November 2015 ■ Journal of Dental Education 1373 Association Report U.S. Dental School Applicants and Enrollees, 2014 Entering Class Tanya Wanchek, PhD, JD; Bryan J. Cook, PhD; Eugene L. Anderson, PhD; Lauren Duranleau, MPA; Carolyn Booker, RhD Abstract: This report analyzes data collected annually by the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) on the character- istics of applicants to and frst-year enrollees in dental schools. Among the key fndings this year are that, since 2010, there has been a gradual decline in the number of individuals taking the Dental Admission Test (DAT), while the number applying to dental schools has remained relatively fat. During the same fve-year time period, the number of frst-year dental students has continuous- ly increased. The result is an increasing rate of enrollment among applicants. While the overwhelming majority of dental schools utilize some aspect of a holistic admissions process, the DAT scores and grade point averages of applicants and enrollees continue to rise. Unlike a decade ago, women now account for nearly half of all applicants and enrollees. At least part of the gain has come from a decline in the number of men applicants, rather than a change in the enrollment rate. Among underrepresented minorities, there remains a relatively low number of applicants and a lower than average enrollment rate. Overall, by analyzing data about individuals applying to and matriculating in dental schools, this report provides a window into the future dental workforce. Dr. Wanchek is Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia School of Medicine; Dr. Cook is Senior Vice President for Educational Research and Analysis, American Dental Education Association; Dr. Anderson is Chief Policy Offcer and Managing Vice President, American Dental Education Association; Ms. Duranleau is Research Manager, American Dental Education Association; and Dr. Booker is Senior Vice President for Educational Pathways, American Dental Education Association. Direct correspondence to Dr. Bryan J. Cook, American Dental Education Association, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20001; 202-289-7201; cookb@adea.org. Keywords: dental education, dental schools, dental school admissions, applicants, enrollees, gender, race and ethnicity, minority groups, underrepresented minorities, GPA, DAT E ach year, the American Dental Education As- sociation (ADEA) collects information on ap- plicants to and enrollees in dental school. The reports, which go back to 1976, provide a picture of the characteristics of individuals who apply to dental school and those who matriculate. The applicant data offer insight into the characteristics of individuals who took the Dental Admission Test (DAT) and ap- plied to dental schools. The enrollee data provides a frst look at who will eventually constitute the future dental workforce. Furthermore, comparing applicant with enrollee data offers a picture of the gender, race and ethnicity, and home states of individuals who matriculated into dental school and those who demonstrated interest in attending dental school but did not matriculate. In addition, this report provides information about applicants’ and enrollees’ major felds of study, grade point averages (GPAs), and DAT scores. The analysis presented in this article al- lows dental educators and others to better understand the characteristics of potential students and to view broader trends among prospective students. Methodology and Terminology Data for this report come from ADEA’s Associ- ated American Dental Schools Application Service (ADEA AADSAS ® ), which is the centralized ap- plication service for all U.S. and selected Canadian dental schools. ADEA AADSAS provided informa- tion from all 65 U.S. dental schools that had data. Data were from the 2013-14 application cycle, with the enrollees entering U.S. dental schools in the fall of 2014. The report also draws on trend data from prior ADEA reports. Data were collected on gender, race and ethnic- ity, home state, undergraduate major, and GPA and DAT scores of applicants and enrollees. Throughout the report, applicants refers to individuals, while applications refers to the number of completed ap- plications submitted to one or more dental schools. This report focuses primarily on frst-time, frst-year enrollees—those individuals who matriculated for the frst time.