Take Action on Dental Student Debt

By | May 19, 2014

dental student infographicDid you know the average dental school graduate carries $221,000 in student loan debt? While this debt may not be the sole factor in determining whether a new dentist will choose a career of private practice over public service, 68 percent of graduating seniors say it does influence their decision.

The infographic uses data gathered by the American Dental Education Association.  Please take action now and contact your representative about this important issue, please visit ADA.org/Engage.

8 thoughts on “Take Action on Dental Student Debt

  1. A.J.

    Great, the ONE time I’m “above average”… I can safely say that my debt is the ONLY influence of my decision to look for a job in the private sector. I would NEVER consider looking anywhere else. How can you when you owe more than $300k in debt?

    Reply
  2. Jennifer

    A.J., you are not alone. I’ve been paying on my loans since graduation and STILL owe more that $300k! My husband lost his job when I was half way through dental school and we had 2 pre-teens, 2 car payments, and a mortgage….my loans went through the roof! I feel like I’ll always be drowning in debt. There’s no way I can pay the $3500/mo they want me to pay.

    Reply
  3. Michael Hopkins DDS

    It’s bad enough when you stress in dental school and how to cope with it, but then when the bills start coming in for dental school that is when the real stressor comes into play. I hope they can work with you Jennifer. Good luck!

    Reply
  4. Matt Wilson

    That’s very sad. Demand for dentistry professions is growing and this could easily decrease a number of dental students.

    Reply
  5. Robert Burch DDS

    When I came out of school I just wanted to be a dentist. It seems more and more each day it becomes more frustrating for the new student coming out of dental school or even college.

    Reply
  6. Justin D'Abadie DDS

    I have spoke to a dental student/now a new dentist and their student debt was over whelming to them because of their “helicopter parents” that wanted them to get into the dental field. Now these parents are helping out to pay back the student debt.

    Reply
  7. Andy Desai

    I am not a Dentist. My wife is. She went to NYU dental school and accumulated 250K + in loans. I dont think the problem is the actual debt. The major issue is most of the debt is serviced by the federal government at 6.8% to 7.9%. On top of it, when the loans are first taken out, there is a 10% hidden disbursement fee which is capitalized. Doctors don’t even look into all of this when they are in school. All this crap gets capitalized when you are out of school and you are now stuck with 300-350K in loans. No wonder why so many doctors are so stressed out. There is only one way out. And that is to aggressively pay off this debt. reduce the standard of living and cut down costs. its a painful process but this number should go down. Dont sell yourself into all these government plans like Pay as you go and interest based repayment. all of that is crap!

    Reply
  8. Steven Mcarthur

    How are some of these reported debts so low? I have friends in Midwestern and NYU that will be walking away with nearly 500k just in dental school loans, not even including undergrad.

    Reply

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