AADSAS Letters of Recommendation Changes for 2026
- Predenting
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
The AADSAS letter of recommendation changes are more than a small application update. If you're a pre-dental student, this shift means that letters of evaluation will now be both narrative and structured, giving dental school admissions committees a new way to assess applicants across specific competencies. Recommenders will still upload a traditional letter of recommendation, but they will now also be able to answer introductory questions, like how long they've known the applicant for, and rate applicants on 10 different attributes.
That matters because it changes how admissions readers may interpret your recommendations. A strong letter is no longer just about glowing prose. It is also about whether your evaluator can confidently rate you in areas like integrity, critical thinking, interpersonal skills, maturity, and your motivation to pursue dentistry. For applicants working on a dental school strategy, this is a major signal: who you ask for letters now matters even more than before.
What Exactly Changed in AADSAS?
Under the updated AADSAS process, letter of recommendation writers will continue to upload their letter, but they will also complete a "Likert-scale evaluation" tied to 10 specific attributes:
Integrity
Professional demeanor
Motivation to pursue dentistry
Reaction to criticism
Didactic knowledge
Critical thinking
Interpersonal skills
Organizational skills
Self-awareness
Maturity
The rating choices that your letter of recommendation can pick from include:
Exceeds expectation
Meets expectation
Not ready at this time
Not observed
In practical terms, this means admissions committees may receive a more standardized snapshot of how your recommender views you, in addition to the free-form narrative. That structure can help schools compare applicants more consistently, especially in a process where letters have historically varied widely in style, length, and detail.
Why This Change Matters for You:
For years, many pre-dental applicants treated letters of recommendation as a box to check: ask a science professor, ask a dentist, send a résumé, and hope for the best. That approach is now riskier because recommenders must now score applicants on specific traits. This allows dental schools to distinguish between:
a professor who truly knows your academic performance and resilience,
a dentist who has closely observed your professionalism and motivation,
and a high-status recommender who barely knows you and may have to select “Not observed” for multiple categories.
That last point is especially important. A lukewarm or distant recommender may not write a bad letter, but a form with several “Not observed” marks could still weaken your file. The old advice to pursue the “biggest name” matters less than choosing someone who can credibly evaluate you in action.
The 10 Attributes Reveal What Dental Schools Value
The new categories are helpful because they make the hidden curriculum of admissions more visible. Integrity and professional demeanor point to trustworthiness, ethics, accountability, and the ability to function in professional settings. Dentistry is a patient-centered profession, and schools are looking for applicants who can represent the profession well.
Motivation to pursue dentistry means your recommender should be able to speak to more than vague interest. They should understand why you chose dentistry specifically, and ideally how you have demonstrated that commitment through shadowing, service, leadership, or sustained exploration.
Reaction to criticism and self-awareness are especially telling. These categories suggest schools want applicants who are coachable, reflective, and able to grow. Dental education is demanding. Students are constantly receiving feedback in classroom, lab, and clinical environments.
Didactic knowledge and critical thinking emphasize academic readiness, not only your grades. A recommender may be asked, directly or indirectly, whether you can learn difficult material, solve problems, and adapt when faced with complexity.
Finally, interpersonal skills, organizational skills, and maturity reflect whether you are ready for the real day-to-day demands of dental training: teamwork, communication, time management, responsibility, and poise.
How You Should Respond to the New Letter of Recommendation Format
First, choose recommenders based on depth of observation, not prestige alone. The best evaluator is someone who has seen you over time and in meaningful contexts. A science faculty member who watched you improve, ask thoughtful questions, and respond to feedback may now be far more valuable than a well-known instructor from a giant lecture course.
Second, map each potential recommender to the new attributes. Ask yourself: who can best speak to my critical thinking? Who has seen my professional demeanor? Who can comment on my motivation to pursue dentistry with specificity? If one evaluator covers only one dimension of your candidacy, balance them with others who fill the gaps.
Third, prepare your recommenders better. With the new rating system, it is even more important to give evaluators useful context, such as:
your résumé or CV.
coursework and grades from classes taken with them.
shadowing and clinical exposure highlights.
key projects, presentations, or research experiences,
and a short note reminding them of the specific ways they know you.
Fourth, ask early. ADEA’s guidance has long emphasized planning ahead for letters of evaluation and checking school-specific requirements. This cycle, early preparation matters even more because recommenders are not just uploading a letter; they are completing a more involved evaluation.
What Recommenders Will Need From You
You should make this process easy for letter writers. Your recommender should not have to guess how you fit the new categories. Without scripting their evaluation, you can help them recall concrete examples. For instance, a professor may remember your grade, but forget the time you revised your work after difficult feedback or the semester you balanced heavy responsibilities while excelling academically. A dentist may remember your punctuality, but need a reminder about the patient interactions or team communication they observed.
A New Strategic Reality: Generic Letters May Hurt More
The biggest takeaway is simple: generic letters are now more exposed.
A bland recommendation used to hide inside polished but vague paragraphs. Under the new AADSAS structure, a recommender’s uncertainty may become more visible through the ratings themselves. That means applicants must be more intentional, more organized, and more honest about who can truly advocate for them.
Done well, this change could actually benefit strong applicants. Students with authentic mentors, meaningful experiences, and thoughtful preparation may now have more opportunities for their strengths to come through clearly and consistently.
Final Thoughts About the AADSAS Letter of Recommendation Changes
The new AADSAS letter of recommendation changes are really a change in admissions strategy. Dental schools are signaling that they want more standardized insight into who applicants are beyond GPA and DAT scores. For predental students, the message is clear: choose evaluators carefully, prepare them thoroughly, and build relationships early enough that your letters can reflect real evidence across the competencies schools care about most.
Are your current recommenders truly positioned to rate you as someone who exceeds expectations in the areas dental schools now see in black and white? If you want help choosing the right letter writers, preparing a recommender packet, or building a stronger AADSAS strategy, now is the time to start.
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About the Author: Andrew Ghadimi, DDS
Dr. Andrew graduated from UCLA's School of Dentistry and served on the ADEA AADSAS Advisory Board, helping run the dental school application, AADSAS. He also served as the National Pre-Dental Liaison for the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), the same organization that runs the dental school application. While at UCLA's School of Dentistry, he also served on the Council of Students, Residents, and Fellows Board, as the Pre-Dental Chair for California. He has mentored and advised 500+ pre-dentals on their journey to dental school and helped pre-dentals receive over $3,000,000 in scholarships in addition to acceptances to some of the most competitive dental schools in the country, including Harvard, UPenn, Columbia, UF, UCLA, and many others.
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to UCLA School of Dentistry, the American Dental Education Association, or any other organization.