Orthodontic Residency Programs in Minnesota
Minnesota has 2 CODA-accredited advanced dental education programs in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, based in Minneapolis and Rochester.
Each is listed below with its institution, city, current accreditation status, and the years of CODA's last and next accreditation visits, pulled directly from the Commission on Dental Accreditation's own program directory.
Completing a CODA-accredited orthodontics residency is the recognized path into the specialty — read on for what each program's status means and what happens after residency.
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At a glance
In Minnesota
Programs
2
With a program
Cities
2
Approval without Reporting Requirements
Fully approved
1 of 2
Every CODA-Accredited Program in Minnesota
Source: CODA program directory, index dated 2026-09-09. Status terms (“Approval without Reporting Requirements,” “Approval with Reporting Requirements,” “Initial Accreditation,” “Discontinued,” etc.) are CODA’s own.
Reading the List: What Minnesota's Accreditation Statuses Mean
The statuses shown above are CODA's own terms, not this site's. "Approval (without Reporting Requirements)" is the classification CODA grants when a program "achieves or exceeds the basic requirements for accreditation" — the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry's program currently holds this status.
The Mayo Clinic program carries the added designation "(teach-out)," which CODA defines as notice that an accredited program "is in the process of voluntarily terminating its accreditation due to a planned discontinuance or program closure," with the Commission continuing to monitor the program until residents who enrolled before that closure date finish.
That's distinct from "Approval (with Reporting Requirements)," which flags specific deficiencies a program must correct within a set timeframe, and from "Initial Accreditation," granted to a program that hasn't yet graduated its first class of residents.
The last- and next-visit years shown are CODA's own accreditation-visit schedule, not anything set by the program itself.
For admissions requirements, program structure, or cost, contact the program directly, and confirm a program's current status with CODA before applying.
Why Accreditation Matters for the Path Into Orthodontics
Orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics is one of 12 recognized dental specialties, and completing a CODA-accredited advanced dental education program in the specialty is how a dentist becomes an orthodontist.
Minnesota has 2 accredited programs, compared with none in North Dakota, 1 in Iowa and none in South Dakota nearby; wherever you train, our step-by-step guide to becoming an orthodontist covers the full sequence from dental school through residency, our orthodontist career guide what the role involves day to day, and which dental specialty pays the most how orthodontics compares with the other eleven.
Graduates of the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry and Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education programs who go on to practice in Minnesota need a dentist license from the Minnesota Board of Dentistry — see Minnesota's dentist licensure requirements for the clinical exams it accepts and the rest of what it requires.
After Residency in Minnesota
A CODA-accredited residency is the entry point into orthodontics, not the final step — practicing afterward still requires holding an active dentist license in the state where you intend to work.
Minnesota also issues a separate specialty license; check its requirements with the Minnesota Board of Dentistry.
Residents who train in Minneapolis or Rochester and go on to practice in Minnesota can check the national orthodontist salary guide for pay context and search current orthodontist jobs in Minnesota to see who's hiring now.
Where Minnesota's Programs Are Located
Minnesota's two orthodontics residencies sit in different parts of the state: one in Minneapolis, part of the Twin Cities metro, and one in Rochester, home to the Mayo Clinic campus.
Applicants weighing programs elsewhere in the region can compare against neighboring states' listings, but every program on this page is verified against CODA's own directory for Minnesota specifically.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CODA-accredited orthodontic residency programs are in Minnesota?
Minnesota has 2 CODA-accredited advanced dental education programs in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, located in Minneapolis and Rochester.
Each is listed above with its institution, city and current CODA accreditation status.
CODA's own directory is the definitive, up-to-date source — confirm a program's status directly with CODA before applying.
Does an orthodontics residency outside Minnesota still count if I want to practice there?
Yes.
CODA accreditation is a national standard, not a state one, so a residency completed anywhere in the country carries the same standing.
What determines whether you can practice in Minnesota is holding an active Minnesota dentist license, not where your residency was located.
See our Minnesota dentist licensure page for what the state itself requires.
What does "Approval without Reporting Requirements" mean for a Minnesota program?
It's the classification CODA grants when a program "achieves or exceeds the basic requirements for accreditation," per CODA's own accreditation-status definitions.
It doesn't rank the program against others — CODA doesn't publish comparative rankings — it simply confirms the program currently meets CODA's standards without an outstanding compliance issue.
What does the "(teach-out)" designation mean for the Mayo Clinic program?
It's CODA's notice that an accredited program is in the process of voluntarily terminating its accreditation due to a planned discontinuance or closure, while CODA continues monitoring the program until residents who enrolled before the closure date finish.
It doesn't mean the program has lost its accreditation — only that it isn't continuing to enroll new residents indefinitely.
Confirm the program's current status and enrollment plans directly with CODA and the program.
What comes after finishing a CODA-accredited orthodontic residency in Minnesota?
Graduates hold an active dentist license in the state where they intend to practice.
Minnesota also issues a separate specialty license; check its requirements with the Minnesota Board of Dentistry.
Our step-by-step guide to becoming an orthodontist walks through the full sequence from dental school through residency and licensure.
Is every program on this list accredited?
Every program above is shown with the CODA accreditation status CODA had published for it as of 2026-09-09, the date this directory was last pulled from CODA's own program search. "Approval without Reporting Requirements" is CODA's standard fully-accredited standing; other status terms on this page — such as "Approval with Reporting Requirements," "Initial Accreditation," or "Discontinued" — mean something different, and a status can change after that date.
Confirm a program's current status directly with CODA before applying.
More Minnesota & Orthodontist Resources
Sourced from the CODA program directory (index dated 2026-09-09). Verified September 2026. Program details change. Confirm accreditation status, admission requirements and costs with the program and with CODA before applying.