While the United States has some of the highest ranked dental schools in the world, the cost of attending dental school in the United States has been steadily rising over the past few decades.
In this article, we'll cover the top ten most expensive dental schools in the United States, based on the cost of attendance, for non-residents. The cost of living, such as rent, was not included in the survey, and may skew results slightly, since there are some dental schools in this list that are located in very expensive areas to rent or live, such as New York, NY, and Los Angeles, CA.
Here are the top most expensive dental schools in the United States for non-residents:
10. NYU College of Dentistry
Located in Manhattan, New York, NYU's dental school is the #10 most expensive dental school in the United States, costing $395,236 just in tuition, fees, instruments, materials, and health services. This does not include rent, which could easily add an extra $100,000 to this cost, bringing the total closer to $500,000. When living costs are factored in, such as the high rental rates in New York City, the cost of attending NYU is significant.
9. University of Minnesota School of Dentistry
Located in Minneapolis, MN, the cost of attending Minnesota's School of Dentistry costs $397,331 over the course of four years, not including rent or living expenses. However, residents of Minnesota receive a discounted cost of $236,294 since University of Minnesota is a public school, which makes it significantly below the average cost of dental school, and even below the average cost of dental schools for in-state residents.
8. Midwestern University - Arizona, College of Dental Medicine
Located in Glendale, Arizona, just north of Phoenix, the cost of attending Midwestern-Arizona's dental school costs $399,292 over the course of four years, not including rent or living expenses.
7. Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) College of Dental Medicine
Located in Charleston, South Carolina, the cost of attending MUSC's dental school costs $399,417 over the course of four years, not including rent or living expenses.
6. University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry
Located in San Francisco, CA, UOP's dental school is 6th most expensive, costing $399,631 over the course of four years, not including rent or living expenses. However, the cost of living, including rent, in San Francisco is significantly higher than most other cities in the United States, so the actual cost of attending UOP's dental school can easily become closer to $500,000, much like NYU. However, UOP's School of Dentistry is the only dental school in the country that condenses the DDS curriculum into just three years, instead of four years, so graduates from UOP start practicing dentistry and making dentist incomes one year earlier than their peers at other dental schools.
5. University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine
Located in sin city - Las Vegas, NV - UNLV's dental school costs $402,729 over the four years, without including the cost of living expenses. Residents of the Nevada receive a discounted cost of $257,034 since UNLV is a public school. The in-state costs paints a vastly different picture than the out-of-state costs.
4. Midwestern University - Illinois, College of Dental Medicine
Located in Downers Grove, IL, this is a branch of the same Midwestern-Arizona school, but located in a different state (of course). As a private school, the cost of attending Midwestern-Illinois' dental school costs $410,037 over four years, not including living expenses.
3. University of Washington School of Dentistry
Located in Seattle, WA, UW's dental school is the third most expensive dental school in the country for non-residents of the state, costing approximately $413,471. However, residents of Washington pay less than 65% of that, at an estimated cost of $276,907. since Washington University is a public school. As a resident of WA, this cost is far below the average cost of attending dental school, which paints a somewhat skewed picture of the cost of attending Washington's dental school for many of its attendees.
2. University of Southern California, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry (USC)
Located near downtown Los Angeles, CA, USC's dental school costs a staggering $416,565 to attend, without including the cost of living or rental expenses. With the cost of living in Los Angeles being so high, the true cost of attending can become an even more staggering $520,000 or more. California residents do not get a discounted rate because USC is a private school (but you do get the benefit of living in California)!
1. Indiana University's School of Dentistry
Located in Indianapolis, IN, Indiana's dental school is the most expensive dental school to attend as a non-resident dental student, with a cost of attending at $418,373, when living expenses are not factored in. However, residents of Indiana only have an estimated cost of $215,571 since Indiana University is a public school. As a resident of IN, this cost is far below the average cost of attending dental school, which paints a somewhat skewed picture of the cost of attending Indiana's dental school.
While these are the top ten most expensive dental schools in the United States, the average cost of attending dental school, amongst all dental schools, is $346,993 for non-residents and $311,283 for people who attend their in-state public dental school (not including living expenses such as rent). And while dental school is expensive, it's an investment that pays dividends, as the average salary of a dentist is approximately $150,000, and dentists who own a private practice typically have an ever higher income.
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About the Author: Andrew Ghadimi
Andrew has served as the National Pre-Dental Liaison for the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), the same organization that runs the dental school application, ADEA AADSAS. He also served as the California Pre-Dental Chair for the ADEA Council of Students, Residents, and Fellows. Ghadimi was accepted to some of the most competitive dental schools in the world, and matriculated at UCLA's School of Dentistry. He founded Predenting because of his passion for helping other pre-dentals get accepted into their dream dental schools, and his unique admissions knowledge and insider information from working with current and former admissions officers. He has helped 300+ pre-dentals on their journey to dental school over the past 4+ years.
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to UCLA School of Dentistry, the American Dental Education Association, or any other organization.
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