Financial aid is available in the form of grants, scholarships (scholarship searches-www.fastweb.com) and student loans. Dental school financial aid officers are good resources for helpful information. Average loan debt is about $130,000.
Student Aid & Scholarships
- Federally Funded Scholarships—considered gift aid and is based on merit or special qualities
- For Disadvantaged Students Program—provides funds to eligible schools for financially needy students
- National Health Service Corps—highly competitive; recipients must commit to practice for 2-year minimum in underserved community. For information call 800-221-9393.
- Indian Health Service (IHS)—must be native American or Alaska Native students
- National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) short-term training awards—for underrepresented minority and women dental students to gain research experience; recipients receive a monthly stipend. For more information contact NIDCR, 301-594-7617.
- Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarships—pays tuition, fees and a monthly stipend; students must serve two years for the first year of sponsorship and six months for every six months or portion thereof
Student Loan Programs
- Stafford Loan Program—federally guaranteed program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and used by the majority of students; interest guaranteed not to exceed 8.25%
- Federal Perkins Loan (Perkins)—provides long-term, low-interest loans to financially needy students
- Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL)—federally funded requiring parental financial information
- Loans for Disadvantaged Students (LDS)—offered to students who meet criteria of “disadvantaged student” status with interest rate of 5%
- Federal Work Study Program—provides jobs for students who have financial need; earnings go toward meeting the costs of education
- Institutional Loans—dental schools may have these available for students
- National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)— RFA for training clinical researchers and a joint fund with Library of Medicine to train students for research and teaching careers in informatics. Financial support for a stipend, tuition, fees health insurance support. Visit www.lrp.nih.gov
 for more information
- Private/Alternative Loans
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ADA Foundation Scholarship Program
The ADA Foundation (ADAF) has a scholarship program for students pursuing careers in dentistry, dental hygiene, dental assisting and dental laboratory technology. The number of ADAF scholarships awarded is dependent upon available funds. Scholarships are awarded to defray school expenses including tuition, fees, books, supplies and living expenses. Scholarship disbursements are made twice yearly in equal payments and sent directly to the student's financial aid office. The second disbursement is made contingent upon the student's maintenance of the required grade point average.
ADAF scholarship programs include Dental Student Scholarship, Minority Dental Student Scholarship, Dental Hygiene Scholarship, Dental Laboratory Technology Scholarship and Dental Assisting Scholarship. Visit ADA Foundation (link to ADAF) for more information.
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Additional Resources
The links below may be useful in providing information on how to finance a career in dentistry.
FastWEB
http://www.fastweb.com
A complete source of local scholarships, national scholarships and college-specific scholarships.
FinAid!
http://www.finaid.org
A comprehensive financial aid site where you can search for scholarships, ask questions and find necessary forms to complete.
SallieMae
http://www.salliemae.com/
A leading provider of student loans, helping millions of Americans achieve their dreams of higher education.
Access Group
http://www.accessgroup.org/
A non-profit group committed to providing high-quality graduate student loan products and helpful financial aid information. Find and apply for student loans.
ADEA – American Dental Education Association
http://www.adea.org/Awards/default.htm
The ADEA Web site provides information on awards, scholarships and fellowships available to students and dental educators.
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