Cheapest Dental Schools in USA for International and Resident Students to complete DDS

Dental Schools are outright a costly affair for any Dental Student with average cost of Dental school leading to huge amounts of Education loans which we rake up gives any student who wants to join Dental School cold feet just by the thought of it, so Students look for Cheapest Dental Schools in USA for DDS.

• Note: Updated in March 2024

It is estimated that the total student loan or debt of Dental School graduates for the year 2016 was a whopping $1.3 billion as mentioned in a survey conducted by American Dental Education Association of the students graduating in the 2016 batch. It was revealed that from the total number of schools in the US are 66 but data was collected from 59 schools having 4,558 students graduating from the year 2016 having an average debt of $200,000. The debt varied based on race/ethnic groups as seen in this table. There are a total of 25,381 students who have taken up pre-doctoral dental education programs.

What is the Average Cost of Dental School tuition in USA?

This is one of the most common asked questions by both resident and non-resident international students as Dental school is very costly. According to ADA the average Tuition fees for Dental Schools across USA is – $69,905 (Non residents or International Students) and $53,002 for Residents. (This is the average Tuition for the first year of Dental School)

The Cost varies when the Dental Schools are divided into Public and Private the numbers are different.

• Public Dental Schools Average Tuition Fees – $39,662
• Private Dental School Average Tuition Fees – $72,271 

So if you want to get a Dental Degree for Cheap it is best to aim for the cheapest Dental Schools or in a way Public dental school programs.

• Documents required to apply for Dental School in USA

The total number of places to fill each year is Dental Schools across the U.S are 6,165 for which each year the Universities receive 80,000 applications (as seen in 2016-17). So from the total 66 Dental Schools across the United States of America, let us look at the schools which have the cheapest Fees to help students to have lower debt on their shoulders after passing out.

Note: These do not include the cost or fees for the INDBE examinations or the fees for Applications to Universities. The travel costs or accommodation for you stay for examinations etc.

The below mentioned are only the Tuition Fees of the respective Universities, there will be other expenses like Room, Books, Health Insurance, Instrument fees, etc. which can add up to this amount. So you need to contact the University to get the precise Fees amount depending on your requirements.

List of the Cheapest Dental Schools in U.S for DDS:

The costs of the courses varies year on year and we will be mentioning the cost as mentioned in 2018-2019. The cost given is the fees for International or Foreign dentists  who wish to study DDS in U.S. The Tuition Fees or International Students is

Texas A&M University DDS Tuition Fees: link

Tuition Fees for 2018-2019 is

• 1st Year – $42,256
• 2nd Year – $42,959
• 3rd Year – $42,195 (International Students)
• 4th Year – $40,188 (International Students)

LECOM School of Dental Medicine DDS Tuition Fees: link

• 1st year – $57000
• 2nd year – $53005
• 3rd year – $53005 (International Students)
• 4th year – $53005 (International Students)

UT Health Science Center at Houston DDS Tuition Fees: link

• 1st year   – $51,961
• 2nd year – $51,461
• 3rd year – $45,312 (International Students)
• 4th year – $45,412 (International Students)

UT Health Science Center and San Antonio DDS Tuition Fees: link

• 1st year – $76,366
• 2nd year – $72,786
• 3rd year – $71,356 (International Students)
• 4th year – $69,125 (International Students)

There are separate fees for instruments, kits etc.

East Carolina University (ECU) DDS Tuition Fees: Link

Turion & Fees for 2018-2019 is

• 1st Year: $74,516
• 2nd Year: $68,438
• 3rd Year: $72,227
• 4th Year: $50,740

University of Connecticut DDS Tuition Fees: link

• 1st year – $112,359
• 2nd year – $107,812
• 3rd year – $110,400 (International Students)
• 4th year – $106,500 (International Students)

Meharry Medical College DDS Tuition Fees: link

The mentioned Tuition fees are for the year 2018-19

• 1st year  – $64,682
• 2nd year – $69,805
• 3rd year – $58,873 (International Students)
• 4th year – $55,873 (International Students)
• P-4  – $29,565
• Academic Review – $6,969

Oregon Health & Science University DDS Tuition Fees: link

Below mentioned fees is for DMD program for the year 2019-20

• 1st Year – $113,678
• 2nd Year – $111,278
• 3rd Year  – 111,623 (International Students)
• 4th year – 111,207 (International Students)

University of Mississippi School of Dentistry Tuition Fees: link

• 1st Year: $66,292
• 2nd Year: $66,566
• 3rd Year: $65,716 (International Students)
• 4th Year: 66,568 (International Students)

University of California, San Francisco DDS Tuition fees:

You can check out this link to get the details of the Tuition fees as the University has different Courses at offer.

• DDS
• Postgraduate program
• International Dentist Program – OMFS / Ortho

University of North Carolina DDS Tuition Fees: link

Fees for the Year 2019-20 is $98,314 (Non-Residents) and $70,920 (Residents)

Columbia University DDS tuition fees: Link

The total Program Tuition Fees is $281,218

Rutgers School of Dental Medicine DDS tuition Fees: link

• 1st Year: $50,154
• 2nd Year: $81,262
• 3rd Year: $71,274 (International Students)
• 4th Year: $87,542 (International Students)

Tufts University DDS tuition Fees: Link

This university provides a course – Dental International Student Program

• 1st Year: $82,650
• 2nd Year: $121,903
• 3rd Year: $115,533

Augusta University DDS Tuition Fees: Link

Total Fees for Out-of-State or International students is $263,920

List of 10 Cheapest Dental Schools for Non-Residents in USA 2024:

1. East Carolina University: $146,623
2. University of Mississippi: $174,921
3. UT Health Science Center at San Antonio: $184,893
4. Southern Illinois University: $185,631
5. Texas A&M University: $189,744
6. Howard University: $223,345
7. UT Health Science Center at Houston: $232,114
8. Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) School of Dental Medicine: $275,747
9. Meharry Medical College: $278440
10. Marquette University: $286470

Pursuing Dentistry in USA is a dream for many Dentists and as you can see from the Tuition fees it is a costly affair which is certainly not in reach of everyone. Once you complete the course there is the problem of setting up a Dental Practice which is much costlier affair by itself. You can avails Loans from many of the Banks which tie with respective Universities and pay back the debt after completion of the course.