As of 2010, 61 accredited schools of dentistry providing education for dental practice existed in the United States. The cost of this education exceeds that of most graduate programs, even though many schools waive the requirement for an undergraduate degree. For the 2010-2011 school year, the cost of tuition for the typical four-year dental program averages around $144,000 for resident programs and $200,000 for non-resident programs.
After four years of education the most expensive dentistry school for non-residents is the Medical University of South Carolina College of Dental Medicine, with a tuition at $358,699, calculated from the 2010-2011 school year tuition rates. Following this is Ohio States University College of Dentistry, $318,467; University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry, $313,442; Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine, $297,864; University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, $264,015.
Tuition for residents is highest at private universities because no preference is given to residents over non-residents at most private universities. The most expensive of these, as of 2011, is the aforementioned School of Dental Medicine at University of Pennsylvania, followed by University of Southern California's Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, $256,399; University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, $256,399; Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, $246,808; New York University College of Dentistry, $235,198.
The schools listed above are significantly more expensive than the cost of the average school. Financial aid can cover tuition and other expenses in the form of scholarships, grants, Federal Aid or teaching assistance. Otherwise, on the other end of the spectrum, tuition can be covered for less than $100,000 for all four years at several dentistry schools in the United States.