Will the Big Beautiful Bill impact 6-year OMFS?

[HopefulApplicant667]

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Non-dentist here, but just curious. For those that don't know, the new congressional spending bill has added caps to graduate student loans and eliminated graduate PLUS loans. In short, it means that for students attending a "professional" school (including dental school and medical school), their lifetime federal loan eligibility is capped at $200,000. Any cost beyond that must be filled by the private sector, whose loans carry less protections and often higher interest rates.

For OMFS, my understanding is that 1) dental students who attend the same classes as medical students (Harvard Dental School, Columbia Dental School, UPenn Dental School) generally do better on the CBSE, and 2) those who attend a 6-year MD-granting OMFS program must pay for medical school tuition. Since Columbia, Harvard, and UPenn are incredibly expensive dental schools and medical school tuition is also incredibly expensive, a DMD/MD or DDS/MD would now include sky-high interest private loans, which also are less forgiving as far as periods of deferment for residency or going back to medical school. Does anyone have any thoughts on how OMFS will look moving forward? Will 4-year programs become significantly more competitive?

 

[Thehighwind87]

Non-dentist here, but just curious. For those that don't know, the new congressional spending bill has added caps to graduate student loans and eliminated graduate PLUS loans. In short, it means that for students attending a "professional" school (including dental school and medical school), their lifetime federal loan eligibility is capped at $200,000. Any cost beyond that must be filled by the private sector, whose loans carry less protections and often higher interest rates.

For OMFS, my understanding is that 1) dental students who attend the same classes as medical students (Harvard Dental School, Columbia Dental School, UPenn Dental School) generally do better on the CBSE, and 2) those who attend a 6-year MD-granting OMFS program must pay for medical school tuition. Since Columbia, Harvard, and UPenn are incredibly expensive dental schools and medical school tuition is also incredibly expensive, a DMD/MD or DDS/MD would now include sky-high interest private loans, which also are less forgiving as far as periods of deferment for residency or going back to medical school. Does anyone have any thoughts on how OMFS will look moving forward? Will 4-year programs become significantly more competitive?

Interest accumulated every year. You gonna get that degree but you gonna also be broke as a joke.

 

[White_Sponge_Nevus]

Non-dentist here, but just curious. For those that don't know, the new congressional spending bill has added caps to graduate student loans and eliminated graduate PLUS loans. In short, it means that for students attending a "professional" school (including dental school and medical school), their lifetime federal loan eligibility is capped at $200,000. Any cost beyond that must be filled by the private sector, whose loans carry less protections and often higher interest rates.

For OMFS, my understanding is that 1) dental students who attend the same classes as medical students (Harvard Dental School, Columbia Dental School, UPenn Dental School) generally do better on the CBSE, and 2) those who attend a 6-year MD-granting OMFS program must pay for medical school tuition. Since Columbia, Harvard, and UPenn are incredibly expensive dental schools and medical school tuition is also incredibly expensive, a DMD/MD or DDS/MD would now include sky-high interest private loans, which also are less forgiving as far as periods of deferment for residency or going back to medical school. Does anyone have any thoughts on how OMFS will look moving forward? Will 4-year programs become significantly more competitive?

The 6 year program was losing popularity for the exact reasons you outlined prior to this legistlation. I think this will exacerbate the divide in applicant:spot ratio that is emerging between 4 and 6 year options.

I went to a public school affiliated with a 6 year program (where I was influenced by all the 6 year proppenents to take that path). Then matched to a 6 year program affiliated with a state medical school, charging only two years of tuition. Still way above the $200,000 limit and I graduated dental school in 2020. So it will affect people even at the most affordable dental schools. There is no question I have come out financially behind because of my choice to do 6. I think it was an interesting route to take and right now am on the fence as to whether or not I regret it. Most older people do not once they've had enough time to pay off their loans and have the perspective of their careers/interactions with medical colleagues. But 4 year grads don't regret their choice either.

Long story short, the debate and competitiveness divergence driven by economic factors was there before, I just feel bad for people in the future who will face ****tier circumstances regardless of which route they take. This was necessary to kill off NYU/USC's tuition increases and stabilize the field but it's still sad for the youngins

 

[Tutling]

I’m a six year resident. Assuming programs don’t make any changes it will likely become increasingly difficult for them. I assume that PDs with adjust with the times as long as their hands aren’t tied.

There are lots of options to offset the cost of med school to make it more palatable.

 

[702]

I’m a six year resident. Assuming programs don’t make any changes it will likely become increasingly difficult for them. I assume that PDs with adjust with the times as long as their hands aren’t tied.

There are lots of options to offset the cost of med school to make it more palatable.

What options

 

[Anonamoose]

What options

moonlighting

 

[0bliqueridge]

This was necessary to kill off NYU/USC's tuition increases and stabilize the field but it's still sad for the youngins

Its naive to think this will do anything about that in the near future lmao. There are still plenty of people with wealthy parents who will pay their tuition, and when they dry up, plenty of people willing to take private loans with less favorable repayment options / interest rates.

This new legislation does nothing to alleviate the problem or help future grad students, its just funneling money into private lenders' pockets