Creighton University School of Dentistry Cost: The Full 4-Year Breakdown

Creighton University School of Dentistry, in Omaha, is a private, Jesuit dental program that lands mid-pack on cost — #22 cheapest of the 64 schools in our dataset, just below the national median. Based on cost-of-attendance data from around 2021–2022, four years there ran about $407,003 before interest. As a private school, Creighton charges a single listed rate, so there is no in-state discount to chase — every admitted student pays the same tuition. Below is the year-by-year breakdown, what it really costs once student-loan interest is counted, and why your DAT score is the single biggest lever on this number.

On these figures: the dollar amounts come from published cost-of-attendance data from roughly 2021–2022, and reflect the school's single listed rate. Tuition and living costs rise about 3–5% a year, so the current 2026 total is likely 15–20% higher — our inflation-adjusted estimate is ~$476,000. Treat every number here as a planning estimate and confirm the current figure directly with the school and at ada.org.

Creighton School of Dentistry cost, year by year

Cost of attendance combines tuition & fees with the school-published cost of living (housing, food, transportation, supplies). Here is how the four years broke down in the source data:

Two things stand out. First, tuition is fairly steady across the four years, peaking in Year 2 and easing after — there is no big back-loaded jump the way some schools have. Second, because Creighton is private, this is the rate everyone pays; residents of Nebraska get no special break here, which is the tradeoff for a private program.

The number nobody shows you: cost with loan interest

Sticker cost of attendance is not what you repay. Most dental students finance with federal Direct and Grad PLUS loans that accrue interest while you are still in school. Once you fold that in, the Creighton four-year total climbs to roughly $515,675 — about $109,000 more than the sticker figure, before you have made a single payment. That interest gap is the quietest, largest line item in dental education, and it grows with every dollar you borrow. It is exactly why the school you pick, and the aid you bring to it, compounds for years after graduation.

How your DAT score changes this number

Here is the connection students miss: the DAT is the cheapest lever on the most expensive purchase of your life. A stronger DAT score widens the set of schools that will admit you — including lower-cost in-state public programs and any school offering merit scholarships. Moving from a private or out-of-state seat to an in-state public seat can swing your total by $100,000 to $280,000. Even at a private school like Creighton, a standout DAT is what earns you the scholarship offers that cut the sticker price. The exam that unlocks all of that costs a few hundred dollars. No other single decision in your pre-dental years has that kind of return.

That is the entire premise of DATPractice: be the highest-ROI, lowest-cost part of your journey. Do every practice test, understand every question, and walk in with a score that gives you the choice of the cheapest, best-fit school — instead of taking the only seat you can get.

How to pay less at Creighton (or anywhere)

• Maximize your DAT to open scholarship and in-state options before you ever apply — at a private school like Creighton, merit aid is the main discount available.
• Compare against your in-state public school, such as the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where residency can lower tuition substantially.
• Apply early through ADEA AADSAS; later applicants compete for fewer seats and less aid.
• Borrow only cost-of-attendance, and understand Grad PLUS interest accrues immediately.
• Compare total cost with interest, not sticker tuition, when you weigh acceptances.