IL · FIPS 17 · Midwest · State

Illinois

55% stayed home, and residents fill 59% of Illinois's seats.

1,407

students started dental school

#5 of 52 in the nation

52%

stayed in-state

729 students

678

left for another state

#6 most leavers

different schools attended

across 33 states

Destinations

Where Illinois's students went

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

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

Top 10 schools

The most common picks

In IllinoisOut of state

University of Illinois ChicagoIL · Public
34824.7%
Southern Illinois UniversityIL · Public
21715.4%
Midwestern University - ILIL · Private
16411.7%
Marquette UniversityWI · Private
1047.4%
Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral HealthMO · Private
392.8%
University of PennsylvaniaPA · Private
332.3%
University of MichiganMI · Public
312.2%
New York UniversityNY · Private
302.1%
University of LouisvilleKY · Public
271.9%
Tufts UniversityMA · Private
261.8%

The story

What the numbers say

From 2021 to 2025, 1,407 students from Illinois started dental school, 5th in the nation. 52% stayed in Illinois, 40% at an in-state public school.

The 678 who left went to 32 other states. The most popular out-of-state school was Marquette University (WI), with 104 students.

Illinois's dental schools enrolled 1,309 students over the same years, 56% of them residents. Michigan (90) and Florida (88) sent the most outsiders.

Stayed in Illinois for dental school52%

Went to an in-state public school40%

Seats at Illinois's schools filled by residents56%

Inbound

Who else comes here

Illinois's 3 dental schools enrolled 1,309 students; 56% were residents. Top out-of-state feeders:

Home schools

Dental schools in Illinois

Midwestern University - ILPrivate164 from IL
Southern Illinois UniversityPublic217 from IL
University of Illinois ChicagoPublic348 from IL

All 63 schools Illinois students attended

School	State	Type	Students	Share
University of Illinois Chicago	IL	Public	348	24.7%
Southern Illinois University	IL	Public	217	15.4%
Midwestern University - IL	IL	Private	164	11.7%
Marquette University	WI	Private	104	7.4%
Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health	MO	Private	39	2.8%
University of Pennsylvania	PA	Private	33	2.3%
University of Michigan	MI	Public	31	2.2%
New York University	NY	Private	30	2.1%
University of Louisville	KY	Public	27	1.9%
Tufts University	MA	Private	26	1.8%
Midwestern University - AZ	AZ	Private	25	1.8%
University of Detroit Mercy	MI	Private	23	1.6%
Creighton University	NE	Private	22	1.6%
University of Iowa	IA	Public	22	1.6%
Roseman University of Health Sciences	UT	Private	20	1.4%
Indiana University	IN	Public	18	1.3%
Boston University	MA	Private	16	1.1%
Columbia University	NY	Private	15	1.1%
Nova Southeastern University	FL	Private	15	1.1%
Temple University	PA	Public	15	1.1%
University of Minnesota	MN	Public	15	1.1%
LECOM College of Dental Medicine	FL	Private	14	1.0%
Case Western Reserve University	OH	Private	12	0.9%
Kansas City University	MO	Private	12	0.9%
Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health	AZ	Private	9	0.6%
Meharry Medical College	TN	Private	8	0.6%
University of Colorado	CO	Public	8	0.6%
Harvard University	MA	Private	7	0.5%
Touro College of Dental Medicine	NY	Private	7	0.5%
University of California, San Francisco	CA	Public	7	0.5%
University of Kentucky	KY	Public	7	0.5%
University of Missouri, Kansas City	MO	Public	7	0.5%
University of North Carolina	NC	Public	6	0.4%
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC	CA	Private	5	0.4%
Lincoln Memorial University	TN	Private	5	0.4%
Ohio State University	OH	Public	5	0.4%
University of New England	ME	Private	5	0.4%
University of the Pacific	CA	Private	5	0.4%
Howard University	DC	Private	4	0.3%
Universidad Ana G. Mendez	PR	Private	4	0.3%
University of Utah	UT	Public	4	0.3%
Loma Linda University	CA	Private	3	0.2%
Medical University of South Carolina	SC	Public	3	0.2%
University of Alabama	AL	Public	3	0.2%
University of Maryland	MD	Public	3	0.2%
University of Nebraska Medical Center	NE	Public	3	0.2%
University of Pittsburgh	PA	Public	3	0.2%
Western University of Health Sciences	CA	Private	3	0.2%
California Northstate University	CA	Private	2	0.1%
High Point University	NC	Private	2	0.1%
Oregon Health & Science University	OR	Public	2	0.1%
UT Health San Antonio	TX	Public	2	0.1%
University of Nevada, Las Vegas	NV	Public	2	0.1%
Northeast Ohio Medical University	OH	Public	1	0.1%
Ponce Health Science University	PR	Private	1	0.1%
University at Buffalo	NY	Public	1	0.1%
University of Florida	FL	Public	1	0.1%
University of Oklahoma	OK	Public	1	0.1%
University of Tennessee	TN	Public	1	0.1%
University of Texas at Houston	TX	Public	1	0.1%
University of Washington	WA	Public	1	0.1%
Virginia Commonwealth University	VA	Public	1	0.1%
West Virginia University	WV	Public	1	0.1%

2,730

students started dental school

#5 of 52 in the nation

55%

stayed in-state

1,504 students

1,226

left for another state

#5 most leavers

different schools attended

across 34 states

Destinations

Where Illinois's students went

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

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

Top 10 schools

The most common picks

In IllinoisOut of state

University of Illinois ChicagoIL · Public
68625.1%
Southern Illinois UniversityIL · Public
44816.4%
Midwestern University - ILIL · Private
37013.6%
Marquette UniversityWI · Private
2157.9%
University of MichiganMI · Public
642.3%
Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral HealthMO · Private
622.3%
University of PennsylvaniaPA · Private
511.9%
University of LouisvilleKY · Public
501.8%
Midwestern University - AZAZ · Private
481.8%
Creighton UniversityNE · Private
471.7%

The story

What the numbers say

From 2016 to 2025, 2,730 students from Illinois started dental school, 5th in the nation. 55% stayed in Illinois, 42% at an in-state public school.

The 1,226 who left went to 33 other states. The most popular out-of-state school was Marquette University (WI), with 215 students.

Illinois's dental schools enrolled 2,562 students over the same years, 59% of them residents. Michigan (173) and California (133) sent the most outsiders.

Stayed in Illinois for dental school55%

Went to an in-state public school42%

Seats at Illinois's schools filled by residents59%

Inbound

Who else comes here

Illinois's 3 dental schools enrolled 2,562 students; 59% were residents. Top out-of-state feeders:

Home schools

Dental schools in Illinois

Midwestern University - ILPrivate370 from IL
Southern Illinois UniversityPublic448 from IL
University of Illinois ChicagoPublic686 from IL

All 65 schools Illinois students attended

School	State	Type	Students	Share
University of Illinois Chicago	IL	Public	686	25.1%
Southern Illinois University	IL	Public	448	16.4%
Midwestern University - IL	IL	Private	370	13.6%
Marquette University	WI	Private	215	7.9%
University of Michigan	MI	Public	64	2.3%
Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health	MO	Private	62	2.3%
University of Pennsylvania	PA	Private	51	1.9%
University of Louisville	KY	Public	50	1.8%
Midwestern University - AZ	AZ	Private	48	1.8%
Creighton University	NE	Private	47	1.7%
Tufts University	MA	Private	46	1.7%
University of Iowa	IA	Public	46	1.7%
New York University	NY	Private	45	1.6%
Indiana University	IN	Public	44	1.6%
University of Detroit Mercy	MI	Private	37	1.4%
Columbia University	NY	Private	29	1.1%
Roseman University of Health Sciences	UT	Private	28	1.0%
University of Minnesota	MN	Public	26	1.0%
LECOM College of Dental Medicine	FL	Private	25	0.9%
Case Western Reserve University	OH	Private	23	0.8%
Boston University	MA	Private	22	0.8%
Touro College of Dental Medicine	NY	Private	22	0.8%
Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health	AZ	Private	21	0.8%
Nova Southeastern University	FL	Private	21	0.8%
Temple University	PA	Public	20	0.7%
Meharry Medical College	TN	Private	14	0.5%
University of Kentucky	KY	Public	14	0.5%
Harvard University	MA	Private	13	0.5%
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC	CA	Private	13	0.5%
Howard University	DC	Private	12	0.4%
Kansas City University	MO	Private	12	0.4%
University of Missouri, Kansas City	MO	Public	12	0.4%
University of Pittsburgh	PA	Public	12	0.4%
University of Colorado	CO	Public	10	0.4%
University of the Pacific	CA	Private	10	0.4%
University of California, San Francisco	CA	Public	9	0.3%
University of Maryland	MD	Public	8	0.3%
University of New England	ME	Private	8	0.3%
University of North Carolina	NC	Public	8	0.3%
Ohio State University	OH	Public	7	0.3%
Western University of Health Sciences	CA	Private	7	0.3%
Loma Linda University	CA	Private	6	0.2%
University of Alabama	AL	Public	6	0.2%
Lincoln Memorial University	TN	Private	5	0.2%
Medical University of South Carolina	SC	Public	5	0.2%
University of Utah	UT	Public	5	0.2%
Oregon Health & Science University	OR	Public	4	0.1%
Universidad Ana G. Mendez	PR	Private	4	0.1%
University of Nebraska Medical Center	NE	Public	4	0.1%
Virginia Commonwealth University	VA	Public	3	0.1%
Augusta University	GA	Public	2	0.1%
California Northstate University	CA	Private	2	0.1%
High Point University	NC	Private	2	0.1%
UT Health San Antonio	TX	Public	2	0.1%
University at Buffalo	NY	Public	2	0.1%
University of California, Los Angeles	CA	Public	2	0.1%
University of Nevada, Las Vegas	NV	Public	2	0.1%
University of Texas at Houston	TX	Public	2	0.1%
Northeast Ohio Medical University	OH	Public	1	0.0%
Ponce Health Science University	PR	Private	1	0.0%
University of Florida	FL	Public	1	0.0%
University of Oklahoma	OK	Public	1	0.0%
University of Tennessee	TN	Public	1	0.0%
University of Washington	WA	Public	1	0.0%
West Virginia University	WV	Public	1	0.0%

5,816

students started dental school

#5 of 52 in the nation

61%

stayed in-state

3,524 students

2,292

left for another state

#7 most leavers

different schools attended

across 37 states

Destinations

Where Illinois's students went

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

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

Top 10 schools

The most common picks

In IllinoisOut of state

University of Illinois ChicagoIL · Public
1,67728.8%
Southern Illinois UniversityIL · Public
1,24121.3%
Midwestern University - ILIL · Private
60610.4%
Marquette UniversityWI · Private
4107.0%
University of MichiganMI · Public
1222.1%
Indiana UniversityIN · Public
1071.8%
University of IowaIA · Public
1061.8%
Tufts UniversityMA · Private
1051.8%
New York UniversityNY · Private
991.7%
University of PennsylvaniaPA · Private
931.6%

The story

What the numbers say

From 2000 to 2025, 5,816 students from Illinois started dental school, 5th in the nation. 61% stayed in Illinois, 50% at an in-state public school.

The 2,292 who left went to 36 other states. The most popular out-of-state school was Marquette University (WI), with 410 students.

Illinois's dental schools enrolled 5,027 students over the same years, 70% of them residents. Michigan (214) and California (185) sent the most outsiders.

Stayed in Illinois for dental school61%

Went to an in-state public school50%

Seats at Illinois's schools filled by residents70%

Inbound

Who else comes here

Illinois's 3 dental schools enrolled 5,027 students; 70% were residents. Top out-of-state feeders:

Home schools

Dental schools in Illinois

Midwestern University - ILPrivate606 from IL
Southern Illinois UniversityPublic1,241 from IL
University of Illinois ChicagoPublic1,677 from IL

All 69 schools Illinois students attended

School	State	Type	Students	Share
University of Illinois Chicago	IL	Public	1,677	28.8%
Southern Illinois University	IL	Public	1,241	21.3%
Midwestern University - IL	IL	Private	606	10.4%
Marquette University	WI	Private	410	7.0%
University of Michigan	MI	Public	122	2.1%
Indiana University	IN	Public	107	1.8%
University of Iowa	IA	Public	106	1.8%
Tufts University	MA	Private	105	1.8%
New York University	NY	Private	99	1.7%
University of Pennsylvania	PA	Private	93	1.6%
Midwestern University - AZ	AZ	Private	86	1.5%
Creighton University	NE	Private	80	1.4%
University of Louisville	KY	Public	77	1.3%
Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health	MO	Private	74	1.3%
University of Detroit Mercy	MI	Private	67	1.2%
Columbia University	NY	Private	52	0.9%
Nova Southeastern University	FL	Private	48	0.8%
Boston University	MA	Private	43	0.7%
Case Western Reserve University	OH	Private	43	0.7%
University of Minnesota	MN	Public	41	0.7%
Temple University	PA	Public	39	0.7%
Meharry Medical College	TN	Private	38	0.7%
Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health	AZ	Private	36	0.6%
Howard University	DC	Private	34	0.6%
LECOM College of Dental Medicine	FL	Private	33	0.6%
Roseman University of Health Sciences	UT	Private	33	0.6%
Harvard University	MA	Private	30	0.5%
University of Pittsburgh	PA	Public	27	0.5%
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC	CA	Private	26	0.4%
Loma Linda University	CA	Private	26	0.4%
Touro College of Dental Medicine	NY	Private	22	0.4%
University of California, San Francisco	CA	Public	22	0.4%
University of Maryland	MD	Public	21	0.4%
University of Kentucky	KY	Public	20	0.3%
University of Missouri, Kansas City	MO	Public	20	0.3%
University of North Carolina	NC	Public	18	0.3%
University of the Pacific	CA	Private	18	0.3%
Western University of Health Sciences	CA	Private	18	0.3%
Ohio State University	OH	Public	15	0.3%
Kansas City University	MO	Private	12	0.2%
University of Colorado	CO	Public	12	0.2%
University of New England	ME	Private	12	0.2%
University of California, Los Angeles	CA	Public	9	0.2%
Medical University of South Carolina	SC	Public	8	0.1%
University of Alabama	AL	Public	8	0.1%
Virginia Commonwealth University	VA	Public	8	0.1%
University at Buffalo	NY	Public	7	0.1%
University of Nebraska Medical Center	NE	Public	6	0.1%
Lincoln Memorial University	TN	Private	5	0.1%
University of Oklahoma	OK	Public	5	0.1%
University of Utah	UT	Public	5	0.1%
West Virginia University	WV	Public	5	0.1%
Oregon Health & Science University	OR	Public	4	0.1%
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine	NJ	Public	4	0.1%
Universidad Ana G. Mendez	PR	Private	4	0.1%
University of Connecticut	CT	Public	4	0.1%
University of Tennessee	TN	Public	4	0.1%
Augusta University	GA	Public	2	0.0%
California Northstate University	CA	Private	2	0.0%
High Point University	NC	Private	2	0.0%
LSU Health Sciences Center	LA	Public	2	0.0%
Stony Brook University	NY	Public	2	0.0%
UT Health San Antonio	TX	Public	2	0.0%
University of Florida	FL	Public	2	0.0%
University of Nevada, Las Vegas	NV	Public	2	0.0%
University of Texas at Houston	TX	Public	2	0.0%
Northeast Ohio Medical University	OH	Public	1	0.0%
Ponce Health Science University	PR	Private	1	0.0%
University of Washington	WA	Public	1	0.0%

Staying home, 2000–2025

Are more Illinois students staying in-state?

In the last five years, 52% of Illinois's first-year dental students stayed in-state, down from 72% in 2000–2004. Nationally, 57% stayed home in 2025, down from 66% in 2000.

Share of first-year students who stayed in-state

IllinoisU.S.

Dentist workforce, 2001–2025

Dentists working in Illinois

8,511 dentists work in Illinois: 66.9 per 100,000 people, above the U.S. rate of 60.0. That's #12 of 51 for dentists per person. The number of dentists is up 4% since 2001.

8,511dentists, 2025

66.9per 100,000 people (U.S. 60.0)

#12of 51 in dentists per person

8,207dentists in 2001 (65.7 per 100K)

Dentists per 100,000 people

IllinoisU.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 Illinois?

Illinois lost a net 289 dentists to other states from 2019 to 2024 (−3.9% of its 2019 dentists), #45 of 51. The state's overall population changed by −3.4% from domestic migration (2020–2025).

All dentists−3.9%−289 net · #45 of 51368 moved in, 657 moved out

Early career (under 10 yrs)−7.7%−163 net · #43 of 51277 moved in, 440 moved out

10+ years in practice−2.4%−126 net · #49 of 5191 moved in, 217 moved out

Early-career specialists−7.7%−20 net · #38 of 5141 moved in, 61 moved out

Net dentists Illinois 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

Missouri44
Wisconsin43
Indiana26
Florida21
Michigan20

Moved to

Texas67
Florida56
California54
Indiana39
Wisconsin38

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

What dentists earn in Illinois →