Scholarship and Grant Options for Dental College Students

The cost of studying at a dental college in Fort Collins can be quite high. Thankfully, there are a number of scholarship and grant options for aspiring dentists, dental assistants, hygienists and dental administrators.

Federal and State Aid

1. The FAFSA is available to any low-income student who wants to obtain a college degree, regardless of field of study.
2. The National Health Service Corps Scholarship fund is specifically for individuals who are pursuing a degree in health care. This scholarship fund accepts applications from students from all walks of life; the only requirement is that one commit to working in an underserved community for a predetermined period of time.

Scholarships for Minorities

There are plenty of scholarship options available to minorities. The Indian Health Services Scholarship Program offers funding for Native Americans who are pursuing a degree in healthcare; however, this program requires that the recipients of the funds work for a set period of time at a Native American dental facility. The National Dental Association offers scholarships to women who are studying for a post-graduate dental degree and recipients can be awarded up to $10,000. The American Dental Association offer scholarships to all ethnic minorities, including African Americans and Hispanics. Recipients can receive varying amounts of money but the average scholarship grant is about $2,000.

Other Sources of Aid

All branches of the military offer financial aid to military members. By agreeing to serve in the Army, Air Force or Navy for a set amount of time, a student can qualify for funds to cover part or even all of his or her dental school expenses.

There are also several private associations and foundations that offer funding for dental students without requiring that applicants be a particular gender or ethnicity. Scholarship options of this nature are provided by The American Dental Association Foundation, The American Dental Education Association and the National Dental Association.

Obtaining funding to cover the school cost to study dentistry is not hard, as there are plenty of scholarship and funding options available. A student can obtain funding from more than one source and/or apply to the same scholarship fund year after year. There is no need to go into a lot of student debt in order to take dental courses as obtaining financial assistance from outside sources can enable a student to cover most or even all of his or her study expenses.