PathNewUpdated with 2026 data: the 2025–26 admissions cycle, tuition and rankings for all 76 schools→The numbers behind
Data for future dentists · by Dr. Charley Levy, DDS
The numbers behind
dental school
Admissions, rankings, tuition and income for every U.S. dental school, from 75 years of national data. By a dentist, for future dentists.
13,657applied for the 2025-26 class
53%started dental school (7,296)
76U.S. dental schools, every one profiled
$185Kmedian general dentist income, 2025
Interactive tools
Play with the numbers
Admissions CalculatorYour GPA, DAT and home state in. Your chance of getting in, at every school, out. Then simulate a whole application cycle.Check your chances →Spin the Stats NewSpin the wheel and watch all 76 schools line up on one chart. Compare any stat with any year back to 2001.Spin the wheel →Dentist Life SimulatorPress a button to meet a random practicing dentist: specialty, school, loans, practice and income. Can you find all the wildcards?Meet a dentist →Loan CalculatorWhat $100K to $500K in dental school loans really costs: interest through school and residency, and your monthly payment after.Run your numbers →
Explore
Start here
Admissions CalculatorEnter your GPA, DAT and home state to see your chance of getting in, overall and at every school.60,285 applicants of data →DAT Score ConverterConvert old 1–30 DAT scores to the new 200–600 scale, or new scores back to old, for all 8 scores.ADA concordance table →Admissions Rankings 2026All 76 schools ranked on DAT, GPA, acceptance and enrollment rates, with five years of history.#1 Harvard University →School Profiles26 years of applications, offers, DAT and GPA, tuition, the class mix and where students come from.76 schools →Spin the StatsAll 76 schools on one chart. Spin the wheel to pick a stat, then compare any year back to 2001.23 stats →Compare SchoolsPut up to 5 dental schools side by side: admissions, cost, out-of-state share and more.Up to 5 schools →Dental School MapEvery U.S. dental school on one clickable map. Color it by acceptance rate, cost or year opened, and zoom into any state.76 schools →New Dental SchoolsEvery dental school that has opened since 2000: what they cost, who gets in and how they compare.See the list →StatesWhere each state's students go to dental school, who stays home, and how many dentists work there.52 states and territories →Out-of-State RankingsWhich schools take non-residents, how much your home state helps, and what being out-of-state costs.76 schools →Tuition RankingsFour years of tuition and fees at every school, in-state and out-of-state, public and private.$124K to $545K →Want to Specialize?Where today’s oral surgery and orthodontic residents went to dental school, and which programs take their own graduates.Oral surgery · Ortho →After Dental SchoolGPR, AEGD or a specialty? Residency spots vs. graduates, how competitive each one is, stipends, tuition, and every program.753 programs →The Private Loan GapFederal loans now stop at $200,000. What each school's cost leaves for private loans, in-state and out-of-state, and what it costs to repay.New for fall 2026 →Take-Home Pay CalculatorIncome in, then taxes, 401(k), insurance and student loans out: a dentist's real monthly paycheck and what's left.2026 tax rules →Dentist IncomeWhat general dentists and every specialty earn, owners vs. employed, and pay in every state.GP median $185K →Dentist Life SimulatorMeet a random practicing dentist: specialty, state, school, residency, ownership and income, drawn from real data.Press go →Dental School LoansWhat $100K to $500K in dental school debt really costs at today’s federal rates, through school, grace and residency.Loan calculator →
The big picture, 1951–2025
Applications are back near their peak
13,657 people applied to dental school for 2025, the most since 2007. With 7,296 seats, 53% got in. The tightest year was 2007, at 3.0 applicants per seat.
ApplicantsEnrolled (first-time, first-year)
Source: ADA and other published data, compiled by Dr. Charley Levy. Hover a year for the numbers.
Path32 Admissions Rankings 2026
The top 10
Ranked on DAT, GPA, acceptance rate and enrollment rate.
- 1Harvard UniversityMA · Private–
- 2U of North CarolinaNC · Public▲5
- 3UCLACA · Public–
- 4University of ConnecticutCT · Public▲2
- 5U of Texas at HoustonTX · Public▼1
- 6University of FloridaFL · Public▼4
- 7Texas A&M UniversityTX · Public▲12
- 8Columbia UniversityNY · Private▼3
- 9U of Illinois, ChicagoIL · Public▲4
- 10UCSFCA · Public▼2
By the numbers
Worth knowing before you apply
$545Kthe most expensive four years of dental school: Ohio State University, out-of-state. The least: West Virginia University, $124K in-state.$259Kmedian net income of specialists in 2025, vs. $185K for general dentists.Missouripays employed general dentists the most, $242K on average (BLS, May 2025).79%of applicants with a 3.75+ GPA started dental school (2021–2025), vs. 30% with 3.00–3.24.
About
Join free →Hi, I'm Dr. Charley Levy
I'm a dentist and a data nerd. Path32 started as a spreadsheet I wish I'd had when I was applying: real numbers from the ADA, BLS and other published sources, cleaned up, checked against each other and explained in plain English. More than 2,500 people read the Path32 newsletter.