Dental schools in the U.S. differ on cost, program length, class size and more depending on the type of institution, according to data from the American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute.
Here are eight differences and similarities between how public and private dental schools operate, based on data from 72 pre-doctoral dental programs:
- The average program length is slightly longer at private schools at 168.5 weeks compared to 165.9 at public schools.
- First-year class sizes are about 45% larger at private dental schools compared to public dental schools.
- Overall, the average first-year class size is 95.8 students. At public institutions the average is 80.8 students, compared to 116.4 students at private institutions.
- About two-thirds of both private and public schools operate on a semester system.
- The average cost for first-year students is lower at public dental schools, at $57,557 for in-state students and $88,112 for out-of-state students.
- First-year students at private schools had an average cost of $96,683.
- There is a roughly even split of the type of degree awarded: DDS or DMD.
- Public schools are more likely to award a DDS, while private schools award more DMD degrees.
