Dental School Scholarships: Government and Private Sources

Scholarships for students studying dentistry are plentiful and available from all types of sources. Government, colleges and universities, and professional organizations are all viable scholarship funding prospects.

Federal and State Government Scholarship Sources for Dental Students

Dentists are key healthcare professionals and as such students are privy to government scholarship incentives. You are also advised to check with your state government for any possible dental scholarships or scholarships for service programs.

  • One of the best and most competitive scholarship programs is the National Health Service Corps Scholarship. This award program is open to students pursuing degrees in primary care health fields, including General and Pediatric Dentistry. Eligible candidates receive full tuition compensation, plus cash for books and supplies. In return dental students must commit to a term of service with a designated medically underserved facility. This service commences within 9 months of graduation from dental school.
  • The Indian Health Services Scholarships work in similar fashion to the NHS, but eligible students must be Native American by blood. Two scholarships offer viable funding potential for dental students: Health Professions Pre-Graduate Scholarship – for undergrads in degrees leading to graduate school in dentistry—and the Health Professions Scholarship program – for students enrolled in a medical dentistry program. The latter program is a scholarship for service model: recipients must agree to serve in a Native American healthcare facility for every year of scholarship support they receive.

Dental Scholarships for Minorities and Women

Dentistry is one of those fields of medicine that has been horribly under-represented by minorities AND women. For this reason you can expect to find expanded funding for these populations. For example:

  • The Association of Women Dentists, in partnership with Proctor and Gamble, offers student members the annual Proctor and Gamble Research Scholarship Award. The $10,000 cash award goes to a student or faculty member in a dental school who most fits the ideal profile of research scholar in the area of oral healthcare.
  • The New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) offers the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Physician and Dentist Scholarship. Eligible students must be enrolled in an accredited dental school, demonstrate financial need, AND be an ethnic minority. Funds vary.
  • The American Dental Association as part of its Foundation scholarships, offers an award specifically for minority dental students. Funding varies.

Private Sources for Dental Students

Deep pocketed corporate sources as well as professional organizations and associations are proven scholarship sponsors. Examples:

  • American Dental Association Foundation provides funding for various types of dental students, including doctors of dental medicine, dental hygiene students and dental assistant technicians. Applicants must show financial need for the monetary support.
  • Colgate Palmolive, in association with the National Dental Association, extends scholarships and fellowships to dental students from freshman undergrads up through post-doctoral research. The association also offers funds for dental hygiene and dental laboratory students. Also in association with the International Association for Dental Research, C-P offers research and travel scholarships and fellowships.