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Dentists might be known for their high-paying salaries, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have their fair share of student debt to deal with. While there are three loan repayment assistance programs available to help dental school graduates ease the burden of student loans, you’ll need to join the US military or work in an underserved community to qualify.
The average dental student graduated with $285,000 in student loan debt in 2018, according to the American Dental Education Association (ADEA). This breaks down to $252,000 for public school students and $326,000 for private school students. And while around 20% of students reported owing less than $100,000, another 40% of students reported debt greater than $300,000.
The average cost of dental school for first-year students at a public university was $51,000 for in-state residents and $68,000 for out-of-state residents in 2017, according to the American Dental Association (ADA). Private dental programs had an average tuition of about $68,000 that same year.
If you’re interested in joining the US military or working in an underserved community, you may qualify for one of these repayment assistance programs.
| Amount | Award amounts vary based on the facility’s health professional shortage area (HPSA) score and whether you work full time or not:
HPSA scores are based on geographic area, population groups and available facilities. You can visit the National Health Resources and Services Administration to find your office’s HPSA score. |
|---|---|
| Eligibility requirements | To qualify for the NHSC Loan Repayment Program, you need to meet the following criteria:
|
The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) offers dentists, dental hygienists and other health professionals assistance with paying off student loan debt in return for working in underserved communities.
The exact amount you qualify for depends on the type of office or facility you work in, and you’ll need to commit to at least a two-year service agreement to qualify.
| Amount | Up to $40,000 a year — for three years |
|---|---|
| Eligibility requirements | To qualify, you must join the US Army Dental Corps as an officer and be licensed to practice dentistry. |
Interested in joining the US Army Dental Corps? You could get as much as $120,000 of your dental school loan repayments covered if you agree to at least a three-year service commitment.
And if you’re still enrolled in a dental program, you may be eligible to receive a full tuition scholarship, monthly stipend and $20,000 sign-on bonus under the Health Professions Scholarship Program.
| Amount | Up to $40,000 — minus around 25% for federal income taxes |
|---|---|
| Eligibility requirements | To qualify, you need to meet the following criteria:
|
The Health Professions Loan Repayment Program (HPLRP) was designed to encourage dentists and other health professionals to pursue the Navy. It offers a large yearly loan repayment to ease your student debt load, which is sent directly to your lender on your behalf.
9 student loan forgiveness programs for dentists
Dental school may leave you hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, but there are a few ways to make repayments more manageable.
Explore your options by APR, minimum credit score, loan amount and loan term. Select the Get started button to start an application with a specific lender.
It depends on your repayment strategy. If you opt for an aggressive plan — paying back as much as you can and overpaying when possible — you’ll likely reduce your loan term and the total amount you pay in interest. However, depending on your income and other expenses, this might not be possible.
In this case, you should expect to pay back your debt on time, so look to your loan agreement to see the original term set by your lender. For most people, this will be between 10 and 20 years, although there are some terms as short as 5 years or as long as 25.
It depends on how much you need to borrow for dental school and your employment prospects after graduation, not to mention your personal, financial and career goals.
But in general, being a dentist is one of the more lucrative jobs out there — even if it means going deep into debt. Dentists often make the list of top-paying careers, and because dental school is so much shorter than other medical professions, you could begin paying down your debt sooner.
These are the five states where dentists take home the highest pay, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
| State | Annual mean salary in 2017 |
|---|---|
| Delaware | $257,290 |
| North Dakota | $238,170 |
| Alaska | $237,140 |
| North Carolina | $225,890 |
| New Hampshire | $219,920 |
As a dentist, you may be able to take advantage of three loan repayment programs available to health professionals. But you’ll need to be willing to join the US military or work in an underserved community to qualify.
Thinking about pursuing dental school, but haven’t found the financing you need just yet? Read our guide to student loans to learn where to start.
Can I qualify for a repayment program if I’m a dental hygienist?
Yes, all three of the loan repayment assistance programs we mention above are available to dental hygienists as well as dentists.
Should I refinance my dental school student loans?
It depends on the amount of debt you have and whether it’s federal or private. You may be able to refinance your private loans at a lower rate, whereas federal loans tend to have good repayment programs — including PAYE and REPAYE — that can keep monthly costs low.
However, if you don’t intend on taking advantage of those programs and have built up excellent credit since you originally borrowed, you may want to consider refinancing both federal and private student loans to score a lower APR.
Where are most dentist jobs located?
The states with the highest employment levels for dentists are California, Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois — according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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