Dental school debt: the real numbers (class of 2025)

The class of 2025, in numbers

The ADEA surveys graduating dental students every year. Its report on the class of 2025, published in January 2026, is the most recent.

Class of 2025	Figure	Source
New dentists who graduated	7,015	ADA Health Policy Institute
Graduated with any education debt	82%	ADEA
Graduated with dental school debt	79%	ADEA
Average education debt, among those with debt	$297,800	ADEA
Share of that debt from dental school	94%	ADEA
Share of dental education costs paid with debt	65%	ADEA

The $297,800 average was up 2% from 2021, before inflation. The ADEA also notes that average debt among indebted graduates has declined the past two years.

The rest of the cost came from family and friends (17%), grants and scholarships (12%), savings (4%) and part-time work (1.2%).

How dental students borrowed

Before July 1, 2026, most dental debt was federal. Among class of 2025 seniors with dental school debt, the ADEA found:

• 82% used federal Direct Unsubsidized loans.
• 76% used Grad PLUS loans.
• 13% used Health Professions Student Loans.

The ADA Health Policy Institute adds the federal side for 2024–25. About $1.92 billion in federal loans went to more than 20,000 dental students. Students who took federal loans averaged $95,455 for the year.

That average is nearly twice the new $50,000 annual cap for students who start borrowing after July 1, 2026. For current classes, most of that debt carries federal protections. For new students, a growing share will be private. See how to pay for dental school after Grad PLUS.

What the cost of dental school looks like

The ADA reports average first-year tuition and mandatory fees for 2025–26:

• Public schools, residents: $46,845
• Public schools, non-residents: $79,168
• Private schools, residents: $90,090

Those are first-year tuition and fees only, before rent, food and living costs. Multiply by four years and add living costs, and a balance near $300,000 isn’t hard to reach.

What $297,800 costs you a month

Here’s the math most students never do. For illustration, assume the whole balance carries 8.07%, the 2026–27 fixed rate on new graduate and professional Direct Unsubsidized loans.

• Interest per year: $297,800 × 8.07% = about $24,030.
• Interest per month: $24,030 ÷ 12 = about $2,000.
• Interest per day: $24,030 ÷ 365 = about $66.

Your real rate is a blend. Loans from earlier years carry the rate set for that year, and 2026–27 Grad PLUS loans carry 9.07%. But the order of magnitude holds: about $2,000 a month just to keep the balance from growing.

Under the new limits

A new student who borrows the full federal amount has $200,000 in federal loans at graduation. At 8.07%, that’s $200,000 × 8.07% = $16,140 a year, or about $1,345 a month in interest. Any private loans for the gap come on top.

Interest also builds during school. Direct Unsubsidized loans accrue from the day they’re paid out. A rough estimate, if you borrow $50,000 at the start of each year at 8.07%:

• D1 loan, four years: $50,000 × 8.07% × 4 = $16,140
• D2 loan, three years: $12,105
• D3 loan, two years: $8,070
• D4 loan, one year: $4,035
• Total: about $40,350 of unpaid interest by graduation, on $200,000 borrowed.

That’s simple interest, and real disbursements come by term, so treat it as a ballpark. Paying even part of the interest during school shrinks that number.

How this shapes refinance vs forgiveness

A $2,000 monthly interest bill sets up the big decision after graduation. You have three broad paths, and the right one depends on your income, employer and balance.

The Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP). Payments are 1% to 10% of your total AGI, divided by 12, minus $50 a month per dependent. Unpaid interest is waived each month, so your balance doesn’t grow. Any remaining balance is forgiven after 360 qualifying payments (30 years), but that forgiveness is federal taxable income.

Example: with $150,000 of AGI and no dependents, RAP is 10%, or $15,000 a year, about $1,250 a month. That’s below the roughly $2,000 of monthly interest, so the rest of the interest is waived.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness. You make 120 qualifying payments while working full time for a government or 501(c)(3) employer, such as most FQHCs. Then the rest is forgiven tax-free. RAP payments count. A dentist at a private practice doesn’t qualify. A 2025 rule on which employers qualify was vacated and, as of September 2026, is on appeal at the First Circuit.

Refinancing. A private lender pays off your loans at a new rate. For a high earner in private practice, a lower rate can save a lot.

Example: $297,800 at 6.0% fixed APR runs about $17,870 a year in interest, or about $1,490 a month. That’s roughly $510 a month less interest than at 8.07%. Not an offer; your rate depends on credit.

But refinancing turns federal loans into private ones. It ends access to RAP, PSLF, federal forgiveness, and federal forbearance and deferment for those loans. You can’t undo it.

For most associates in private practice who earn well above their balance, refinancing is worth pricing out. For anyone who might work in public service, or whose income is low relative to the debt, it usually costs more than it saves. Run your numbers with the refinance vs forgiveness tool, and read refinance vs PSLF vs RAP.

What to do with these numbers

1. Find your own total. Log in to studentaid.gov and list every federal loan, its rate and balance. Add any private loans from your lender statements.
2. Work out your monthly interest. Multiply each balance by its rate, add them up, and divide by 12.
3. Borrow less where you can. Every $10,000 you don’t borrow at 8.07% saves about $807 a year in interest.
4. Don’t refinance federal loans while you’re a student or resident unless you’re sure you won’t need RAP or PSLF. See refinancing during residency.
5. Pick a repayment path before your grace period ends. Start with the Repayment Assistance Plan for dentists and PSLF for dentists.