Pre-dental Scholars FAQs

Yes. Although you will not be eligible to receive a diploma until after your first-year dental grades are evaluated, Marquette allows students who anticipate graduation full participation in Commencement events.

Many of the courses pre-dental students take during their senior year in college are elective courses or other courses to complete a major or minor because the sciences courses required for admission to dental school are taken before taking the DAT.

Yes. You are not obligated in any way to complete the Scholars program or attend Marquette's School of Dentistry. However, if you choose to apply to another dental school, you do not have the advantages of conditional admission. You'll be competing head to head with the students around the country who apply at that time.

We place students on probation who do not meet the GPA or B-or-better policy. They have one semester to improve and meet the GPA and grade standards. The students who are accepted into the program are used to being at the top of their classes. At Marquette, you are juggling a heavy science load with a social life, too. It's a different world than high school, and students should be ready for the adjustment. We make no excuses for this being a tough program. We know dental school will be even tougher! In fact, dental students who began as Pre-dental Scholars typically do very well in dental school.

Not as long as you successfully complete the courses in the degree plan. The program is planned in a specific sequence so that you complete all your course work before taking the DAT exam and beginning dental school. Of course, if you add additional courses to your plan by adding a second major or additional minors, we can't offer the same guarantee. If you want to do so, speak with your adviser right away to devise a plan.