Is NYU Dental School Worth It?
Getting into a dream dental school is the ultimate goal for every future dentist. One of the dream dental schools students usually refer to is the NYU Dental School.
However, as current and former students share their experiences at NYU Dental, one cannot help but wonder whether this school is worth all of the money, dedication, and hard work.
In the following paragraphs, we’ll take a look at why the NYU Dental School might, or might not be worth it. So, without further ado, let’s get started!
NYU Dental School – Is It Worth It?
NYU Dental School Cost
The best way to know whether a school is worthy of going through the application and the stress of attending is to look at the cost. When we looked at the NYU Dental school expenses for the next 4 years (2020-2024), here’s what we discovered;
- The education expenses for the first year are $110,558, but for the 4-year education the expenses are $443,175.
- The living expenses for the same year are $42,924, but for the whole 4-year education the expenses are $183,210.
- The loan fees for the same year are $4,187, but for the 4-year education, the fees are $16,882.
- The accrued interest at graduation is $34,500, but for the whole 4-year education it is $95,760.
The total cost of NYU Dental school for the 4-year education is cca $740,027.
You also have to take into consideration the increase of interest rate, increase in interest fee and increase in loan fee. The total cost is the amount one would have to pay without any financial help.
So, Is the NYU Dental School Worth It? – Considering how high the expenses go, and the fact that they keep increasing with each new year of education, we would say that the NYU Dental school is not worth it.
If you experience financial challenges, or you don’t want to keep paying off your student loan debt for a decade after you’ve graduated, we’d suggest you move onto some cheaper, yet excellent dental schools.
NYU Associate Dentist Salary – Paying Off the Debt
To figure out whether NYU Dental school is worth it, we also have to tackle the issue of associate dentist salaries. It is no secret that NYU associate dentist salaries are too low for anyone to pay for the degree, especially if there’s no income-based repayment.
Let’s take this as an example; the average NYU dental school grad has to pay off approximately between $500,000 and $600,000, and that is if they had some financial help during the education.
However, the average salary of an associate dentist is cca $163,000, not taking into consideration the taxes, and the fact that such a salary is offered in one state only. When we apply the taxes, the salary falls to approximately $60,000 to $90,000.
With such a salary, it would take associate dentists years, even a decade, to pay off the student loan debt. And, to make things worse, this issue is usually not addressed by the NYU dental school.
The administrators and the financial aid do not tell students about the financial issues they will face, and the fact that they will have to find help in federal income-based repayment and financial forgiveness programs to survive the debt.
So, Is the NYU Dental School Worth It? – Absolutely not! Because student loan debt for NYU Dental grads exceeds half a million dollars, and that associate dentists earn $60,000 to $90,000 on average, we would advise anyone to attend a different dental school.
Sure, your student loan debt will be high in any other dental school, but there are many cheaper options with better financial aid programs and a more open approach to the financial burden issue.
Since NYU Dental is covertly handling this issue, or not handling it at all doesn’t present them in a very good light.
Some students have even stated that the administrators at the NYU Dental try to convince the students that they’ll pay off the debt ‘in no time’. That seems to completely contradict the aforementioned numbers.
NYU Dental School Overall Experience
Let’s imagine you’re accepted to the NYU Dental and it is your first day. Here’s what you can expect as a basic experience, according to the current and the former NYU Dental students;
- The class size often exceeds 400 people, which can be pretty intimidating for every student.
- You can expect to be crammed with other students in tiny practice labs.
- Your face to face time with the professor will be limited.
- The effectiveness of the grading system is questionable since you’ll still receive letter grades.
- You will not be judged by your DAT score, but rather by your hard work and competitiveness.
- The cost of education is ‘insane’ as some students describe it.
- The NYU Dental is great for specializing in certain dental medicine branches.
- The P/F curriculum is pretty stress-free and is designed to promote collaboration.
- Students, however, have to distinguish themselves from the rest by demonstrating interest, doing extra research, and externships.
So, Is the NYU Dental School Worth It? – If you want to specialize in a great dental school and finances are not an issue for you, then going to the NYU Dental would be a good idea. You can be sure to get a great education, but you will also have to work hard for it.
However, you can work hard at any dental school and still get a great education and a good way to buy-in to the profession of dentistry.
With every dental school, the real deal and the real residency starts after you’ve graduated and started working as a dental assistant or a dentist.
Nevertheless, the quality of education at the NYU Dental is great, and the experience will be good most of the time. But, if you get accepted to a cheaper school, make sure to think about it as well.
Other NYU Dental School Disadvantages
NYU Dental as a Profit Oriented School
Many argue that the NYU Dental school is overly focused on profit, which often has little to do with the education students receive.
The increase in education expenses and loan fees are not correlated to the increased cost of, for example, the equipment used at the school.
It is simply believed that NYU Dental is profit-oriented, and many students and their parents don’t seem to like that approach.
NYU Dental has managed to keep the education cost so high because they have a certain reputation. And, to keep that reputation, they need to keep the number of seats lower than the number of applicants, and the cost of education higher than what it would be in other dental schools.
NYU Dental Requires Living in New York City (AKA One Of The Most Expensive Cities In The World)
One of the reasons why the cost of education at NYU Dental is so high lies in the fact that the students need to live in New York City. Unless a student is a resident of the city already, living in New York can be soul-breaking for many.
The city is extremely expensive even for those with a good income, let alone broke students.
Sure, one can try living with roommates to lower the expenses or survive on eating Ramen noodles for 4 years, but even that will become an issue after some time.
So, if you have to move the New York to study at NYU Dental, we would say it is probably not worth it. Sure, it may seem exciting to move to New York and experience the city in its full glory.
However, many get their expectations high about life in NY, and they quickly become disappointed as well.
We’d recommend you try studying in a cheaper, low-cost location that will not drive you into bankruptcy even before you’re started your education.
The Financial Investment is Enormous
We have to reiterate; the cost of education at NYU is incredibly high. Even with financial aid, you’re looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars of expenses and debt. The NYU Dental is in some cases even more expensive than the medical school itself.
So, in that sense, the NYU Dental is surely not worth it. There are so many other dental schools where the education expenses and student loan fees are significantly lower. And, in such cases, financial aid makes sense; it is noticeable and useful.
Plus, you need to take into consideration the living expenses in New York City. In some cases, the living expenses exceed those of living in European cities, in which case it would be more cost-friendly to move to Europe and study dentistry there.
The Final Verdict
Considering all the disadvantages we’ve mentioned, our final verdict would be; no, the NYU Dental School is far from being worthy of your money and hard work.
However, that applies in cases where finances are an issue, where students have to move to New York to study, and where the quality of education is only measured by the name of the college.
It is important to know that you can get the same education quality, if not better, in many other, cheaper dental schools in the country and elsewhere.
So, make sure to conduct detailed research before you decide where to apply for your dental education. Compare the costs, the pros, and the cons, and see which dental school will give the most and take the least from you and your future.
