Sallie Mae Unveils Comprehensive Suite of Loan Products for Dental Students

Sallie Mae, the nation’s leading saving- and paying-for-college company, today introduced Sallie Mae DENTALoans(SM), a new comprehensive suite of dental loan products designed to assist students enrolled in dental school, studying a dental specialty, or dentists establishing a dental practice.

DENTALoans are available to students attending institutions eligible for Title IV student financial aid, and among the 56 U.S. institutions — and 10 Canadian institutions — accredited by the American Dental Association. Participating institutions must offer either a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD), and may also offer Advanced Study Programs in periodontics, pediatric dentistry, prosthodontics, endodontics, orthodontics, and oral and maxillofacial surgery.

When students and families begin planning for college payment, they should always look first and foremost for free money such as grants and scholarships. Second, they should maximize their borrowing under the Federal Stafford Loan and PLUS Loan programs, which provide the most consumer-friendly loan rates, benefits, and repayment options. If students still need money after they have exhausted all options for federal funding, they may consider applying for a private education loan to meet the total cost of attendance.

Customers may earn significant savings on Sallie Mae’s dental loan offerings, including interest rate reductions of more than 2 percent for Stafford loans and 1.85 percent for Graduate PLUS. These rate reductions are front-loaded and realized as early as first disbursement, rather than granted after significant payments have already been made.