Manage your finances
Federally funded scholarships that may be of interest to you:
Scholarships for disadvantaged students:
These scholarships provide funds to eligible schools for full-time, financially needy students from disadvantaged backgrounds enrolled in health professions programs. For more information, call Health Resources & Services Administration, 888.275.4772.
National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholarship Program
Dental students may compete for NHSC scholarships beginning in their sophomore and junior years. The program offers payment of tuition and fees, books, supplies, and equipment and includes a monthly stipend. In exchange, recipients must agree to provide oral health services for a minimum of two years in any underserved community identified by the NHSC as being a critical need area. For more information, call NHSC, 800.221.9393.
Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarships (HPSP)
The U.S. Armed Services offer scholarships to dental students that pay tuition, fees, books and a monthly stipend. All are highly competitive programs. The active duty obligation is one year of service for each year of scholarship support with a minimum of three years of active duty service. Scholarships are available annually from all service branches. For information contact the individual branches of service.
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) Short-Term Training Awards
This program provides underrepresented minority and women dental students an opportunity to obtain research experience during their professional training. Recipients receive a monthly stipend during training periods. Applicants must be enrolled at a U.S. dental school and be a U.S. citizen, a noncitizen national of the U.S., or lawfully admitted for permanent residence. All minorities are eligible, but NIDCR determines if minority status is underrepresented. All recipients must sign an agreement that they will fulfill payback requirements. For more information contact NIDCR at 301.594.7617.
In addition to scholarships, there are branches of the federal service that offer financial assistance and/or loan forgiveness to dental students in exchange for a work commitment. Find out more by viewing the websites below for these organizations:
As a member benefit, ADA exclusively endorses Laurel Road Student Loan Refinancing Program. Laurel Road provides unmatched opportunities for ADA members to refinance existing federal and private undergraduate and graduate school loans at a 0.30% lower rate than Laurel Road’s already low rates.
Highlights of the Laurel Road Student Loan Refinance program include:
- An exclusive 0.30% rate reduction1 on loans for ADA Members
- Additional 0.25% rate discount when monthly payments are made automatically from a bank account2
- No application or origination fees, and no payment penalties
- Flexible repayment options for residents during training
- Concierge-level customer service from dedicated representatives
- Check rates in 5 minutes – no hard credit pull required3
- Federal and private student loans from undergraduate and graduate school are eligible.
Looking for guidance about what path to student loan repayment is right for you? Schedule a free 30-minute consultation with a Laurel Road student loan specialist at GradFin4. This one-on-one consultation will review your student loan history, analyze your repayment and forgiveness options, and help you create a personalized plan.
ADA Members who use GradFin to help track compliance with relevant government programs or just monitor their student loan options on an ongoing basis will get a 20% discount5 with an annual membership.