Sallie Mae® Dental School Loan

Cover dental school and related expenses as you earn your Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry (DMD) or Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)

Fixed rates
3.49%
to 14.47% APRfootnote 1
Variable rates
4.54%
to 13.97% APRfootnote 1

Lowest rates shown include the auto debit discount. Only the most creditworthy applicants who choose the interest repayment option may receive the lowest rate.
Apply for this loan

Your dental school loan with 0% origination fee

coverage

of all your school-certified expenses like tuition, fees, books, housing, meals, travel, and even a laptop.footnote 2


92 percent

of students

who’ve been approved for a dental school loan with a cosigner were approved again when they returned with a cosigner the following year.footnote 3


48

months of deferment

during your residency and fellowship.footnote 4

interest-only payments

for eligible borrowers after the grace period for repayment flexibility.footnote 5

month grace period

to support you during your dental career.footnote 6

Tip for borrowers

You can apply only once for the money you need for the entire school year. Funds will be sent for each term as requested by your school.

Learn about how much to borrow

Choose the dental school loan options that work for you

Fixed rates: 3.49% - 14.47% APRfootnote 1
Lowest rate shown includes auto debit discount. Get predictable monthly payments with a rate that doesn't change over time.

Variable rates: 4.54% - 13.97% APRfootnote 1
Lowest rate shown includes auto debit discount. Your interest rate can rise or fall as the market index changes, so your dental school loan payments may vary over time.

Pay later
Deferred repayment option: Make no payments while you're in school and in grace (12 months after leaving school).footnote 1 With this dental school loan repayment option, you'll likely pay more for your total student loan cost, since the interest rate may be higher and unpaid interest will be added to your principal amount at the end of your grace period.

Pay a little and save
Fixed repayment option: Pay $25 every month.footnote 7 Choose the fixed repayment option and receive an interest rate that is .25 percentage points lower than the deferred repayment option.1 While your total loan cost will typically be less than with our deferred repayment option, unpaid interest will be added to your principal amount at the end of your grace period.

Pay interest and save even more
Interest repayment option: Pay your dental school loan interest every month you're in school and in grace. Choose the interest repayment option and receive an interest rate that is .50 percentage points lower than the deferred repayment option.footnote 1 Your total loan cost will likely be lower than with the other repayment options, but your dental school loan payments will likely be larger while you're in school and in grace.

Dental school loan benefits

  • Returning customers can save time with a streamlined application.footnote 3
  • Lower your total loan cost—get a 0.25 percentage point interest rate reduction when you enroll in and make monthly payments by auto debit.footnote 8
  • Pay no origination fee or penalty for paying off your dental school loan before its due date.footnote 9
  • You can apply to release your cosigner after you graduate, make 12 on-time, principal and interest payments and meet certain credit requirements.footnote 10
  • You can pay for up to all your residency expenses with a single lender. With the Sallie Mae Dental Residency and Relocation Loan you can borrow up to $30,000 to cover your travel and relocation costs.

The Sallie Mae Dental School Loan vs the Federal Direct Grad PLUS Loan

After you explore federal loans, you may find the Sallie Mae Dental School loan to be a good alternative to the Federal Direct Grad PLUS Loan, and if you're highly qualified, you may receive a lower interest rate.footnote 11
Sallie Mae Dental School Loan

Direct Grad PLUS Loanfootnote 12

No origination fee

Available for less than half-time enrollment

Offers variable interest rates

Offers fixed interest rates

12-month grace period

Deferred repayment option

Interest and fixed repayment options

Rate reduction for auto debit enrollment

Get the help you need during your dental residency or fellowship

Find flexibility with a residency deferment

A deferment may help you postpone or reduce your dental school loan payments during your residency. It’s available in increments of 12 months, up to a total of 48 months.footnote 4

Find out about a residency and fellowship deferment

Pay for your residency expenses

Our dental residency and relocation loan can help you pay for expenses associated with board examinations, interview travel, and moving costs.

Learn about the dental residency and relocation loan

Applying is easy

  • Tell us about yourself

    We’ll need some basic information from you (and your cosigner if you’re applying with one) like your name, address, and date of birth, along with some details about your school.

  • Choose your loan option(s)

    After you’re approved, pick the repayment option and interest rate type that work best for your budget.

  • Sign and accept

    Be sure to review all loan documents so you understand your responsibilities. Once you’ve decided to borrow from us, just e-sign and accept your loan. We'll work with your school to take care of the rest. That's it!

    Apply for loan

Frequently asked questions about the Sallie Mae Dental School Loan

It's easy to apply for the Sallie Mae Dental Student Loan. After you click on the link, you’ll be asked a few questions and fill out some basic information about you and your studies. The process usually only takes around 15 minutes.

The Sallie Mae Dental School Loan offers residency and fellowship deferments.footnote 4 You can also explore our dental residency and relocation loan, which can help you pay for expenses associated with board examinations, interview travel, and moving costs. 

The Sallie Mae Dental School Loan can cover up to 100% of all your school-certified expenses like tuition, fees, books, housing, meals, travel, and even a laptop.footnote 2

In some cases, you might be able to use dental school loans to cover things like licensing fees, if those expenses are included in your school's cost of attendance. But it's important to check with your loan provider or financial aid office to confirm that these expenses are eligible under your specific loan terms. And make sure to keep track of your expenses and receipts, as you may need to provide proof of how you used the money. You might also be able to cover things like board examination fees, travel, and moving expenses for your dental residency with a dental residency and relocation loan.

Yes! International students can apply for private dental school loans. Students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents who reside in and attend school in the U.S. are eligible with a creditworthy cosigner (who must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident) and an unexpired government-issued photo ID to verify identity.

Although international students are not eligible for federal student loans through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®), there is still financial aid, grants, and scholarships available to them.

Questions? Need help applying?

Call us at 

877-279-7172
Didn’t find what you were looking for?
See all graduate student loans

footnote Borrow responsibly
We encourage students and families to start with savings, grants, scholarships, and federal student loans to pay for college. Evaluate all anticipated monthly loan payments, and how much the student expects to earn in the future, before considering a private student loan.

footnote Dental School Loans are for graduate students in a D.D.S. or D.M.D. program at participating degree-granting schools and are subject to credit approval, identity verification, signed loan documents, and school certification. Graduate Certificate/Continuing Education coursework is not eligible. Student or cosigner must meet the age of majority in their state of residence. Students who are not U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents must reside in the U.S., attend school in the U.S., and apply with a creditworthy cosigner (who must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident). Requested loan amount must be at least $1,000.

footnote 1. Advertised APRs for Medical School Loan and Dental School Loan assume a $10,000 loan with a 4-year in-school period. Interest rates for variable rate loans may increase or decrease over the life of the loan based on changes to the 30-day Average Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) rounded up to the nearest one-eighth of one percent.  Advertised variable rates are the starting range of rates and may vary outside of that range over the life of the loan. Interest is charged starting when funds are sent to the school. With the Fixed and Deferred Repayment Options, the interest rate is higher than with the Interest Repayment Option and Unpaid Interest is added to the loan’s Current Principal at the end of the grace/separation period. To receive a 0.25 percentage point interest rate discount, the borrower or cosigner must enroll in auto debit through Sallie Mae. The discount applies only during active repayment for as long as the Current Amount Due or Designated Amount is successfully withdrawn from the authorized bank account each month. It may be suspended during forbearance or deferment.

footnote 2. For applications submitted directly to Sallie Mae, loan amount cannot exceed the cost of attendance less financial aid received, as certified by the school. Applications submitted to Sallie Mae through a partner website will be subject to a lower maximum loan request amount. Miscellaneous personal expenses (such as a laptop) may be included in the cost of attendance for students enrolled at least half-time. 

footnote 3. Sallie Mae loans cover enrollment periods of up to 12 months. Students must apply for a new loan each school year. This approval percentage is based on students who were approved for this Sallie Mae loan product with a cosigner in the 2021/22 school year and were approved again when they returned with the same or new cosigner in 2022/23. It does not include the number of denied applications of students who were ultimately approved in 2022/23.

footnote 4. To apply for this deferment, customers and an official from the internship, clerkship, fellowship, or residency program must complete and submit a deferment form to us for consideration. If approved, the loan will revert back to the same repayment option that applied during the in-school period for up to 12 months. Customers can apply for and receive a maximum of four 12-month deferment periods. Interest is charged during the deferment period and Unpaid Interest will be added to the Current Principal at the end of each deferment period, which will increase the Total Loan Cost.

footnote 5. GRP allows interest-only payments for the initial 12-month period of repayment when the loan would normally begin requiring full principal and interest payments or during the 12-month period after GRP request is granted, whichever is later. At the time of GRP request, the loan must be current. The borrower may request GRP only during the six billing periods immediately preceding and the twelve billing periods immediately after the loan would normally begin requiring full principal and interest payments. GRP does not extend the loan term. If approved for GRP, the Current Amount Due that is required to be paid each month after the GRP ends will be higher than it otherwise would have been without GRP, and the total loan cost will increase.

footnote 6. Payments may be required during the grace period depending on the in-school repayment option selected by the student or cosigner.

footnote 7.  Example of a typical transaction for a $10,000 Dental School Loan with the most common fixed rate, Fixed Repayment Option, and two disbursements. For borrowers with a 57-month in-school and separation period, it works out to 10.56% fixed APR, 57 payments of $25.00, 238 payments of $144.53 and one payment of $106.32, for a total loan cost of $35,929.46. Loans that are subject to a $50 minimum principal and interest payment amount may receive a loan term that is less than 20 years. A variable APR may increase over the life of the loan. A fixed APR will not.

footnote 8. The borrower or cosigner must enroll in auto debit through Sallie Mae to receive a 0.25 percentage point interest rate reduction benefit. This benefit applies only during active repayment for as long as the Current Amount Due or Designated Amount is successfully withdrawn from the authorized bank account each month. It may be suspended during forbearance or deferment. 

footnote 9. Although we do not charge a penalty or fee if you prepay your loan, any prepayment will be applied as outlined in your promissory note—first to Unpaid Fees and costs, then to Unpaid Interest, and then to Current Principal. 

footnote 10. Only the borrower may apply for cosigner release. To do so, they must first meet the age of majority in their state and provide proof of graduation (or completion of certification program), income, and U.S. citizenship or permanent residency (if their status has changed since they applied). In the last 12 months, the borrower can’t have been past due on any loans serviced by Sallie Mae for 30 or more days or enrolled in any hardship forbearances or modified repayment programs. In addition, the borrower must have paid ahead or made 12 on-time principal and interest payments on each loan requested for release. The loan can’t be past due when the cosigner release application is processed. The borrower must also demonstrate the ability to assume full responsibility of the loan(s) individually and pass a credit review when the cosigner release application is processed that demonstrates a satisfactory credit history including but not limited to no: bankruptcy, foreclosure, student loan(s) in default or 90-day delinquencies in the last 24 months. Requirements are subject to change. 

footnote 11. Explore federal loans and compare to make sure you understand the terms and features. Private student loans that have variable rates can go up over the life of the loan. Federal student loans are required by law to provide a range of flexible repayment options, including, but not limited to, income-based repayment and income-contingent repayment plans, and loan forgiveness and deferment benefits, which other student loans are not required to provide. Federal loans generally have origination fees, but are available to students regardless of income.

footnote 12. Federal student loan information was gathered on 3/5/2024 from studentaid.ed.gov.

footnote Sallie Mae loans are made by Sallie Mae Bank. 

footnote Information advertised valid as of 3/25/2025.

footnote SALLIE MAE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS, SERVICES, AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. CHECK SALLIEMAE.COM FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE PRODUCT INFORMATION.