Dentistry Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Dentistry maps to BLS occupations averaging about $64,987, with roughly 1,596,050 workers nationwide in those roles. About 6,950 degrees completed in recent IPEDS counts; median program completion runs near 64%.
Key Statistics
Dentistry: what the data shows
Common questions about dentistry degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a dentistry degree?
A Dentistry program is classified under NCES CIP 51.0401.
A program that prepares individuals for the independent professional practice of dentistry/dental medicine, encompassing the evaluation, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area, and adjacent structures and their impact on the human body and health. Includes instruction in the basic biomedical sciences, occlusion, dental health and prevention, oral pathology, cariology, operative dentistry, oral radiology, principles of the various dental specialties, pain management, oral medicine, clinic and health care management, patient counseling, and professional standards and ethics
IPEDS counted 6,950 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
How long does it take to get a dentistry degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 51.0401 in our file:
- 30 Doctorate (100.0% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What do you learn in dentistry?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Writing, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Teachers, Postsecondary (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a dentistry degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Dentistry to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,500,000 | — |
| Secondary School Teachers | 1,072,540 | $64,580 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a dentistry degree worth it?
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $11,935 and median net price is $18,766.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Dentistry and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$11,935 Median In-State Public
$57,080 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Dentistry majors are, on average, $11,935 for in-state public colleges, and $57,080 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Dentistry programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
6,950 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Dentistry from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Dentistry.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,615 |
| 2 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | 45,638 |
| 3 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | 45,638 |
| 4 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | NJ | 37,751 |
| 5 | University of Florida | FL | 35,629 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Dentistry programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laredo College | TX | $3,300 |
| 2 | University of Florida | FL | $6,381 |
| 3 | University of Florida | FL | $6,381 |
| 4 | East Carolina University | NC | $7,361 |
| 5 | Augusta University | GA | $8,414 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Dentistry programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laredo College | TX | $5,798 |
| 2 | University of Florida | FL | $6,541 |
| 3 | University of Florida | FL | $6,541 |
| 4 | University of Nevada-Las Vegas | NV | $10,359 |
| 5 | University of Nevada-Las Vegas | NV | $10,359 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Dentistry programs.
Graduation Rates
64.16% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
63.06% Average Graduation Rate
175 Institutions Reporting
51.33% - 75.16% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Dentistry programs across institutions.
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 51.0401 in the survey year used in our extract (30 total across levels below).
- 30 Doctorate (100.0% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $64,987. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Dentistry graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Teachers, Postsecondary | $36,511 | 1,500,000 |
| Secondary School Teachers | $104,813 | 1,072,540 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$40,621 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Dentistry majors is $40,621.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Dentistry majors.
Occupations by Share
1,596,050 2023 Workforce
The number of Dentistry graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Dentistry by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Dentistry in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Dentistry.
Age distribution for Dentistry degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
6,950 Total Degrees Awarded
3,085 Male (44.39%)
3,865 Female (55.61%)
Gender distribution of Dentistry degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
3,242 White (46.65%)
1,579 Asian (22.72%)
766 Hispanic or Latino (11.02%)
374 Black or African American (5.38%)
231 Two or More Races (3.32%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Dentistry degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Dentistry are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Dentistry.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Dentistry field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Dentistry majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Dentistry majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Dentistry majors.
About
A program that prepares individuals for the independent professional practice of dentistry/dental medicine, encompassing the evaluation, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area, and adjacent structures and their impact on the human body and health. Includes instruction in the basic biomedical sciences, occlusion, dental health and prevention, oral pathology, cariology, operative dentistry, oral radiology, principles of the various dental specialties, pain management, oral medicine, clinic and health care management, patient counseling, and professional standards and ethics
In 2023, 6,950 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Dentistry.
CIP Code
51.0401 - Dentistry
What the data shows
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $64,987. The largest mapped role by headcount is Teachers, Postsecondary (1,500,000 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $11,935 in-state at public colleges and $57,080 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.