Admissions - ASDH

Application Procedures

Lincoln Memorial University operates on a semester system with terms beginning in August (Fall Semester), January (Spring Semester), and May (Summer Semester). Refer to the undergraduate academic calendar for class start and end dates.

All applicants must apply and be accepted for general admission to Lincoln Memorial University before the applicant can be considered for the Dental Hygiene Program. Undergraduate Admissions link: https://www.lmunet.edu/undergraduate-admissions/

General admission to Lincoln Memorial University does not guarantee admission to the Dental Hygiene Program.

Lincoln Memorial University College of Dental Medicine Dental Hygiene Program (LMU CDM DHP) participates in a centralized application service, the American Dental Education Association Dental Schools Centralized Application Service (ADEA DHCAS). The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) offers prospective students a convenient, centralized online application service for accredited dental hygiene schools. Through ADEA DHCAS, students can file one electronic application. The ADEA DHCAS then verifies and distributes the information to each of the colleges designated by the applicant. The Dental Hygiene Centralized Services (DHCAS) can be reached at www.adea.org.

The Dental Hygiene Program (DHP) uses the American Dental Education Association (ADEA.org) in its admission process. The LMU CDM DHP will begin each October accepting applications for the following fall admission, with the application deadline of March 15 each year. The DHP consists of two 16-week semesters for fall and spring, with the Summer Semester being 10 weeks.

Students Right To Know

To comply with federal regulations regarding the reporting of completion/graduation and transfer-out, Lincoln Memorial University annually prepares information regarding the completion/graduation rates within 150% of the normal time to complete the program and the transfer-out rates of full-time, first-time students enrolled at the institution in the fall quarter who are pursuing certificate and degree programs at the institution. You may review this information in the Consumer Information section of the Lincoln Memorial University website.

Admissions Requirements by Pathway of Entry

Direct Freshman Entry

This pathway is appropriate for high school seniors applying to LMU who would like to complete their Associate of Science in Dental Hygiene in 3.0 years via the ASDH degree path. These students must meet the following criteria for undergraduate admissions:

Required Entrance Test(s):

For high school seniors, either the ACT or SAT to determine eligibility to take biology and chemistry courses. Students applying to the DHP must possess a cumulative high school GPA of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale. Minimum Score on Required Entrance Test(s): ACT of 22+

Students Must Satisfy the Following Requirements for Admission:

High School Seniors:

Complete the DH Application for Admissions.
Initial Admissions Interview with CDM and DHP Admissions Committee (During Senior Year).
300-word essay – How you arrived at this career goal.
Two letters of recommendation (from non-relatives) attesting to community service, leadership ability, character, and other skills.
Minimum GPA for each Required Course: A C+ is the minimum grade needed for all required courses.
Interview with admissions committee.

Required Technical Standards and Competencies for Program Admission:

Sixteen (16) - hours of documented observation/shadowing hours in a General Dentist’s Office shadowing the Dental Hygienist. The document must be signed by RDH observed.
During the spring before the last semester of prerequisites, the student will apply to LMU through the admission portal. Once accepted into LMU, the student will be required to complete the supplemental ADEA-DHCAS application.
Applicants must pass the LMU-CDM Medicine criminal background check (completed upon offer of admission)
Applicants must be drug-free, as evidenced through required LMU-CDM drug testing (completed upon offer of admission).

LMU-DHP Technical Standards for Admissions and Retention

Candidates for admission must have sufficient abilities and skills in five areas: I) Observation; II) Communication; III) Motor; IV) Conceptual, Integrative, and Quantitative; and V) Behavioral and Social. Technological compensation can be made for some limitations in certain areas, but candidates should perform in a reasonably independent manner (Technical Standards).

Observation: The candidate must be able to make observations at a distance and close at hand accurately. Observation necessitates the functional use of the sense of vision and somatic sensation and is enhanced by the functional use of all other senses.
Communication: The candidate must communicate effectively, efficiently, and sensitively in both oral and written forms and perceive nonverbal communication.
Motor: The candidate must coordinate both gross and fine muscular movements, maintain equilibrium, and have functional use of the senses of touch and vision. The candidate must possess sufficient postural control, neuromuscular control, and eye-to-hand coordination to perform profession-specific skills and tasks.
Conceptual, Integrative, and Quantitative Abilities: The candidate must be able to problem-solve, measure, calculate, reason, analyze, record, and synthesize large amounts of information promptly. The candidate must be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and understand spatial relationships.
Behavioral and Social Attributes: The candidate must possess the emotional health required to fully utilize his/her intellectual abilities, consistently exercise good judgment in addition to prompt completion of all responsibilities, and the development of mature, sensitive, and effective relationships. The candidate must tolerate physically, mentally, and emotionally taxing workloads and function effectively under stress. The candidate must adapt to changing environments, display flexibility, and learn to function in the face of uncertainties. The candidate must possess and exhibit compassion, integrity, concern for others, effective interpersonal skills, ability to function as an effective team member, and interest and motivation to learn.

Students must attest to their ability to meet technical requirements. Any student seeking accommodation must follow LMU’s established process through the Department of Accessible Education Services. No accommodation is available for preclinical and clinical courses. If the student needs accommodations, it is the student's responsibility to request those accommodations each semester. Please note the student will need to request accommodations needed for the Dental Hygiene National Board Examination from ADA.org. and for the Computerized Structured Clinical Examination (CSCE) of the ADEX, SRTA, or CRDTS examination.

Direct Entry to the DHP:

Students must have taken the seven (7) required prerequisite courses from a regionally accredited institution to qualify for entry via this pathway. Prerequisites and recommended courses align with those of the previous path.

Complete the Dental Hygiene Application through the admissions portal.
At a minimum, science GPAs of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale are required. Applicants must report both a science and a cumulative GPA over 3.00 (although >3.25 will be generally competitive) on a 4.00 grading scale.
Two letters of recommendation are required. Letters should be from either a dental or medical professional or a science professor. Letters written by immediate family members will not be accepted. All letters of recommendation must be submitted directly to LMU from those completing the letters. Letters submitted or delivered by the applicant will not be accepted.
Complete sixteen (16) documented observation/shadowing hours before entering the DHP.
Applicants must demonstrate a genuine understanding of, and interest in, the humanitarian ethos of health care, particularly dental medicine.
Applicants should reflect a people and service orientation through community service or extracurricular activities.
Applicants should reflect proper motivation for and commitment to healthcare as demonstrated by previous salaried work, volunteer work, or other life experiences.
Applicants must possess the oral and written communication skills necessary to interact with patients and colleagues. A 300-word essay - How you arrived at this career goal.
Applicants must pass the LMU-CDM criminal background check (completed upon offer of admission).
Applicants must be drug-free, as evidenced through the LMU-CDM required drug testing (completed upon offer of admission).

Admissions criteria are weighted with an emphasis on academic performance (approximately 3/4 of the final score), including science GPAs, non-science GPAs, cumulative GPAs, number of hours completed per semester or quarter, and institution(s) attended. Motivation, experience, recommendations, community service experience, and the interview evaluation (about 1/4 of the final score) also contribute to candidate rankings. The ranking formula, the weighting, and the scoring will be analyzed and reviewed before each admission cycle by the Admissions Committee (Applicant Ranking Plan).

Technical Standards for Admission

Observation: The candidate must be able to make observations at a distance and close at hand accurately. Observation necessitates the functional use of the sense of vision and somatic sensation and is enhanced by the functional use of all other senses.
Communication: The candidate must communicate effectively, efficiently, and sensitively in both oral and written forms and perceive nonverbal communication.
Motor: The candidate must coordinate both gross and fine muscular movements, maintain equilibrium, and have functional use of the senses of touch and vision. The candidate must possess sufficient postural control, neuromuscular control, and eye-to-hand coordination to perform profession-specific skills and tasks.
Conceptual, Integrative, and Quantitative Abilities: The candidate must be able to problem-solve, measure, calculate, reason, analyze, record, and synthesize large amounts of information promptly. The candidate must be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and understand spatial relationships.
Behavioral and Social Attributes: The candidate must possess the emotional health required to fully utilize his/ her intellectual abilities, consistently exercise good judgment, promptly complete all responsibilities, and develop mature, sensitive, and effective relationships. The candidate must tolerate physically, mentally, and emotionally taxing workloads and function effectively under stress. The candidate must adapt to changing environments, display flexibility, and learn to function in the face of uncertainties. The candidate must possess and exhibit compassion, integrity, concern for others, effective interpersonal skills, ability to function as an effective team member, and interest and motivation to learn. All are personal qualities required during the educational process.

Acceptance into a Lincoln Memorial University Dental Hygiene Program does not imply or guarantee that a student will be able to obtain licensure, certification, or employment. Several Lincoln Memorial University programs require field experiences during the curriculum (e.g., clinicals, internships, practicums, student teaching) and/or lead to a field that requires a license or certification. Background checks are required prior to matriculation into these programs and may further be required prior to the field experiences and/or licensure/certification. Students should be aware that a prior misdemeanor or felony arrest or conviction (or an event of this nature occurring during the program) may restrict the individual’s ability to gain admission into the program, progress into field experiential training, and/or obtain professional licensure or certification. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the program of any issues that may have occurred in the past or that arise during the program. The events may require voluntary withdrawal or administrative dismissal from the program. All students are responsible for learning the requirements for licensure within their home state or any state in which he/she wishes to practice ensuring ability to meet these requirements.

Admission Of Transfer Students

Regular Transfer Admission- LMU meets the needs of community college students in the Appalachian Region by providing transference of credit. Overseen by the Director of Community College Relations and the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, LMU’s transfer policies are proactive in assuring that students have all the information necessary to make informed transfer decisions.

Regular Transfer Admission status is granted if a student has a cumulative GPA of 2.4 or higher on all previous college-level work. Students with a cumulative GPA of less than 2.4 on previously attempted college-level work earned within the past five years must be reviewed by the Undergraduate Admissions Committee.

Students going before the Undergraduate Admissions Committee may be required to participate in the University’s academic support and tutoring programs, may receive the recommendation to send more information or may be denied admission to the University.

Transfer admission students who have completed fifteen (15) or more semester credit hours of potentially transferable seated, college-level coursework at an accredited/approved college or university will be considered for regular transfer admission.

Students having completed fewer than fifteen (15) semester credit hours are subject to the Regular Admission criteria and procedures applicable to freshman admissions (see above). Transfer student applicants must submit the following:

The online Application for Admission
Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended (sent directly from the institution)
If fewer than fifteen (15) semester credit hours of college-level course work have been completed, an official high school transcript and official ACT/SAT test scores must be submitted.

For more detail regarding Lincoln Memorial University policies regarding transfer credit, see the Lincoln Memorial University Undergraduate Catalog section entitled, “Transfer Credits from Other Institutions.”

The college reserves the right to reject any or all credits from other institutions regardless of their accreditation status. The college reserves the right to refuse transfer credit for courses if the student’s subsequent grades in required courses in the same subject fall below a 2.0 average.