Back when I was deciding what to do with my life after undergrad, I clearly remember looking up the cost of attendance for various professional schools. Medical school, dental school, law school, veterinary school, you name it. For better or for worse, I’m moderately allergic to cats and dogs, so I quickly ruled out vet school. Something I learned, however, was that dental school costs significantly more than medical school. Let’s run the numbers and see how big the difference really is.
UCSF dental and med: State school comparison
Seeing as I live in California, let’s run through two comparisons of dental and medical schools: one public and one private. Starting with UCSF, the base tuition for dental school and medical school is the same at $11,220 per year. Where they begin to diverge, however, is something called ‘Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition’. Here, UCSF dental school costs an additional $29,253 per year while UCSF medical school costs an additional $21,126 per year. Multiply that difference by 4 years, and you’re looking at a $32K difference.
But there’s more. If you look carefully, notice how UCSF dental quotes an additional $34K for ‘Equipment and Supplies’ over the course of 4 years. On the other hand, UCSF med has no extra fees for equipment and supplies. The total difference between UCSF dental and medical is now greater a $66K, and don’t forget the 6.8% interest.
USC dental and med: Private school comparison
Next, let’s look at the financial differences for private school. As you can imagine, the schism is even greater. Starting with USC Keck Medicine, the academic year tuition is $54,662. Moving on to USC Ostrow Dental, the tuition is a mind-boggling $87,804. Yes you read that right! Moreover, just like UCSF dental, USC dental also tacks on some extras that their medical school does not. This includes an annual ‘Instrument Management System Fee’ of $4,224, as well as estimated dental equipment costs totaling $14K over the course of 4 years. For USC dental and medical, the cumulative difference stands at $162K.
Dental students owe more than medical students
Understandably so, dental students have much greater debt than their medical counterparts. According to the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), the self-reported average debt for a dental graduate was $261,149 in 2016. On the flip side, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the average debt for a medical graduate was $180,723 in 2015. So there you have it. Pre-health students and post-bacs, take note!
How much do you owe for dental/medical school? Have any tips on how to reduce loans? Comment below!
This is Part I of a two-part series. Click here for Part II.
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If this is true, then why didn’t my orthodontist husband have similarly high tuition costs for dental and ortho school back in the late 80s? The treatment schedules at schools are virtually identical.