The average amount of dental school debt has declined each year since 2021, dropping to $305,306 in 2023.
The Education Data Initiative provides information on dental school costs and debt in the U.S.
Here is how the average amount of dental school debt has evolved since 1996:
Year
|
Average debt
|
1996
|
$169,398
|
1997
|
$184,122
|
1998
|
$188,154
|
1999
|
$198,525
|
2000
|
$194,458
|
2001
|
$205,727
|
2002
|
$213,550
|
2003
|
$226,087
|
2004
|
$226,570
|
2005
|
$229,351
|
2006
|
$253,151
|
2007
|
$262,705
|
2008
|
$274,988
|
2009
|
$274,507
|
2010
|
$282,896
|
2011
|
$285,770
|
2012
|
$302,670
|
2013
|
$323,744
|
2014
|
$326,869
|
2015
|
$335,453
|
2016
|
$341,749
|
2017
|
$367,867
|
2018
|
$357,056
|
2019
|
$358,374
|
2020
|
$421,670
|
2021
|
$390,483
|
2022
|
$331,026
|
2023
|
$305,306
|