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DFA INTERNATIONAL SMALL CAP VALUE PORTFOLIO  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock
The investment objective of the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio (the “Portfolio”) is to achieve long-term capital appreciation.
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock
This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold or sell shares of the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
Shareholder Fees Caption [Text] rr_ShareholderFeesCaption Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):
Operating Expenses Caption [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesCaption Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)*
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock
The DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Portfolio shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate was 15% of the average value of its investment portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 15.00%
Expenses Restated to Reflect Current [Text] rr_ExpensesRestatedToReflectCurrent The “Management Fee” and “Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses” have been adjusted to reflect the decrease in the management fee payable by the Portfolio from 0.45% to 0.39% effective as of February 28, 2022.
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading EXAMPLE
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock
This Example is meant to help you compare the cost of investing in the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
 
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock
To achieve the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio’s investment objective, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (the “Advisor”) implements an integrated investment approach that combines research, portfolio design, portfolio management, and trading functions. As further described below, the Portfolio’s design emphasizes long-term drivers of expected returns identified by the Advisor’s research, while balancing risk through broad diversification across companies and sectors. The Advisor’s portfolio management and trading processes further balance those long-term drivers of expected returns with shorter-term drivers of expected returns and trading costs. 
The DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio, using a market capitalization weighted approach, is designed to purchase securities of small, non‑U.S. companies in countries with developed markets that the Advisor determines to be value stocks at the time of purchase. A company’s market capitalization is the number of its shares outstanding times its price per share. Under a market capitalization weighted approach, companies with higher market capitalizations generally represent a larger proportion of the Portfolio than companies with relatively lower market capitalizations. The Portfolio may emphasize certain stocks, including smaller capitalization companies, lower relative price stocks, and/or higher profitability stocks as compared to their representation in the small-cap value segment of developed ex-U.S. markets. An equity issuer is considered to have a low relative price (i.e., a value stock) primarily because it has a low price in relation to its book value. In assessing relative price, the Advisor may consider additional factors such as price to cash flow or price to earnings ratios. An equity issuer is considered to have high profitability because it has high earnings or profits from operations in relation to its book value or assets. The criteria the Advisor uses for assessing relative price and profitability are subject to change from time to time. 
The DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio intends to purchase securities of small value companies associated with developed market countries that the Advisor has designated as approved markets. As a non‑fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, the Portfolio will invest at least 80% of its net assets in securities of small companies in the particular markets in which it invests. The Advisor determines the maximum market capitalization of a small company with respect to each country in which the Portfolio invests. In the countries or regions authorized for investment, the Advisor first ranks eligible companies listed on selected exchanges based on the companies’ market capitalizations. The Advisor then determines the universe of eligible securities by defining the maximum market capitalization of a small company that may be purchased by the Portfolio with respect to each country or region. Based on market capitalization data as of December 31, 2021, for the Portfolio, the market capitalization of a small company in any country in which the Portfolio invests would be below $8,603 million. This threshold will vary by country or region. For example, based on market capitalization data as of December 31, 2021, the Advisor would consider a small company in Switzerland to have a market capitalization below $8,603 million, a small company in Norway to have a market capitalization below $2,152 million, and a small company in Japan to have a market capitalization below $2,362 million. These thresholds will change due to market conditions. 
The Advisor may also increase or reduce the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio’s exposure to an eligible company, or exclude a company, based on shorter-term considerations, such as a company’s price momentum and investment characteristics. In assessing a company’s investment characteristics, the Advisor considers ratios such as recent changes in assets divided by total assets. The criteria the Advisor uses for assessing a company’s investment characteristics are subject to change from time to time. In addition, the Advisor seeks to reduce trading costs using a flexible trading approach that looks for opportunities to participate in the available market liquidity, while managing turnover and explicit transaction costs. 
The DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio may gain exposure to companies associated with approved markets by purchasing equity securities in the form of depositary receipts, which may be listed or traded outside the issuer’s domicile country. The Portfolio also may purchase or sell futures contracts and options on futures contracts for foreign and U.S. equity securities and indices to increase or decrease equity market exposure based on actual or expected cash inflows to or outflows from the Portfolio. Because many of the Portfolio’s investments may be denominated in foreign currencies, the Portfolio may enter into foreign currency exchange transactions, including foreign currency forward contracts, in connection with the settlement of foreign securities or to transfer cash balances from one currency to another currency. 
The DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio may lend its portfolio securities to generate additional income. 
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock
Because the value of your investment in the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio will fluctuate, there is the risk that you will lose money. An investment in the Portfolio is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The following is a description of principal risks of investing in the Portfolio.
  
Equity Market Risk: Even a long-term investment approach cannot guarantee a profit. Economic, market, political, and issuer-specific conditions and events will cause the value of equity securities, and the Portfolio that owns them, to rise or fall. Stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising prices and periods of falling prices. 
Small Company Risk: Securities of small companies are often less liquid than those of large companies and this could make it difficult to sell a small company security at a desired time or price. As a result, small company stocks may fluctuate relatively more in price. In general, smaller capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than larger companies to adverse business or economic developments and they may have more limited resources. 
Foreign Securities and Currencies Risk: Foreign securities prices may decline or fluctuate because of: (a) economic or political actions of foreign governments, and/or (b) less regulated or liquid securities markets. Investors holding these securities may also be exposed to foreign currency risk (the possibility that foreign currency will fluctuate in value against the U.S. dollar or that a foreign government will convert, or be forced to convert, its currency to another currency, changing its value against the U.S. dollar). The Portfolio does not hedge foreign currency risk. 
Depositary receipts are generally subject to the same risks as the foreign securities that they evidence or into which they may be converted. In addition, the underlying issuers of certain depositary receipts, particularly unsponsored or unregistered depositary receipts, are under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications to the holders of such receipts, or to pass through to them any voting rights with respect to the deposited securities. Depositary receipts that are not sponsored by the issuer may be less liquid and there may be less readily available public information about the issuer. 
Value Investment Risk: Value stocks may perform differently from the market as a whole and an investment strategy purchasing these securities may cause the Portfolio to at times underperform equity funds that use other investment strategies. Value stocks can react differently to political, economic, and industry developments than the market as a whole and other types of stocks. Value stocks also may underperform the market for long periods of time. 
Profitability Investment Risk: High relative profitability stocks may perform differently from the market as a whole and an investment strategy purchasing these securities may cause the Portfolio to at times underperform equity funds that use other investment strategies. 
Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are instruments, such as futures, and options thereon, and foreign currency forward contracts, whose value is derived from that of other assets, rates or indices. The use of derivatives for non‑hedging purposes may be considered to carry more risk than other types of investments. When the Portfolio uses derivatives, the Portfolio will be directly exposed to the risks of those derivatives. Derivative instruments are subject to a number of risks including counterparty, settlement, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, as well as the risk of improper valuation. Changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Portfolio could lose more than the principal amount invested. 
Securities Lending Risk: Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the Portfolio may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The Portfolio could also lose money if it does not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral falls, including the value of investments made with cash collateral. Securities lending also may have certain adverse tax consequences. 
Operational Risk: Operational risks include human error, changes in personnel, system changes, faults in communication, and failures in systems, technology, or processes. Various operational events or circumstances are outside the Advisor’s control, including instances at third parties. The Portfolio and the Advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address these risks. 
Cyber Security Risk: The Portfolio’s and its service providers’ use of internet, technology and information systems may expose the Portfolio to potential risks linked to cyber security breaches of those technological or 
information systems. Cyber security breaches, amongst other things, could allow an unauthorized party to gain access to proprietary information, customer data, or fund assets, or cause the Portfolio and/or its service providers to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality. 
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney Because the value of your investment in the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio will fluctuate, there is the risk that you will lose money.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text] rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution An investment in the Portfolio is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Performance
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock
The bar chart and table immediately following illustrate the variability of the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio’s returns and are meant to provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows the changes in the Portfolio’s performance from year to year. The table illustrates how annualized one year, five year and ten year returns, both before and after taxes, compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. The Portfolio’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future results. Updated performance information for the Portfolio can be obtained by visiting http://us.dimensional.com.
The after‑tax returns presented in the table for the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after‑tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown in the table. In addition, the after‑tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold shares of the Portfolio through tax-advantaged arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The bar chart and table immediately following illustrate the variability of the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio’s returns and are meant to provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows the changes in the Portfolio’s performance from year to year.
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress http://us.dimensional.com
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture The Portfolio’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future results.
Bar Chart [Heading] rr_BarChartHeading DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio Institutional Class Shares—Total Returns
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock
January 2012-December 2021
Highest Quarter
   
Lowest Quarter
19.81% (10/20–12/20)
   
-33.70% (1/20–3/20)
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Annualized Returns (%)Periods ending December 31, 2021
Performance Table Market Index Changed rr_PerformanceTableMarketIndexChanged As of the date of this Prospectus, the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio has changed its benchmark to the MSCI World ex USA Small Value Index because this index better reflects the universe of securities in which the Portfolio invests.
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate The after‑tax returns presented in the table for the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred In addition, the after‑tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold shares of the Portfolio through tax-advantaged arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
DFA INTERNATIONAL SMALL CAP VALUE PORTFOLIO | INSTITUTIONAL CLASS  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) rr_ShareholderFeeOther none
Management Fee rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.39% [1]
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.03% [1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.42% [1]
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 43
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 135
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 235
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 530
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 43
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 135
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 235
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 530
2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 22.26%
2013 rr_AnnualReturn2013 32.39%
2014 rr_AnnualReturn2014 (4.99%)
2015 rr_AnnualReturn2015 3.99%
2016 rr_AnnualReturn2016 8.00%
2017 rr_AnnualReturn2017 27.98%
2018 rr_AnnualReturn2018 (23.31%)
2019 rr_AnnualReturn2019 21.00%
2020 rr_AnnualReturn2020 0.81%
2021 rr_AnnualReturn2021 15.89%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Highest Quarter
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Dec. 31, 2020
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 19.81%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Lowest Quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Mar. 31, 2020
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (33.70%)
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 15.89%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 6.77%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 9.13%
DFA INTERNATIONAL SMALL CAP VALUE PORTFOLIO | Return After Taxes on Distributions | INSTITUTIONAL CLASS  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 14.87%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 5.76%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 8.08%
DFA INTERNATIONAL SMALL CAP VALUE PORTFOLIO | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Portfolio Shares | INSTITUTIONAL CLASS  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 10.01%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 5.21%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 7.29%
DFA INTERNATIONAL SMALL CAP VALUE PORTFOLIO | MSCI World ex USA Small Cap Index (net dividends) (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes on sales)  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 11.14%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 11.03%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 9.99%
DFA INTERNATIONAL SMALL CAP VALUE PORTFOLIO | MSCI World ex USA Small Value Index (net dividend)  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 13.27% [2]
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 8.30% [2]
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 8.85% [2]
[1]
The “Management Fee” and “Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses” have been adjusted to reflect the decrease in the management fee payable by the Portfolio from 0.45% to 0.39% effective as of February 28, 2022.
[2]
As of the date of this Prospectus, the DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio has changed its benchmark to the MSCI World ex USA Small Value Index because this index better reflects the universe of securities in which the Portfolio invests.