Of 6,308 first-year U.S. dental students in 2020-21, 5.7 percent were citizens of countries other than the U.S. or Canada, according to data from the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.
Five other things to know:
1. In total, 92.8 percent of U.S. dental students in 2020-21 were U.S. citizens, while 1.5 percent were citizens of Canada.
2. In 2020-21, 70 percent of U.S. dental schools (46 of 66) offered an advanced standing program for graduates of international dental schools, compared to 1985-86, when 60 percent (36 out of 60) offered this type of program.
3. In 2020-21, 655 international dental school graduates were admitted with advanced standing.
4. The number of international dental school graduates admitted to U.S. dental schools has risen since 1985. However, a substantial decrease occurred between 2013-14 and 2014-15 because an advanced standing program that admitted more than 120 international grads each year was phased out.
5. The number of international dental graduates reached an all-time high in 2019-20.