The CAAPID application, section by section
Eight sections, in the order the form asks for them. Each one lists what to enter, where applications get held up, and the surface here that produces that piece.
Fees
$264 for the first program, $115 for each additional program
Cycle
Opens Mar. 5, 2026 · closes Jan. 29, 2027 · program deadlines are individual
Every applicant needs a DENTPIN before a CAAPID application can be started.
What to enter
- • Your DENTPIN, exactly as issued
- • Legal name matching your passport and diploma
- • One email address you will keep for the whole cycle
Where files get held up
- • Opening a second account instead of reusing the DENTPIN
- • A name that differs from the credential evaluation
Identity, citizenship and residency — the section that decides which programs can consider you at all.
What to enter
- • Citizenship and current U.S. status
- • Permanent and mailing address
- • Passport-style photograph
Where files get held up
- • Leaving status vague when roughly 40% of programs accept U.S. citizens and permanent residents only
Your foreign dental degree, any U.S. coursework, and the credential evaluation that validates them.
What to enter
- • Dental school, dates and degree awarded
- • Diploma upload
- • ECE or WES evaluation, per each program's preference
- • Official U.S. transcripts sent by the institution
Where files get held up
- • Starting the evaluation late — it is the longest lead-time item on the route
- • Assuming one evaluator is accepted everywhere
Dental licences held in any country, plus certifications relevant to U.S. practice.
What to enter
- • Licence number, country and issue date
- • Board or specialty certifications
- • CPR / BLS where held
Where files get held up
- • Omitting a lapsed licence that appears in your letters
Practice years, documented clinical hours, research, teaching and volunteering.
What to enter
- • 2–3 years of practice where you have it
- • 1,000–3,000+ documented clinical hours by procedure type
- • U.S. observership or externship
- • Research, publications and teaching
Where files get held up
- • Round hour totals with nothing behind them
- • No U.S. exposure listed at all
The written file: statement, CV, letters and photograph.
What to enter
- • ~750-word personal statement
- • U.S.-format dentistry CV
- • 1–2 letters from supervising dentists, 1 from a clinic director
- • Photograph meeting the passport-style spec
Where files get held up
- • Requesting letters under four weeks out
- • A CV in the format used in your home country
Per-program requirements that live inside CAAPID rather than in a separate portal.
What to enter
- • Program-specific questions and 500–1,000 word essays
- • Letters some programs want uploaded here instead
- • Bench test scheduling where offered
Where files get held up
- • Reusing one essay across programs verbatim
- • Missing that a program collects letters here, not in Supporting Information
Designation, fees, then the verification wait before programs see anything.
What to enter
- • Program designations
- • Fees: $264 for the first program, $115 for each additional program
- • A saved copy of the submitted application
Where files get held up
- • Submitting before transcripts arrive — verification does not start until they do
- • Treating the CAAPID close date as the deadline when programs close earlier