2026 Best Value Dentistry Schools in Illinois
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in dentistry, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Dentistry Schools
For return on investment in dentistry, no school beat University Of Illinois At Chicago this year. Located in the city of Chicago, University Of Illinois At Chicago is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $15,949, with out-of-state students paying around $32,009. Students borrow a median of $20,115 to complete the dentistry program here. Dentistry graduates of University Of Illinois At Chicago earn a median of $131,656 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $20,115 median debt. The acceptance rate is 77%.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville earned it the #2 place for dentistry. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $12,092. Typical student debt for dentistry graduates is $23,917. Early-career dentistry graduates make about $154,408. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville admits about 98% of applicants.
Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
[Dentistry](/majors/health-care-professions/dentistry/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong dentistry education at a price that pays off.
