a history of all testing attempts is reported" |
| A new recommender | Add an evaluation in AADSAS | Only "if you have not yet requested the maximum number of evaluations" |
| A new achievement or document | Some new entries and optional documents in AADSAS | "you are unable to edit or delete existing entries" |
| A new role, award, publication or project | Update letter to the school | If the school accepts updates |
| Contact details, or a legal or conduct matter | Edit in AADSAS and tell the schools | The applicant agreement makes this your responsibility |
The DAT rules come from the ADA's 2026 DAT Candidate Guide. The last row comes from ADEA's CAS policies: "it is your responsibility to inform the dental schools/programs of any changes in your information after submitting your application. This includes, but is not limited to, legal infractions, conduct violations and contact information." The same agreement says that "all written passages you provide to ADEA CAS as part of the application and admissions process, including your personal statement and your descriptions of experiences, are your own and are not written, in part or in whole, by a third party." The AADSAS AI policy page covers that rule.
For recommenders, UNC says "you can submit a maximum of four total letters through the ADEA AADSAS Application portal" and warns that "submitting too many may not enhance your application." The dental school letters of recommendation guide covers who to add.
Academic Update step by step (2026-27)
The help center states the rules. In order:
- Check you are eligible. You need "at least one program in the Verified status by February 5, 2027."
- Wait for final grades. "Note that you can only update your grades once during the Academic Update period. For example, if you've listed fall coursework as in-progress or planned, wait until that term is completed and you've received your final grades before you submit your Academic Update."
- Update the courses under Academic History, Transcript Entry, then change each term from Planned/In Progress to Completed.
- Submit. "Click Submit My Updates on the application dashboard to send the updated information to your programs no later than 11:59 PM ET on February 5, 2027."
- Then send transcripts. Request them only after AADSAS confirms your update: "Do not request that transcripts be sent to ADEA AADSAS beforehand; they will not qualify for Academic Update and will need to be resubmitted." The help center says "We must receive your official transcripts by February 10, 2027", and ADEA's important dates list February 11, 2027 as the "Last day to submit all official documents to ADEA AADSAS." Plan for February 10.
- Wait for verification. It "can take up to 10 business days". Your status "will remain as Verified throughout the Academic Update process."
"Academic Update is an optional process; check with your programs to determine if they require it." Florida's waitlist page (written for the 2026 entering class) says: "We strongly advise you to take advantage of the ADEA AADSAS Academic Update period."
Our view: if your fall grades help you, use the December window as soon as grades post, then mention in your letter, in one clause, that they are on the way. Your GPA does not need a paragraph.
The countercase: if your fall grades are weak, Academic Update is still optional and a school may not require it. Check whether your schools ask for it before you decide; do not leave it out to hide a grade at a school that requires it.
Which dental schools take update letters
School pages differ, and some say nothing:
| School | What the page says |
|---|---|
| Kentucky | "In the waiting period between the interview and the tell date, candidates may send in updates, letters of intent, etc." |
| 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." |
| Florida | Waitlisted applicants: "it is important to notify us immediately of any recently completed work", by email to the admissions office |
| Penn | No update policy on the admissions page |
| Columbia | No update policy on the admissions page; status questions go to the AADSAS portal or the admissions email |
At UIC, use Academic Update and nothing else unless the office asks. At Penn or Columbia, ask before you send.
No interview yet in November
Dental interview seasons run on very different calendars:
| School | Interview season, as the page states it |
|---|---|
| Kentucky | Invitations "beginning mid-July"; interviews "from the end of August until early December" |
| UNC | "between September and November" |
| Columbia | "Fridays from September to February" |
| Penn | Invitations "beginning in August" and "through February"; interviews "weekly from September through March" |
| UIC | "virtually September 2026 through March 2027" |
So in November, no invitation from Kentucky or UNC means something different from no invitation from Penn or UIC. At Penn and UIC, invitations and interviews are still months from ending.
Our view: send an update before an interview only for something that changes your file, such as a new clinical role, a leadership position or an accepted publication, and only to a school that takes updates. A letter that only repeats your interest adds nothing. For the general craft of a pre-interview update, see medical school update letters before an interview.
The countercase: at Kentucky, where interviews end in early December, a substantial update sent in November reaches the committee while it is still inviting. Waiting until after December 15 there means writing to a school whose interview season is over.
Constructed update letter, with subject line
Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant's letter. Context (invented): Jordan Mills interviewed at the fictional Copperline College of Dentistry on October 30, 2026. The letter is 171 words, not counting the subject line.
Subject: Application update, Jordan Mills, AADSAS ID 5550123
Dear Admissions Committee,
Thank you again for my interview on October 30. I am writing with one update since then.
In November I became the coordinator of the Saturday sealant clinic at Hope Street Community Center, where I had volunteered since January. I now schedule six volunteer hygiene students each week, keep the supply log, and call families the week before to confirm. In my first month, the clinic saw 41 children, up from 26 in October, mostly because the confirmation calls cut no-shows.
The role changed what I notice. As a volunteer I watched the chair. As coordinator I see the families who never reach it: the parent who works Saturdays, the child whose consent form came back unsigned. That is the part of dentistry I want Copperline's community clinic rotation to train me for.
My fall grades will reach you through the AADSAS Academic Update in December.
Copperline remains one of my top choices, and I would be glad to send anything else the committee needs.
Sincerely, Jordan Mills
What the letter does:
- One new fact with a number and a result. The coordinator role, what it involves, and what changed (41 children against 26) in the letter's own invented clinic.
- Why it matters, in two sentences, tied to a program at the school.
- Grades in one line, pointed to Academic Update.
- Interest at its true strength. "One of my top choices" is not a letter of intent, and does not pretend to be.
Questions about dental school updates
Can I add a letter of recommendation after submitting AADSAS?
Yes, if you have not reached the maximum number of evaluation requests. The help center allows "Adding new evaluations (if you have not yet requested the maximum number of evaluations)." UIC will not take an extra letter sent outside AADSAS unless it asks.
Should I list my fall grades in a dental school update letter?
No. Send them through Academic Update, December 1, 2026 to February 5, 2027, and mention them in one line.
Is the AADSAS Academic Update required?
No. The help center calls it "an optional process" and tells you to "check with your programs to determine if they require it."
How do I send an update to a dental school after submitting AADSAS?
Email the admissions office, or use the school's portal if it names one, and only at a school that takes updates. The help center says other updates go "directly to your programs."
Get a free review of your update letter
Get a free Quick Review of your update letter against GradPilot's medical school update letter rubric, the closest rubric for a dental update. It checks that the letter names what changed since your application and explains what the new information adds. If your letter also commits you to one school, use the letter of intent rubric.
More dental guides for this stage:
- Dental school letter of intent: when, length and a constructed sample.
- Dental school acceptance on December 15: what silence means and what to send.
- Dental waitlist letter of continued interest.
- The medical school essays hub and the AADSAS personal statement review page.
Sources
Retrieved November 7, 2026, except where noted.
- Liaison, ADEA AADSAS Applicant Help Center, Updating Your ADEA AADSAS Application (Academic Update) (2026-27 cycle): windows, once-only rule, deadlines, transcripts, verification, what else can change.
- ADEA GoDental, Applying to Dental School: ADEA AADSAS (2026-27 important dates): Academic Update periods, February 11, 2027 document deadline.
- ADEA, ADEA CAS Policies and Applicant Release Statements: duty to report changes.
- American Dental Association, DAT 2026 Candidate Guide (updated December 11, 2025): score reporting time and attempt history.
- University of Kentucky College of Dentistry, DMD Admissions (no year stated): updates accepted, interview season.
- UIC College of Dentistry, How to Apply to the DMD Program (2026-27 cycle): no documents after submission; interviews through March 2027.
- University of Florida College of Dentistry, Waitlisted Students (2026 entering-class page): recently completed work; Academic Update advice.
- Penn Dental Medicine, DMD Admissions (2026-27 cycle): invitation and interview months.
- UNC Adams School of Dentistry, DDS Admissions (2026-27 cycle): interview months; four-letter maximum.
- Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, Apply (no year stated): interview days; status contacts.
Review your medical-school update
Check what changed and whether the new information is understandable.