“As an applicant to or a student enrolled in a dental education program, you will often hear ‘borrow responsibly and never borrow more than you need,’” says Gardner Key, Director of Financial Aid at Harvard School of Dental Medicine. 

“Why? Because being a responsible borrower means that when you become a dentist, you are typically not stressed about what you borrowed for dental school because you feel confident you can responsibly repay your loans. While finances are an important part of your decision about which dental school to attend, it is important to remember they are only one part of this decision.”

... See More

Did you know the interest rate on federal direct loans is now 0%? That’s right, and that’s only one of several ways the U.S. government is helping student loan borrowers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Paul Garrard, national student loan expert and ADEA Senior Advisor for Student Financial Services, provides updates and a quick breakdown of what options are currently available for student borrowers.

... See More

This dynamic and highly interactive student loan webinar recording, How Student Loans Work, features one of the nation’s leading experts on student loans and educational debt management for health sciences students―including dental students and graduates. ... See More

As the costs of dental school continue to increase, so too does the average dental student loan indebtedness. Remember, tuition and fees are parts of your cost of attendance (COA) over which you have no control, so it’s important to review your living costs to help reduce your overall cost and to help reduce borrowing.

Financial aid advisor, Tony Glad, has financial planning advice for predental and new dental students. 

... See More

If you’re thinking about going to dental school, there are some key things to consider and questions to ask yourself. This includes knowing how to borrow responsibly if you must take out student loans and having access to resources that help prepare you to repay your loans responsibly after you graduate. Consider these list of questions.

... See More

If you’re thinking about enrolling in dental school and you’re considering federal loans to pay for your dental education, you must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or a Renewal FAFSA yearly to be considered for financial aid. Even if you aren’t sure that you are going to use federal loans to pay for dental school, it is wise to go ahead and complete the FAFSA, because you never know when it may come in handy. ... See More

What is a gap year? A “gap year” is a span of time between the end of undergraduate education and the beginning of dental school. It can be longer than a year, depending on your circumstances.

When taking a gap year, there are important steps every student should consider or take if they anticipate needing financial aid for dental school, dental hygiene programs or any other graduate degree program following their gap year. 

... See More

As you consider ways to pay for dental school, there are some important questions you should ask that will help ensure you don’t miss anything in terms of getting access to the best financial aid possible. This includes knowing how to borrow responsibly if you have to take out student loans and having access to resources to help prepare you for repaying your loans responsibly after you graduate.

... See More

You may have heard that some borrowers who have careers in the nonprofit sector after graduation can retire their student loan debt through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program after meeting certain eligibility requirements. This program is designed to encourage borrowers of any discipline and degree program (including dentistry) to enter and remain in the nonprofit sector for at least 10 years, with the promise to forgive any remaining federal student loan debt at that time completely tax-free—meaning the forgiveness amount is not considered taxable income. PSLF may be of great interest to health professions students interested in the nonprofit sector, such as the government and nonprofit community-based health clinics. It also applies to dental school graduates who enter academic dentistry after they graduate. ... See More

One of the main questions students enrolled in any degree program have about financial aid, especially student loans, is whether there will be any changes to the programs and if those will impact them—either during school or later when they ... See More