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The Cheapest Private Dental Schools, All 22 Ranked
In this guide 4 sections
Private dental schools charge one price to everyone, which makes them the great equaliser for applicants without a cheap in-state option. It also makes them wildly different from one another: the spread between the cheapest and priciest private seat in our model is $245,135, almost as wide as the whole national range. Here are all 22 private schools in the model, ranked.
On the figures in this guide: dollar amounts from our cost model are estimates built from published cost-of-attendance data circa 2022, and unless a row says in-state they are out-of-state or private figures. Where we say “projected” we have grown the 2022 figure at 4% a year to 2026. Federal loan rules, interest rates and program terms are quoted as published for 2026–27 and can change; confirm anything you plan around with the school’s financial aid office and at studentaid.gov. Nothing here is financial advice.
All 22 private dental schools, ranked by 4-year cost
| # | School | City | No interest | With in-school interest | Projected to 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meharry (private) | Nashville, TN | $369,285 | $465,807 | $544,948 |
| 2 | LECOM (private) | Bradenton, FL | $371,433 | $467,217 | $546,597 |
| 3 | UNE (private) | Portland, ME | $400,680 | $507,009 | $593,150 |
| 4 | Creighton (private) | Omaha, NE | $407,003 | $515,675 | $603,288 |
| 5 | Touro (private) | Hawthorne, NY | $408,485 | $516,241 | $603,950 |
| 6 | Case Western (private) | Cleveland, OH | $414,918 | $526,340 | $615,765 |
| 7 | BU (private) | Boston, MA | $429,623 | $547,147 | $640,107 |
| 8 | Detroit Mercy (private) | Detroit, MI | $432,367 | $549,705 | $643,100 |
| 9 | WesternU (private) | Pomona, CA | $445,550 | $566,831 | $663,136 |
| 10 | Harvard (private) | Boston, MA | $448,609 | $567,668 | $664,115 |
| 11 | ATSU-MOSDOH (private) | Kirksville, MO | $454,272 | $575,036 | $672,735 |
| 12 | Loma Linda (private) | Loma Linda, CA | $457,560 | $582,877 | $681,908 |
| 13 | Columbia (private) | New York, NY | $463,130 | $589,047 | $689,126 |
| 14 | Tufts (private) | Boston, MA | $464,192 | $591,817 | $692,367 |
| 15 | USC (private) | Los Angeles, CA | $467,104 | $598,825 | $700,565 |
| 16 | Penn (private) | Philadelphia, PA | $472,379 | $603,716 | $706,287 |
| 17 | Roseman (private) | South Jordan, UT | $484,543 | $617,509 | $722,424 |
| 18 | Pacific / Dugoni (private) | San Francisco, CA | $487,224 | $638,967 | $747,527 |
| 19 | ATSU-ASDOH (private) | Mesa, AZ | $509,861 | $649,454 | $759,796 |
| 20 | NYU (private) | New York, NY | $517,812 | $658,132 | $769,949 |
| 21 | Midwestern AZ (private) | Glendale, AZ | $549,402 | $699,444 | $818,280 |
| 22 | Midwestern IL (private) | Downers Grove, IL | $558,342 | $710,942 | $831,731 |
What the cheap privates have in common
Meharry and LECOM lead on price and both sit in lower-cost cities; Meharry also carries a mission focus on underserved care and pairs well with NHSC routes. Newer programs at smaller health-sciences universities cluster in the middle of the table. The most expensive private seats are in the most expensive cities, where cost of living alone adds $148k over four years; see cost of living by school.
Sticker price vs what strong applicants pay
Private schools discount. The list above is sticker price, and the wealthier schools on it use institutional aid to compete for the applicants they want most, which can pull a top-half school below a bottom-half one for the right student. That competition is run on GPA and DAT score, and by the time you apply only one of those is still moving. A strong DAT is the difference between paying the number in the table and being offered a smaller one. How merit aid works.
FAQ
What is the cheapest private dental school in the US?
In our model, Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry at $465,807 over four years with in-school interest, followed by Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Dental Medicine at $467,217.
Are private dental schools worth the cost?
For applicants without an affordable in-state option, the cheaper private schools are often the best available seat, and the degree and licence are identical. The priciest private seats are hard to justify on cost alone without substantial aid or a service scholarship.
Do private dental schools charge in-state and out-of-state tuition?
No. Private schools charge one rate regardless of residency, which is why they can be the cheaper choice for out-of-state applicants and the pricier one for residents of states with low public tuition.