Preview. Every page is a draft until Ryan Smith, DDS and a certified student loan professional review it. Nothing here is live yet.
Run your numbersCalculator
  1. Home
  2. Calculators

Your dental school funding gap

Written by Ryan Smith, DDS (draft)Expert review pendingUpdated Sep 26, 2026

New dental students can borrow at most $50,000 a year and $200,000 in total in federal loans. Enter your school’s cost to see what’s left to cover. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Your school
Tuition, fees and living costs, from your school’s financial aid page.
Years of school left, including this one
Money you don’t repay. Service scholarships like HPSP can cover all of it.
Your federal loans
Enrolled and took a federal loan for this program before July 1, 2026?
If yes, you keep the old limits, including Grad PLUS, for up to three more academic years.
College, earlier grad school, and dental school before July 1, 2026. Counts toward the $257,500 lifetime federal cap.
An example rate, not an offer. See the rate table below.
Your gap

Enter your numbers

    Year by year

    YearTo borrowFederalPrivateRules
    How this works, and what it leaves out
    • New students: Direct Unsubsidized loans only, up to $50,000 a year and $200,000 in total (lifetime federal cap $257,500). Grad PLUS closed to new borrowers on July 1, 2026.
    • Current students who enrolled and got a Direct Loan for the program before July 1, 2026 keep the old limits for the lesser of three academic years or the time left in the program. Old limits are shown as covering your full cost.
    • Interest: 8.07% fixed on federal loans (2026–27), simple interest from each year’s disbursement through a six-month grace period. Private loans use the example APR you set. Real loans vary by year and lender.
    • Federal loans also carry a 1.057% origination fee, taken from each disbursement.
    • Every federal student loan you owe counts toward the $257,500 lifetime cap, including Grad PLUS taken under the old limits once they end.
    • It doesn’t model less-than-full-time enrollment, which lowers the federal limit, or rate changes in later years.
    • Rules as of Sep 26, 2026. General education, not advice for your situation.

    Some links on this page pay us when you check a rate or sign up. It costs you nothing and never changes our rankings. How we make money.

    Private in-school loan rates

    Rates as of Sep 26, 2026
    LenderFixed APRVariable APRMinimumCheck your rate
    CredibleMarketplace: compares several lenders with one soft credit check1.94–17.99%——Check your rate
    EarnestUp to 100% of school-certified costfrom 1.99%——Check your rate
    Sallie Mae (dental school loan)Up to 100% of cost, plus up to $30,000 for residency and relocation2.08–14.98%3.75–14.47%$1,000Lender site
    AscentUp to $400,000 total for graduate study; residency deferment available2.69–17.01%3.64–16.10%$2,001Check your rate
    SoFiGeneral graduate loan rates2.99–14.83%4.64–15.86%—Check your rate
    College AveDental school loan, up to cost of attendance minus other aid3.19–15.99%3.89–15.99%$1,000Check your rate

    APRs are the ranges each lender advertised on its own site when we checked, and most include an autopay discount. Your rate depends on your credit, income and term, and variable rates can rise. These are not offers. Checking your rate with these lenders uses a soft credit pull. Sorted by lowest advertised fixed APR; payouts never change the order. How we rank lenders.

    Private loans don’t qualify for RAP, PSLF or federal forgiveness. Borrow federal first, up to the cap, then compare private lenders.