FL · FIPS 12 · South · State

Florida

46% stayed home, and residents fill 67% of Florida's seats.

2,449

students started dental school

#4 of 52 in the nation

44%

stayed in-state

1,088 students

1,361

left for another state

#2 most leavers

different schools attended

across 36 states

Destinations

Where Florida's students went

Matriculants from Florida by the state of their dental school, 2021–2025. Hover a state for the count.

Florida (stayed home)1–4 students5–19 students20–49 students50–199 students200+ studentsNone

Top 10 schools

The most common picks

In FloridaOut of state

University of FloridaFL · Public
43517.8%
Nova Southeastern UniversityFL · Private
43217.6%
LECOM College of Dental MedicineFL · Private
2219.0%
Tufts UniversityMA · Private
1094.5%
New York UniversityNY · Private
903.7%
Midwestern University - ILIL · Private
863.5%
University of LouisvilleKY · Public
813.3%
University of PennsylvaniaPA · Private
692.8%
University of MarylandMD · Public
632.6%
Boston UniversityMA · Private
592.4%

The story

What the numbers say

From 2021 to 2025, 2,449 students from Florida started dental school, 4th in the nation. 44% stayed in Florida, 18% at an in-state public school.

The 1,361 who left went to 35 other states. The most popular out-of-state school was Tufts University (MA), with 109 students.

Florida's dental schools enrolled 1,647 students over the same years, 66% of them residents. New York (60) and California (58) sent the most outsiders.

Stayed in Florida for dental school44%

Went to an in-state public school18%

Seats at Florida's schools filled by residents66%

Inbound

Who else comes here

Florida's 3 dental schools enrolled 1,647 students; 66% were residents. Top out-of-state feeders:

Home schools

Dental schools in Florida

LECOM College of Dental MedicinePrivate221 from FL
Nova Southeastern UniversityPrivate432 from FL
University of FloridaPublic435 from FL

All 69 schools Florida students attended

School	State	Type	Students	Share
University of Florida	FL	Public	435	17.8%
Nova Southeastern University	FL	Private	432	17.6%
LECOM College of Dental Medicine	FL	Private	221	9.0%
Tufts University	MA	Private	109	4.5%
New York University	NY	Private	90	3.7%
Midwestern University - IL	IL	Private	86	3.5%
University of Louisville	KY	Public	81	3.3%
University of Pennsylvania	PA	Private	69	2.8%
University of Maryland	MD	Public	63	2.6%
Boston University	MA	Private	59	2.4%
Touro College of Dental Medicine	NY	Private	46	1.9%
Howard University	DC	Private	45	1.8%
University of Detroit Mercy	MI	Private	35	1.4%
Meharry Medical College	TN	Private	34	1.4%
Roseman University of Health Sciences	UT	Private	34	1.4%
Columbia University	NY	Private	33	1.3%
Midwestern University - AZ	AZ	Private	33	1.3%
Lincoln Memorial University	TN	Private	29	1.2%
University of Alabama	AL	Public	28	1.1%
University of Michigan	MI	Public	27	1.1%
Virginia Commonwealth University	VA	Public	26	1.1%
Temple University	PA	Public	25	1.0%
University of Colorado	CO	Public	24	1.0%
University of New England	ME	Private	21	0.9%
University of Pittsburgh	PA	Public	21	0.9%
Indiana University	IN	Public	19	0.8%
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC	CA	Private	18	0.7%
Marquette University	WI	Private	16	0.7%
Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health	AZ	Private	15	0.6%
Ohio State University	OH	Public	15	0.6%
University of Kentucky	KY	Public	15	0.6%
Case Western Reserve University	OH	Private	14	0.6%
Kansas City University	MO	Private	14	0.6%
Harvard University	MA	Private	13	0.5%
University at Buffalo	NY	Public	13	0.5%
Creighton University	NE	Private	12	0.5%
Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health	MO	Private	12	0.5%
University of North Carolina	NC	Public	12	0.5%
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine	NJ	Public	11	0.4%
Western University of Health Sciences	CA	Private	11	0.4%
Universidad Ana G. Mendez	PR	Private	10	0.4%
University of Connecticut	CT	Public	10	0.4%
LSU Health Sciences Center	LA	Public	9	0.4%
Medical University of South Carolina	SC	Public	9	0.4%
High Point University	NC	Private	8	0.3%
Augusta University	GA	Public	7	0.3%
Loma Linda University	CA	Private	7	0.3%
Ponce Health Science University	PR	Private	7	0.3%
University of Washington	WA	Public	7	0.3%
Oregon Health & Science University	OR	Public	6	0.2%
University of the Pacific	CA	Private	6	0.2%
University of California, San Francisco	CA	Public	5	0.2%
California Northstate University	CA	Private	4	0.2%
University of Iowa	IA	Public	4	0.2%
University of Minnesota	MN	Public	4	0.2%
University of Nevada, Las Vegas	NV	Public	4	0.2%
University of Puerto Rico	PR	Public	3	0.1%
University of Tennessee	TN	Public	3	0.1%
University of Utah	UT	Public	3	0.1%
West Virginia University	WV	Public	3	0.1%
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences	WA	Private	2	0.1%
Stony Brook University	NY	Public	2	0.1%
UT Health San Antonio	TX	Public	2	0.1%
University of Illinois Chicago	IL	Public	2	0.1%
University of Nebraska Medical Center	NE	Public	2	0.1%
Northeast Ohio Medical University	OH	Public	1	0.0%
Texas A&M University	TX	Public	1	0.0%
Texas Tech University	TX	Public	1	0.0%
University of Texas at Houston	TX	Public	1	0.0%

4,718

students started dental school

#3 of 52 in the nation

46%

stayed in-state

2,156 students

2,562

left for another state

#2 most leavers

different schools attended

across 36 states

Destinations

Where Florida's students went

Matriculants from Florida by the state of their dental school, 2016–2025. Hover a state for the count.

Florida (stayed home)1–4 students5–19 students20–49 students50–199 students200+ studentsNone

Top 10 schools

The most common picks

In FloridaOut of state

University of FloridaFL · Public
86818.4%
Nova Southeastern UniversityFL · Private
86118.2%
LECOM College of Dental MedicineFL · Private
4279.1%
Tufts UniversityMA · Private
2345.0%
New York UniversityNY · Private
2034.3%
University of LouisvilleKY · Public
1362.9%
University of PennsylvaniaPA · Private
1322.8%
Midwestern University - ILIL · Private
1252.6%
University of MarylandMD · Public
1122.4%
Boston UniversityMA · Private
1012.1%

The story

What the numbers say

From 2016 to 2025, 4,718 students from Florida started dental school, 3rd in the nation. 46% stayed in Florida, 18% at an in-state public school.

The 2,562 who left went to 35 other states. The most popular out-of-state school was Tufts University (MA), with 234 students.

Florida's dental schools enrolled 3,203 students over the same years, 67% of them residents. Texas (110) and Georgia (101) sent the most outsiders.

Stayed in Florida for dental school46%

Went to an in-state public school18%

Seats at Florida's schools filled by residents67%

Inbound

Who else comes here

Florida's 3 dental schools enrolled 3,203 students; 67% were residents. Top out-of-state feeders:

Home schools

Dental schools in Florida

LECOM College of Dental MedicinePrivate427 from FL
Nova Southeastern UniversityPrivate861 from FL
University of FloridaPublic868 from FL

All 71 schools Florida students attended

School	State	Type	Students	Share
University of Florida	FL	Public	868	18.4%
Nova Southeastern University	FL	Private	861	18.2%
LECOM College of Dental Medicine	FL	Private	427	9.1%
Tufts University	MA	Private	234	5.0%
New York University	NY	Private	203	4.3%
University of Louisville	KY	Public	136	2.9%
University of Pennsylvania	PA	Private	132	2.8%
Midwestern University - IL	IL	Private	125	2.6%
University of Maryland	MD	Public	112	2.4%
Boston University	MA	Private	101	2.1%
Howard University	DC	Private	87	1.8%
Touro College of Dental Medicine	NY	Private	80	1.7%
Columbia University	NY	Private	71	1.5%
University of Detroit Mercy	MI	Private	71	1.5%
University of Alabama	AL	Public	70	1.5%
Temple University	PA	Public	63	1.3%
Virginia Commonwealth University	VA	Public	63	1.3%
Midwestern University - AZ	AZ	Private	60	1.3%
Meharry Medical College	TN	Private	59	1.3%
Roseman University of Health Sciences	UT	Private	58	1.2%
University of Michigan	MI	Public	43	0.9%
University of New England	ME	Private	42	0.9%
Case Western Reserve University	OH	Private	40	0.8%
University of Pittsburgh	PA	Public	39	0.8%
University of Colorado	CO	Public	38	0.8%
University of Kentucky	KY	Public	37	0.8%
Marquette University	WI	Private	36	0.8%
Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health	AZ	Private	32	0.7%
University of North Carolina	NC	Public	31	0.7%
Harvard University	MA	Private	29	0.6%
Indiana University	IN	Public	29	0.6%
Lincoln Memorial University	TN	Private	29	0.6%
Loma Linda University	CA	Private	25	0.5%
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC	CA	Private	24	0.5%
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine	NJ	Public	23	0.5%
Western University of Health Sciences	CA	Private	23	0.5%
Ohio State University	OH	Public	22	0.5%
Creighton University	NE	Private	20	0.4%
Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health	MO	Private	20	0.4%
University of Connecticut	CT	Public	19	0.4%
University at Buffalo	NY	Public	18	0.4%
LSU Health Sciences Center	LA	Public	17	0.4%
University of Tennessee	TN	Public	15	0.3%
Kansas City University	MO	Private	14	0.3%
Medical University of South Carolina	SC	Public	13	0.3%
University of the Pacific	CA	Private	12	0.3%
University of California, Los Angeles	CA	Public	11	0.2%
University of Iowa	IA	Public	11	0.2%
Augusta University	GA	Public	10	0.2%
Universidad Ana G. Mendez	PR	Private	10	0.2%
University of Minnesota	MN	Public	10	0.2%
University of California, San Francisco	CA	Public	9	0.2%
University of Nevada, Las Vegas	NV	Public	9	0.2%
University of Utah	UT	Public	9	0.2%
High Point University	NC	Private	8	0.2%
Ponce Health Science University	PR	Private	7	0.1%
University of Washington	WA	Public	7	0.1%
Oregon Health & Science University	OR	Public	6	0.1%
West Virginia University	WV	Public	6	0.1%
University of Nebraska Medical Center	NE	Public	5	0.1%
California Northstate University	CA	Private	4	0.1%
UT Health San Antonio	TX	Public	4	0.1%
University of Illinois Chicago	IL	Public	4	0.1%
University of Puerto Rico	PR	Public	4	0.1%
University of Texas at Houston	TX	Public	4	0.1%
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences	WA	Private	2	0.0%
Southern Illinois University	IL	Public	2	0.0%
Stony Brook University	NY	Public	2	0.0%
Northeast Ohio Medical University	OH	Public	1	0.0%
Texas A&M University	TX	Public	1	0.0%
Texas Tech University	TX	Public	1	0.0%

8,994

students started dental school

#4 of 52 in the nation

50%

stayed in-state

4,514 students

4,480

left for another state

#2 most leavers

different schools attended

across 37 states

Destinations

Where Florida's students went

Matriculants from Florida by the state of their dental school, 2000–2025. Hover a state for the count.

Florida (stayed home)1–4 students5–19 students20–49 students50–199 students200+ studentsNone

Top 10 schools

The most common picks

In FloridaOut of state

University of FloridaFL · Public
2,10823.4%
Nova Southeastern UniversityFL · Private
1,81120.1%
LECOM College of Dental MedicineFL · Private
5956.6%
Tufts UniversityMA · Private
4555.1%
New York UniversityNY · Private
3754.2%
University of PennsylvaniaPA · Private
2392.7%
Boston UniversityMA · Private
2332.6%
University of MarylandMD · Public
2122.4%
University of LouisvilleKY · Public
2042.3%
Howard UniversityDC · Private
2002.2%

The story

What the numbers say

From 2000 to 2025, 8,994 students from Florida started dental school, 4th in the nation. 50% stayed in Florida, 23% at an in-state public school.

The 4,480 who left went to 36 other states. The most popular out-of-state school was Tufts University (MA), with 455 students.

Florida's dental schools enrolled 6,577 students over the same years, 69% of them residents. California (230) and Texas (190) sent the most outsiders.

Stayed in Florida for dental school50%

Went to an in-state public school23%

Seats at Florida's schools filled by residents69%

Inbound

Who else comes here

Florida's 3 dental schools enrolled 6,577 students; 69% were residents. Top out-of-state feeders:

Home schools

Dental schools in Florida

LECOM College of Dental MedicinePrivate595 from FL
Nova Southeastern UniversityPrivate1,811 from FL
University of FloridaPublic2,108 from FL

All 73 schools Florida students attended

School	State	Type	Students	Share
University of Florida	FL	Public	2,108	23.4%
Nova Southeastern University	FL	Private	1,811	20.1%
LECOM College of Dental Medicine	FL	Private	595	6.6%
Tufts University	MA	Private	455	5.1%
New York University	NY	Private	375	4.2%
University of Pennsylvania	PA	Private	239	2.7%
Boston University	MA	Private	233	2.6%
University of Maryland	MD	Public	212	2.4%
University of Louisville	KY	Public	204	2.3%
Howard University	DC	Private	200	2.2%
Temple University	PA	Public	167	1.9%
Columbia University	NY	Private	145	1.6%
Midwestern University - IL	IL	Private	144	1.6%
Meharry Medical College	TN	Private	136	1.5%
University of Pittsburgh	PA	Public	107	1.2%
University of Alabama	AL	Public	99	1.1%
Virginia Commonwealth University	VA	Public	99	1.1%
Midwestern University - AZ	AZ	Private	95	1.1%
University of Detroit Mercy	MI	Private	92	1.0%
Touro College of Dental Medicine	NY	Private	80	0.9%
Harvard University	MA	Private	76	0.8%
University of Michigan	MI	Public	76	0.8%
Case Western Reserve University	OH	Private	71	0.8%
Roseman University of Health Sciences	UT	Private	67	0.7%
Marquette University	WI	Private	65	0.7%
Loma Linda University	CA	Private	63	0.7%
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine	NJ	Public	63	0.7%
University of Kentucky	KY	Public	60	0.7%
University of North Carolina	NC	Public	58	0.6%
Indiana University	IN	Public	54	0.6%
Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health	AZ	Private	47	0.5%
University of New England	ME	Private	46	0.5%
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC	CA	Private	43	0.5%
University of Colorado	CO	Public	42	0.5%
Western University of Health Sciences	CA	Private	39	0.4%
Ohio State University	OH	Public	37	0.4%
Creighton University	NE	Private	32	0.4%
University of Tennessee	TN	Public	30	0.3%
Lincoln Memorial University	TN	Private	29	0.3%
University at Buffalo	NY	Public	29	0.3%
University of Connecticut	CT	Public	29	0.3%
Medical University of South Carolina	SC	Public	26	0.3%
University of California, San Francisco	CA	Public	26	0.3%
University of the Pacific	CA	Private	26	0.3%
LSU Health Sciences Center	LA	Public	22	0.2%
Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health	MO	Private	22	0.2%
University of Iowa	IA	Public	22	0.2%
University of Nevada, Las Vegas	NV	Public	22	0.2%
University of California, Los Angeles	CA	Public	15	0.2%
Kansas City University	MO	Private	14	0.2%
University of Minnesota	MN	Public	14	0.2%
West Virginia University	WV	Public	14	0.2%
Augusta University	GA	Public	13	0.1%
Universidad Ana G. Mendez	PR	Private	10	0.1%
Stony Brook University	NY	Public	9	0.1%
University of Utah	UT	Public	9	0.1%
High Point University	NC	Private	8	0.1%
Oregon Health & Science University	OR	Public	8	0.1%
Ponce Health Science University	PR	Private	7	0.1%
University of Washington	WA	Public	7	0.1%
University of Illinois Chicago	IL	Public	6	0.1%
University of Nebraska Medical Center	NE	Public	6	0.1%
UT Health San Antonio	TX	Public	5	0.1%
University of Missouri, Kansas City	MO	Public	5	0.1%
University of Puerto Rico	PR	Public	5	0.1%
California Northstate University	CA	Private	4	0.0%
Southern Illinois University	IL	Public	4	0.0%
University of Texas at Houston	TX	Public	4	0.0%
Texas A&M University	TX	Public	3	0.0%
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences	WA	Private	2	0.0%
University of Oklahoma	OK	Public	2	0.0%
Northeast Ohio Medical University	OH	Public	1	0.0%
Texas Tech University	TX	Public	1	0.0%

Staying home, 2000–2025

Are more Florida students staying in-state?

In the last five years, 44% of Florida's first-year dental students stayed in-state, down from 63% in 2000–2004. Nationally, 57% stayed home in 2025, down from 66% in 2000.

Share of first-year students who stayed in-state

FloridaU.S.

Dentist workforce, 2001–2025

Dentists working in Florida

12,635 dentists work in Florida: 53.9 per 100,000 people, below the U.S. rate of 60.0. That's #27 of 51 for dentists per person. The number of dentists is up 57% since 2001.

12,635dentists, 2025

53.9per 100,000 people (U.S. 60.0)

#27of 51 in dentists per person

8,054dentists in 2001 (49.2 per 100K)

Dentists per 100,000 people

FloridaU.S.

Dentists working in dentistry, counted where they work. *The ADA advises caution with 2023–2025 figures. Source: ADA.

Dentist migration, 2019–2024

Are dentists moving to Florida?

Florida gained a net 421 dentists from other states from 2019 to 2024 (+4.8% of its 2019 dentists), #8 of 51. The state's overall population changed by +3.8% from domestic migration (2020–2025).

All dentists+4.8%+421 net · #8 of 51942 moved in, 521 moved out

Early career (under 10 yrs)+8.6%+269 net · #8 of 51628 moved in, 359 moved out

10+ years in practice+2.7%+152 net · #8 of 51314 moved in, 162 moved out

Early-career specialists+11.2%+52 net · #10 of 5198 moved in, 46 moved out

Net dentists Florida gained from / lost to each state:+15 or more+5 to 14+1 to 4−1 to 4−5 to 14−15 or more

Came from

New York124
Texas73
Illinois56
Pennsylvania55
California53

Moved to

Texas72
North Carolina50
California47
Georgia27
New York24

Dentists active in both 2019 and 2024, so new graduates and retirees are not counted. Source: ADA.

What dentists earn in Florida →