Report Highlights. The average dental school debt peaked in 2020 at $318,500 but has decreased to $286,000 since then.
- The average dental school graduate owes $286,000 in student loan debt.
- University of Puerto Rico and Augusta University have the cheapest dental school programs for residents totaling $120,291 and $140,845 for the entire program, respectively.
- The East Carolina University has the cheapest program for non-residents totaling $146,623 for the entire program.
- 65% of dental school graduates took out loans to pay for dental school.
Related reports include Average Medical School Debt | Average Student Loan Debt | Student Loan Debt by State | Student Loan Debt by Year | Student Loan Debt by Race
Rising Costs of Dental School
Since the 1980s, state governments have been cutting back financial support for dental school budgets. As a result, dental schools have steadily passed on the expenses to the student by increasing the tuition rate.
- The average dental school graduate owes $286,200 in student loan debt.
- From 2004 to 2011, dental schools raised tuition and fees every year by 5% to 10%.
- The average amount of dental school debt has risen by $83,621 since 1996.
Year | Average Debt | Change |
---|---|---|
1996 |
$29,005.01 |
NA |
1997 |
$38,087.45 |
$9,082.44 |
1998 |
$52,491.46 |
$14,404.01 |
1999 |
$40,167.76 |
-$12,323.70 |
2000 |
$45,326.66 |
$5,158.90 |
2001 |
$49,603.65 |
$4,276.99 |
2002 |
$43,666.69 |
-$5,936.96 |
2003 |
$55,867.26 |
$12,200.57 |
2004 |
$70,695.17 |
$14,827.91 |
2005 |
$71,144.09 |
$448.92 |
2006 |
$80,731.41 |
$9,587.32 |
2007 |
$79,257.42 |
-$1,473.99 |
2008 |
$46,017.30 |
-$33,240.12 |
2009 |
$51,079.53 |
$5,062.23 |
2010 |
$43,875.71 |
-$7,203.82 |
2011 |
$49,513.44 |
$5,637.73 |
2012 |
$50,195.28 |
$681.84 |
2013 |
$60,263.39 |
$10,068.11 |
2014 |
$61,230.72 |
$967.33 |
2015 |
$45,605.06 |
-$15,625.66 |
2016 |
$42,195.15 |
-$3,409.91 |
2017 |
$64,619.09 |
$22,423.94 |
2018 |
$42,867.80 |
-$21,751.29 |
2019 |
$42,523.88 |
-$343.92 |
Dental Schools
There are 68 accredited dental schools in the United States. 66 of those schools are represented in the American Dental Association annual education report. The two missing schools have yet to start enrollment.
- The University of the Pacific program is only 3 years long.
- The University of Puerto Rico has the cheapest program at $120,291, but only for residents.
- Augusta University has the cheapest program in the mainland United States totaling $140,845 for the entire program.
- East Carolina University has the cheapest program for non-residents totaling $146,623 for the entire program.
- Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry has the most expensive program for residents at $424,169.
- Ohio State University has the most expensive program for non-residents at $453,204.
Paying For Dental School
The American Dental Education Association surveyed the graduating class of 2019. In their survey, they found that the majority of respondents funded their education through student loans.
- For 44.6% of respondents, student loans covered 91% to 100% of their dental school expenses.
- Part-time employment only managed to cover 1% to 10% of dental school expenses for 81.3% of respondents.
- For 58.3% of respondents, grants and scholarships covered 1% to 10% of dental school expenses.
- Savings or earned income from a spouse accounted for 1% to 10% of dental school expenses for 65% of respondents.
- For 32.2% of respondents, gifts and financial support from others covered only 1% to 10% of dental school expenses.
Types of Loans
Federal Stafford loans, Federal PLUS loans, and Health Professional Student Loans (HPSL) remain the most popular loans among dental school students. The Stafford loans are direct, unsubsidized loans available for a majority of majors. Federal PLUS loans are usually taken out by parents or graduate students and used in conjunction with other federal loans. HPSL loans are eligible for students in a healthcare profession with demonstrated financial need.
- More than 70% of dental school graduates had a federally backed student loan.
- Standard loans have a repayment period of 10 years, for dental school loans, this may be extended to 25 or 30 years given the size of dental school debt.
- At the end of the repayment term, if there are still payments left on the debt, federal student loans can be forgiven at this time.
Loan Type | Percent of Graduates with the Loan |
---|---|
Federal Student Loans |
65% |
Family and friend’s support |
20% |
Grants and scholarships |
10% |
Personal savings |
4% |
Part-time employment |
1% |
Other sources |
0.5% |
State Loan Programs |
1% |
Paying Back Loans
Studies found that dentists with higher education debt were more likely to enter into private practice over government service, teaching, or advanced education. Increased loan debts made it less likely for dentists to enter specialist fields.
- 18.7% of graduated respondents stated that their level of debt would influence their primary professional activity.
- The majority of Whites, Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians, and other races stated that they planned to pay off their loans with an aggressive repayment plan – overpaying on the most expensive loan whenever possible.
- The 2nd favorite option among all races was to minimize monthly payments – to protect income and help with monthly cash flow.
- 33% of American Indians and Alaskan Natives favored using a service commitment program like the National Health Service Corps or the military to pay off their debt.
- Graduates who favor a monthly repayment plan strategy must be aware if their payments are only covering the interest rate and not the principal amount.
Debt by Race/Ethnicity
The vast majority of respondents to the ADEA survey were white. American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders accounted for less than 1% of survey respondents.
- 35.8% of non-resident aliens graduated with no debt, the largest majority for non-resident aliens.
- 21.3% of Asians graduated with no debt, the largest majority of Asians.
- 15.8% of Whites graduated with no debt, the largest majority of Whites.
- Among the respondents in the two or more race category, 21.1% of them graduated with no debt – the largest majority for them.
- 10% of Asians owed between $200,000-$250,000.
- 18.7% of Black or African-Americans owed between $200,000-$250,000.
- 9.0% of Hispanics/Latinos were indebted in the range of $200,000-$250,000.
- 13.1% of Whites/Caucasians were indebted between $200,000-$250,000.
- Among the respondents in two or more race categories, 5.6% of them owed roughly $200,000-$250,000.
- Among the nonresident aliens and those who did not report their race/ethnicity, 17% were indebted in the range of $200,000-$250,000.
Sources
- American Dental Education Association (ADEA):
- U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook Dentists
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education: Analysis of Educational Debt and Income Among Pharmacists and Other Health Professionals x
- Wiley Online Library, Journal of Dental Education: “Advancing Dental Education in the 21st Century”, Current State of Dental Education Executive Summary
- American Dental Association, Health Policy Institute: Education
- Doctor of Dental Surgery | University of the Pacific.