Have you ever wondered why dental procedures are so expensive? Or why a dental crown costs $1,000+? Part of the reason is because it’s expensive to train a dentist. Not only are there tuition fees associated with becoming a dentist, there are several mandatory costs including instruments, laboratory/equipment, dental supply costs, and much more. These extra costs add up and is what makes dental school one of the most expensive professional schools to attend. When reviewing dental school costs, it’s important to account for all of these factors to truly gauge how expensive dental school costs in Canada.

Below we have compiled an accurate summary of the total dental school costs in Canada for each of the 10 dental schools in the country.

Total Dental School Costs in Canada*

*Costs listed are for in-province students. **The program at the Université Montreal is unique as it is a 5-year program. In the final year, the cost of tuition is $4,000 CAD. 

Keep in mind that other key factors in determining which dental school you want to apply to are admission statistics, rankings, and prerequisites and dental school requirements.

Accounting for Cost of Living

One thing to keep in mind is that there are other costs associated with being a dental student, depending on your standard of living. Some people may choose to live on campus, or alone in a one-bedroom apartment. One student may have a monthly coffee and restaurant budget, while another strictly cooks from home. These factors all determine if you will have a higher or lower cost of living, and even debt if you plan to take out loans for these reasons. Also, dental school costs in Canada vary significantly depending on the city you live in.

Below, we will discuss further information pertaining to the cost of attending each school in its perspective geographic location. For all of our cost of living expenses mentioned, we will be using an average cost for a single person’s rent, utilities, food, and transportation per month based on LivingCost.org’s research.

University of Alberta School of Dentistry

The University of Alberta is one of Canada’s top universities. Its campus is located in Edmonton, a highly rated place to live in the entire country. However, Edmonton is an expensive city to live in and costs the average single person $1536.

University of British Columbia Faculty of Dentistry

The University of British Columbia’s campus is located in Vancouver, one of the most expensive cities to live in North America.

Fortunately, this university has created a cost of living calculator for all prospective students. You can input your program, what type of living situation you plan to have, citizenship, and how much financial help you think you’ll have during the year. This can give you a more accurate figure because it considers more factors than living cost. However, we will still include that Vancouver can cost you about $1944 per month for just the essentials.

University of Manitoba

The University of Manitoba is the first university in Western Canada, specifically Winnipeg. The cost of living per month in Winnipeg is around $1425. This city is cheaper compared to most in Canada, and you can get more bang for your buck in terms of housing.

Dalhousie University Faculty of Dentistry

You can find Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. A cost of living in Halifax estimate from the University of Dalhousie concludes that one may spend about $1495 per month. This price depends on your rent cost and how much you spend on food and other expenses.

University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry

The University of Toronto is the largest university in Canada. It’s located near the financial district in downtown Toronto. Keep in mind, Toronto is a very expensive city to live in. It is in the top 3% of the most expensive cities in the world! That being said, the cost of living for one person is $2099 per month. This number can easily add up depending on the living situation you choose.

Western University Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry

Western University Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry is located in London, Ontario. Fortunately, the estimate of monthly living expenses is $1,333. This amount is one of the less expensive cities a dental student can live in.

Université Laval Faculté de Médecine Dentaire

Laval University is located in Quebec City, Quebec, and only offers courses in French. Quebec City is one of the cheaper cities in Canada, and a great place to check out if you speak French. The estimated cost of living for a single person is $1,160 per month.

McGill University Faculty of Dentistry

McGill University is based in Montréal, Quebec. This school was founded in 1821 and known as the oldest English-speaking university in Quebec. Based on LivingCost’s estimate, the average cost of living in Montréal is $1,447 per month.

Université de Montréal Faculté de Médecine Dentaire

This is another French-language university and is located in Montréal, Quebec. Based on an earlier estimate, you can expect an average cost of $1,447 per month on living expenses.

University of Saskatchewan College of Dentistry

You can find University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. As for the average cost of living, it’s estimated to be $1367 if you are renting a one-bedroom apartment.

How do I apply for dental school loans?

In Canada, there are 3 ways to obtain a loan to pay off your dental school tuition, as listed below. We will go more into depth on the specifics of obtaining a dental school loan in our next article.

• Apply for a provincial loan
• Apply for federal funding
• Obtain a line of credit from the bank

Is Dentistry worth it in Canada?

Dentistry is absolutely worth pursuing in Canada! If you want to change lives and make a decent living, the benefits far outweigh the costs. You also have the ability to impact patients’ health and confidence levels by being a dentist. Working for a private practice, and even specializing can help you bring in the money to pay off your loans fast. In fact, even as a general dentist you can earn $150,000 – 300,000+ depending on the location and skillset you bring to the table.

In addition to school costs, we recommend understanding Canadian dental school requirements before you apply. If you would like an in-depth analysis of Canadian dental school requirements for each specific dental school, including statistics such as average admitted GPA and DAT.