Dentistry: is this first professional degree worth it?
National picture across 59 reporting college programs.
Personal baseline needed
$175,048 in median year-4 earnings
A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.
$175,048Median year-4 earnings
$20,848Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Observed national outcomes
$175,048Median reported earnings · year 4
$160,682Average reported earnings · year 5
Not availableMedian federal debt
94thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
59Reporting programs
59With year-4 earnings
The same field can produce a different equation.
Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.
OPEN PROFILE
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $329,225
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 1
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $173,344
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 5
First Professional Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $175,048
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 59
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$162,018National median$175,04875th percentile$187,912
59 programs report year‑4 earnings.See the spread, not just the national number.
1West Virginia University$202,5202Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine$201,6663University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill$198,5704University at Buffalo$198,1105Ohio State University-Main Campus$198,0716Virginia Commonwealth University$197,5077Augusta University$196,5878University of Washington-Seattle Campus$193,0099University of Connecticut$190,79710University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus$190,797Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Related occupations
Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.
Dentists, GeneralSOC 29-1021 · 1 crosswalk linksHealth Specialties Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1071 · 1 crosswalk links
Same degree, different outcomes
Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. Automated ROI is withheld when an exact program price or personal earnings baseline is required.
| # | College | Location | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | ROI status | Cost context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia UniversityFirst Professional Degree | Morgantown, WV | $202,520 | Not available | Baseline needed | $15,634 |
| 2 | Lake Erie College of Osteopathic MedicineFirst Professional Degree | Erie, PA | $201,666 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 3 | University of North Carolina at Chapel HillFirst Professional Degree | Chapel Hill, NC | $198,570 | Not available | Baseline needed | $11,655 |
| 4 | University at BuffaloFirst Professional Degree | Buffalo, NY | $198,110 | Not available | Baseline needed | $20,995 |
| 5 | Ohio State University-Main CampusFirst Professional Degree | Columbus, OH | $198,071 | Not available | Baseline needed | $17,339 |
| 6 | Virginia Commonwealth UniversityFirst Professional Degree | Richmond, VA | $197,507 | Not available | Baseline needed | $23,433 |
| 7 | Augusta UniversityFirst Professional Degree | Augusta, GA | $196,587 | Not available | Baseline needed | $13,787 |
| 8 | University of Washington-Seattle CampusFirst Professional Degree | Seattle, WA | $193,009 | Not available | Baseline needed | $14,091 |
| 9 | University of ConnecticutFirst Professional Degree | Storrs, CT | $190,797 | Not available | Baseline needed | $25,097 |
| 10 | University of Connecticut-Waterbury CampusFirst Professional Degree | Waterbury, CT | $190,797 | Not available | Baseline needed | $10,875 |
| 11 | University of Connecticut-Avery PointFirst Professional Degree | Groton, CT | $190,797 | Not available | Baseline needed | $13,807 |
| 12 | University of Connecticut-StamfordFirst Professional Degree | Stamford, CT | $190,797 | Not available | Baseline needed | $16,798 |
| 13 | University of Connecticut-Hartford CampusFirst Professional Degree | Hartford, CT | $190,797 | Not available | Baseline needed | $16,403 |
| 14 | Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New OrleansFirst Professional Degree | New Orleans, LA | $189,321 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 15 | East Carolina UniversityFirst Professional Degree | Greenville, NC | $187,926 | Not available | Baseline needed | $15,739 |
| 16 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh CampusFirst Professional Degree | Pittsburgh, PA | $187,912 | Not available | Baseline needed | $30,434 |
| 17 | University of KentuckyFirst Professional Degree | Lexington, KY | $185,878 | Not available | Baseline needed | $18,851 |
| 18 | University of Minnesota-Twin CitiesFirst Professional Degree | Minneapolis, MN | $185,225 | Not available | Baseline needed | $16,778 |
| 19 | Southern Illinois University EdwardsvilleFirst Professional Degree | Edwardsville, IL | $184,815 | Not available | Baseline needed | $14,889 |
| 20 | Indiana University-IndianapolisFirst Professional Degree | Indianapolis, IN | $183,985 | Not available | Baseline needed | $11,668 |
| 21 | Marquette UniversityFirst Professional Degree | Milwaukee, WI | $183,642 | Not available | Baseline needed | $31,487 |
| 22 | Temple UniversityFirst Professional Degree | Philadelphia, PA | $183,560 | Not available | Baseline needed | $28,198 |
| 23 | Columbia University in the City of New YorkFirst Professional Degree | New York, NY | $182,326 | Not available | Baseline needed | $21,590 |
| 24 | Creighton UniversityFirst Professional Degree | Omaha, NE | $181,068 | Not available | Baseline needed | $31,568 |
| 25 | Boston UniversityFirst Professional Degree | Boston, MA | $180,633 | Not available | Baseline needed | $24,402 |
| 26 | The University of Tennessee Health Science CenterFirst Professional Degree | Memphis, TN | $179,129 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 27 | University of Michigan-Ann ArborFirst Professional Degree | Ann Arbor, MI | $176,961 | Not available | Baseline needed | $13,138 |
| 28 | University of FloridaFirst Professional Degree | Gainesville, FL | $176,959 | Not available | Baseline needed | $6,541 |
| 29 | Oregon Health & Science UniversityFirst Professional Degree | Portland, OR | $176,188 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 30 | Tufts UniversityFirst Professional Degree | Medford, MA | $175,048 | Not available | Baseline needed | $39,998 |
| 31 | University of Detroit MercyFirst Professional Degree | Detroit, MI | $173,975 | Not available | Baseline needed | $15,232 |
| 32 | University of Missouri-Kansas CityFirst Professional Degree | Kansas City, MO | $173,323 | Not available | Baseline needed | $13,310 |
| 33 | University of IowaFirst Professional Degree | Iowa City, IA | $172,943 | Not available | Baseline needed | $22,531 |
| 34 | University of LouisvilleFirst Professional Degree | Louisville, KY | $172,704 | Not available | Baseline needed | $17,988 |
| 35 | Medical University of South CarolinaFirst Professional Degree | Charleston, SC | $172,695 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 36 | A T Still University of Health SciencesFirst Professional Degree | Kirksville, MO | $171,983 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 37 | University of Nevada-Las VegasFirst Professional Degree | Las Vegas, NV | $170,437 | Not available | Baseline needed | $10,359 |
| 38 | University of Oklahoma-Health Sciences CenterFirst Professional Degree | Oklahoma City, OK | $170,339 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 39 | University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusFirst Professional Degree | Norman, OK | $170,339 | Not available | Baseline needed | $15,300 |
| 40 | University of Nebraska Medical CenterFirst Professional Degree | Omaha, NE | $168,581 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 41 | University of Maryland BaltimoreFirst Professional Degree | Baltimore, MD | $166,213 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 42 | Case Western Reserve UniversityFirst Professional Degree | Cleveland, OH | $164,638 | Not available | Baseline needed | $41,190 |
| 43 | Howard UniversityFirst Professional Degree | Washington, DC | $164,425 | Not available | Baseline needed | $50,539 |
| 44 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical CampusFirst Professional Degree | Denver, CO | $162,753 | Not available | Baseline needed | $11,900 |
| 45 | University of Alabama at BirminghamFirst Professional Degree | Birmingham, AL | $162,018 | Not available | Baseline needed | $18,749 |
| 46 | New York UniversityFirst Professional Degree | New York, NY | $161,495 | Not available | Baseline needed | $37,050 |
| 47 | Stony Brook UniversityFirst Professional Degree | Stony Brook, NY | $160,639 | Not available | Baseline needed | $18,784 |
| 48 | Rutgers University-New BrunswickFirst Professional Degree | New Brunswick, NJ | $159,660 | Not available | Baseline needed | $24,406 |
| 49 | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San AntonioFirst Professional Degree | San Antonio, TX | $156,247 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 50 | University of the PacificFirst Professional Degree | Stockton, CA | $156,198 | Not available | Baseline needed | $25,447 |
| 51 | Texas A&M University-College StationFirst Professional Degree | College Station, TX | $155,946 | Not available | Baseline needed | $21,315 |
| 52 | University of UtahFirst Professional Degree | Salt Lake City, UT | $153,714 | Not available | Baseline needed | $16,200 |
| 53 | University of California, San FranciscoFirst Professional Degree | San Francisco, CA | $152,323 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 54 | Harvard UniversityFirst Professional Degree | Cambridge, MA | $151,692 | Not available | Baseline needed | $19,066 |
| 55 | Loma Linda UniversityFirst Professional Degree | Loma Linda, CA | $149,878 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 56 | Western University of Health SciencesFirst Professional Degree | Pomona, CA | $145,722 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 57 | University of Puerto Rico-Medical SciencesFirst Professional Degree | San Juan, PR | $145,120 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 58 | The University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonFirst Professional Degree | Houston, TX | $136,742 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 59 | University of Southern CaliforniaFirst Professional Degree | Los Angeles, CA | $123,341 | Not available | Baseline needed | $32,740 |
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.