🦷 ADA-recognized specialty · Free guide

How to get into an endodontics residency

The pulp and the tissues around the root. At least 24 months; many programs use the ADAT. Facts on this page link to the ADA, CODA, ADEA or the program that says them, checked 2026-10-22. Every program sets its own rules, so confirm on each program's page before you apply.

🗺 57 Endodontics programs on the map 📮 ADEA PASS Program Finder ↗

1 What the specialty does

Endodontists study and treat the dental pulp and the tissues around the root: diagnosing tooth pain, root canal treatment and retreatment, surgery at the root tip, and care of injured teeth.

2 Program length and degrees

CODA's standards require at least 24 months of full-time study. UCLA, for example, lists a 24-month certificate program on ADEA PASS.

Most programs award a certificate; some, such as Boston University, also offer a master's degree.

Our residency map shows 57 CODA-accredited endodontics programs, from CODA's list as of 2026-09-30.

3 How you apply

Many programs take applications through ADEA PASS, the American Dental Education Association's centralized application for advanced dental education. ADEA says PASS opens the second Wednesday of May and closes the second Friday of February. Each program sets its own deadline inside that window; in the 2026–27 cycle the first program deadline was July 1, 2026.

PASS asks every applicant for an Institution Evaluation Form (the "dean's letter") and three Professional Evaluation Forms, with room for two more optional ones. All of them go to every program you choose.

The ADEA PASS Program Finder lists the programs that take part in PASS. A program that is not listed there takes applications another way, and its own website explains how.

Some programs fill their positions through the Postdoctoral Dental Matching Program (the "Dental Match"), which the ADA describes as the program that matches applicants to postdoctoral programs. Each program's ADEA PASS listing has a "Match Participating" line that says yes or no.

The endodontic programs we checked on ADEA PASS (UCLA and Columbia) were not Match participants. Programs outside the Match set their own interview and offer dates, so ask each program when it decides.

4 The ADAT for endodontics

The ADAT (Advanced Dental Admission Test) is the ADA's admission test for advanced programs. The ADA accepts applications to take it from March 1 to August 31. Whether you need it depends entirely on the program.

12 endodontics programs in our ADAT requirement guide, read on each program's own page in Oct 2026:

Case Western Reserve University – Endodontic Residency (MSD/Certificate): required
NYU College of Dentistry – Advanced Education Program in Endodontics: required
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine – Advanced Education Program in Endodontics: required
UCLA School of Dentistry – Endodontics: required
UIC College of Dentistry – Clinical Specialty Program in Endodontics: required
University of Detroit Mercy – Graduate Endodontics: required
University of Washington – Graduate Endodontics Program: required
Nova Southeastern – Endodontics Postdoctoral Program: recommended
OHSU School of Dentistry – Endodontics: recommended
University of the Pacific Dugoni – Graduate Endodontology Residency: optional / accepted
Tufts – Advanced Education in Endodontics: not stated
UAB – Endodontics Postdoctoral Programs: not stated

The ADA's own Advanced Dental Admissions Test (ADAT) ADAT Programs 2025 (updated 06/26/2025) lists 9 endodontics programs under “require the ADAT”: Case Western Reserve University – Endodontics; Columbia University – Endodontics; New York University – Endodontics; Rutgers – Endodontics; Tufts – Endodontics; University of Alabama at Birmingham – Endodontics; UCLA – Endodontics; University of Illinois at Chicago – Endodontics; University of Washington – Endodontics. Some programs' own pages now say something different, so check the program.

5 A D1–D4 timeline

General guidance; dated items (the ADAT window, ADEA PASS) are from the ADA and ADEA.

D1

Spend time in your school's specialty clinics and talk with residents and faculty about what the work is like.
Keep your grades strong from the first semester.

D2

Narrow to one or two fields and find a faculty mentor in each.
Start a research or case project you can finish and present.

D3

Make a list of target programs and note what each one asks for: tests, letters, deadlines, and whether it is in the Match.
If any program wants the ADAT, apply to test early: the ADA takes ADAT applications from March 1 to August 31.
In the spring, ask three faculty members for Professional Evaluation Forms and let your dean's office know you will need an Institution Evaluation Form.
Visit or extern at programs that offer it, and draft your personal statement and CV.
Endodontic programs ask for the ADAT more often than most fields: check your list early so you can test before deadlines.

Summer before D4

Submit ADEA PASS as early as you can after it opens in May; some program deadlines fall in early summer.
If any of your programs take part in the Dental Match, register for it as well.

D4

Interview through the fall and winter.
Follow each program's offer process, or submit your Match rank list in the order you truly prefer.
Finish your board exam and graduation requirements.

6 What makes an application competitive

General guidance, not program rules or statistics. Each program weighs things differently.

Grades and class standing: strong, steady grades from the first semester help most in the most selective fields. If your school grades pass/fail, programs lean more on the dean's evaluation, faculty letters and interviews.
Letters: ask faculty who have watched you work in the clinic or the lab, and ask early. A letter from someone in the field you are applying to carries weight.
Interviews: programs meet you before they rank or offer. Practice answering out loud why this field, why this program, and how you handle a hard case or a mistake.
The ADAT: endodontics has more programs that require the ADAT than any other field in our ADAT guide, and endodontic programs are the largest group on the ADA's own list of programs that require it. The ADA says programs use the ADAT in different ways: some combine scores with the rest of your file, and some only use them to break a tie between equally qualified applicants. Check each program's page.
Clinical skill: programs want to see that you have done root canal treatment well as a student and that you understand the field. Endodontic faculty letters help.

7 How to prepare

Ask your endodontic faculty to review your clinical cases with you; a few well-documented cases make good interview material.

Residency Application Prep course: ADEA PASS, letters, the personal statement, interviews and the Match.
INBDE Board Prep course: Prepare for the INBDE, the licensure exam many programs list among their tests.
What's on the ADAT (free outline): Sections, timing and topics from the ADA's candidate guide.
Full-length ADAT simulations: Timed practice tests (Boards Pro).
Clinical trainers: Free tooth ID, radiograph, local anesthesia and treatment-planning drills.
Which residencies require the ADAT: Each program's requirement in its own words.
Dental Mock Interviews ↗: Practice residency interviews out loud.

8 FAQ

How long is an endodontic residency?

At least 24 months of full-time study under CODA's standards.

Do endodontics programs use the Match?

The endodontic programs we checked on ADEA PASS were not in the Match. Check the "Match Participating" line on each listing and ask programs about their offer dates.

Is the ADAT required for endodontics?

At many programs, yes, but not all. The list on this page shows what each program we checked says on its own site.

Can I apply while I am still in dental school?

Yes. The ADA lists third- and fourth-year dental students interested in postgraduate training among the people who should take the ADAT, and ADEA PASS opens in May, so dental students can apply in the summer before their final year. Some programs also take practicing dentists.

Sources

Checked 2026-10-22. Program counts and ADAT lists come from our own data, linked above.

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