LECOM 4+4 Early Acceptance Dental Medicine

Gannon University, in affiliation with the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) School of Dental Medicine, located in Bradenton, Florida, offers an early acceptance program (EAP) for qualified students to earn a four-year bachelor’s degree in biology, chemistry, or biochemistry from Gannon University and a Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.) degree from LECOM. The 4+4 early acceptance program grants academically strong students an opportunity to gain conditionally guaranteed acceptance to the LECOM School of Dental Medicine as early as the senior year of high school. Participation in the program alleviates much of the cost of applying to dental schools, while providing a strong background in scientific and biomedical courses at Gannon University.

GU Undergraduate Entry Requirements

• Completion of four years of science courses at the high school level (biology and chemistry courses are required, while physics is highly recommended)

• Completion of four years of math courses at the high school level

• Cumulative high school GPA of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale

• Class rank in the top 25% of your high school class

• Minimum SAT score of 1240 (new SAT)/1170 (old SAT) or ACT composite score of 26

• Evidence of academic and personal potential, as well as desire to become a dentist

• Satisfactory admissions interview with LECOM

Program Admissions Process

Students applying to this program are encouraged to apply by November 1 for priority consideration. From the qualified applicant pool, a maximum of five (5) students are accepted to this program in the senior year of high school. Guaranteed acceptance to the program will not be granted until all requirements listed below have been satisfied. LECOM will make all admissions decisions on provisional letters after the completion of the EAP admissions cycle, which opens on May 1 and closes the following April 1.

Students who wish to be considered for the LECOM dental affiliation program with Gannon University must complete the following:

• Achieve the minimum SAT or ACT requirement prior to high school graduation.

• Apply to Gannon University’s LECOM 4+4 Early Acceptance Dental Medicine program and be successfully admitted to the University.

• Apply to LECOM’s Early Acceptance Program using this link https://lecom.my.site.com/apply/ where you create your account. Select the Dental 4+4 Program from the drop-down menu. List Gannon University as one of the top three schools you are interested in attending.

• Once approved to participate, attend an information session held through a ZOOM format conducted by a LECOM representative.

• Complete a satisfactory admissions interview with LECOM through a video recording format.

• Your file is processed through LECOM’s Dental Admissions Committee that determines the Provisional Letter of Acceptance. Notification typically occurs within 60 business days (12 weeks) of the interview.

• To accept the offer, you must deposit at Gannon to receive your Gannon email address (typically a few days later). Update your LECOM account with your Gannon email address. These actions confirm your enrollment to attend Gannon and your intent to attend LECOM. LECOM contacts the Director of Pre-Health Programs who confirms your deposit and subsequent enrollment.

• LECOM mails your Provisional Letter of Acceptance and emails a PDF copy to the Director of Pre-Health Programs.

Gannon University students interested in this 4+4 program must meet the minimum SAT or ACT requirements. They must also meet the high school GPA requirements OR they have completed at least one semester as a full-time student at Gannon and have a post-secondary cumulative overall GPA of 3.4 or higher and a cumulative science (not including Math) GPA of 3.3 or higher. If all these are met, the Gannon student may apply to the EAP up until they have completed their junior year of study at Gannon University. Apply before the April 1 closing date.

LECOM School of Dental Medicine Entry Requirements

After four years of undergraduate study including at least 120 credit hours with 60 credit hours or more earned as a full-time student at Gannon University, the participant is conditionally guaranteed admission to LECOM if the following requirements are satisfied and deadlines are met:

• Grades are submitted through the LECOM portal by February 1 and July 1 of each year of enrollment before LECOM matriculation

• LECOM’s progressive GPA requirements are met or exceeded after review in February and July of each year and as of September 1 of the matriculation year

• Cumulative overall GPA of 3.4 or higher after each semester and by the time of application

• Cumulative science GPA (not including Math) of 3.3 or higher after each semester and by the time of application

• Semester course loads of 15 or more credit hours

• LECOM will only accept AP credits for English and Behavioral Science courses if the student scores a four (4) or five (5) on the AP exam. LECOM will not accept AP credits for any required science course. When AP credits are accepted by LECOM, a replacement course applicable to the field of dental medicine or a course of similar academic rigor must be taken.

• Minimum grade of C in all courses required by LECOM, and these must be taken at Gannon. A C-minus or D is not acceptable, and the course must be retaken. Students who fail any class while enrolled in the EAP will be withdrawn from the EAP. Credit for Pass/Fail courses will not be accepted.

• Once enrolled at the affiliate school, all remaining required LECOM classes must be taken at the affiliate school the student is enrolled in. Classes taken at non-affiliate schools after enrolling at an affiliate school will not count towards the required classes. LECOM reserves the right to accept transfer credits from non-affiliated schools to fulfill LECOM requirements on a case-by-case basis.

• All coursework must be completed by July 1 of the year of LECOM matriculation

• Good standing with Gannon University

• Per the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) policy, the DAT may only be taken once every 60 days. The DAT should be taken prior to the start of the final undergraduate year to permit time to retake the exam, if necessary. The exam may not be taken more than 3 times.

• All the following criteria from a single DAT exam must be met by September 1 of the year prior to LECOM matriculation. A score of 390 or greater for the Academic Average with at least the following scores in each subsection: Science Average (380), Biology (370), General Chemistry (380), Organic Chemistry (380), Perceptual Ability Test [PAT] (360), Reading Comprehension (340), Quantitative Reasoning (380).

• The School of Dentistry recommends applicants spend 100 hours job shadowing in a clinical dental setting

• U.S. citizen or permanent resident

• Successful criminal background check, including drug and alcohol screening

• Attend LECOM On-Campus Day in Bradenton, FL, the year prior to LECOM matriculation (before the fourth undergraduate year)

• Meet and agree to the School of Dental Medicine Health and Technical Standards for Admission

• Application to the LECOM School of Dental Medicine – Bradenton campus through ADEA AADSAS and verification of the application must occur no later than September 1 of the year prior to LECOM matriculation

• LECOM supplemental application submitted no later than September 1 of the year prior to LECOM matriculation

• Letters of recommendation/evaluation from two Gannon physical science (biology, chemistry, physics) faculty must be uploaded through ADEA AADSAS by July 1 of the year prior to LECOM matriculation

• Official transcripts showing final grades for all coursework taken from all post-secondary institutions attended by the EAP student must be received by the LECOM Office of Admissions no later than June 1 of the year of LECOM matriculation

• Any additional requirements as outlined through the affiliation agreement between Gannon University and the LECOM School of Dental Medicine and the EAP Student Policy Manual; students accepted to the program will have access to all requirements specified in the agreement through the Director of Pre-Health Programs at Gannon University

• Each academic year, LECOM will admit up to five (5) students total for this dental affiliation program. Additional students may be considered on an individual basis and at the discretion of LECOM.

• Students admitted to this program will forfeit their conditionally guaranteed seat if they apply to any other dental medicine schools.