So I am planning on attending dental school in the fall and I wanted to know what the national guard offers dental students. Do they pay for all 4 years of tuition? Do they pay for room and board? Do they provide the dental student with money during dental school? How do you have to repay the national guard after you graduate?
Please do not use any acronyms to answer my questions because I am unfamiliar with military affiliated words. Thanks.
This may be way more information than you wanted/needed, but I am bored, so here goes:
The Army National Guard offers a program called the Medical/Dental Student Stipend Program (MDSSP), which is an incentive based program targeted to medical and dental students. It is not a scholarship that will pay for your dental school. This program will offer medical and dental students a monthly stipend of $2,060 for up to 4 years. While you are in school, you will be commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant (O-1) in the Medical Service Corps, and will have to attend military training drills (one weekend every month and two weeks every year), for which you will be paid. You will earn about $366 for each weekend drill, and ~$1500 for the yearly two week training period. Time spent in this program counts toward longevity pay increases and reserve retirement. After you graduate, you will be superseded to Captain (O-3), recommissioned in the Dental Corps, and will incur a one year service obligation for every six months (or part thereof) that you received the stipend. This obligation is still part time (one weekend every month, 2 weeks every year). You cannot be deployed during dental school, but after you graduate you will be subject to deployment. Currently the Army National Guard dentists deploy for 90 days boots-in-sand, with perhaps an additional 1-1.5 months for pre-deployment training. It is also worth noting that one or two states give free tuition to its National Guard members attending their state dental/medical schools (New Jersey comes to mind). It may have changed since I was researching it a couple of years ago, but it is worth looking into.
If you were looking for a military program that would completely cover your dental school expenses (with the exception of room and board), you will probably need to look into one that comes with an active duty commitment. The Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program (AFHPSP or HPSP for short) is offered by the Army, Navy, and Air Force. This is a scholarship that will pay your dental school tuition, fees, and books for up to 4 years. You are commissioned as a Reserve officer in the pay grade of O-1 and paid a stipend of $2060/month. The Army and Navy are also offering a $20,000 signing bonus. During the summers, you will be placed on active duty for 45 days to do training/rotations at Navy facilities. During this time you will be paid as an active duty O-1 with <2 years. Time spent in school does not count toward longevity pay increases or retirement. You cannot be deployed during dental school. After you graduate, you will be promoted straight to O-3 and will have to serve 1 year of active duty for every year spent in HPSP, with a minimum of 3 years.
Another program of interest is the Health Services Collegiate Program (HSCP) offered by the Navy. HSCP is not a scholarship, so it doesn't pay your tuition. While you are in school, HSCP places you on active duty as an enlisted member in the pay grade E-6 with all of the pay and benefits that comes with it (which includes free health and dental insurance) for up to 4 years. Your pay will be partially based on the location of your school, but I would say that the average would be ~$45,000/year. Unlike HPSP, your time spent in school DOES count toward pay raises and retirement. Though you are technically active duty, you cannot be deployed during dental school. After you graduate, you will be commissioned as an officer in the pay grade of O-3 and must serve 1 year of active duty for every year spent in HSCP, with a minimum of 3 years. Since HSCP doesn't pay tuition, it is a better choice if you are attending a less expensive state dental school.
Hope this helps, and sorry if I confused you.
