MS · FIPS 28 · South · State

Mississippi

67% stayed home, and residents fill 100% of Mississippi's seats.

322

students started dental school

#31 of 52 in the nation

62%

stayed in-state

200 students

122

left for another state

#30 most leavers

different schools attended

across 25 states

Destinations

Where Mississippi's students went

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

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

Top 10 schools

The most common picks

In MississippiOut of state

University of MississippiMS · Public
20062.1%
University of TennesseeTN · Public
3310.2%
University of LouisvilleKY · Public
113.4%
Lincoln Memorial UniversityTN · Private
103.1%
Meharry Medical CollegeTN · Private
103.1%
LSU Health Sciences CenterLA · Public
82.5%
University of AlabamaAL · Public
82.5%
Medical University of South CarolinaSC · Public
41.2%
Tufts UniversityMA · Private
41.2%
Lyon College School of Dental MedicineAR · Private
30.9%

The story

What the numbers say

From 2021 to 2025, 322 students from Mississippi started dental school, 31st in the nation. 62% stayed in Mississippi, all of them at public schools.

The 122 who left went to 24 other states. The most popular out-of-state school was University of Tennessee (TN), with 33 students.

Stayed in Mississippi for dental school62%

Went to an in-state public school62%

Seats at Mississippi's schools filled by residents100%

Inbound

Who else comes here

Mississippi's dental school enrolled 200 students; 100% were residents. Top out-of-state feeders:

Home schools

Dental schools in Mississippi

University of MississippiPublic200 from MS

All 35 schools Mississippi students attended

School	State	Type	Students	Share
University of Mississippi	MS	Public	200	62.1%
University of Tennessee	TN	Public	33	10.2%
University of Louisville	KY	Public	11	3.4%
Lincoln Memorial University	TN	Private	10	3.1%
Meharry Medical College	TN	Private	10	3.1%
LSU Health Sciences Center	LA	Public	8	2.5%
University of Alabama	AL	Public	8	2.5%
Medical University of South Carolina	SC	Public	4	1.2%
Tufts University	MA	Private	4	1.2%
Lyon College School of Dental Medicine	AR	Private	3	0.9%
Roseman University of Health Sciences	UT	Private	3	0.9%
Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health	AZ	Private	2	0.6%
Kansas City University	MO	Private	2	0.6%
New York University	NY	Private	2	0.6%
University of Florida	FL	Public	2	0.6%
Augusta University	GA	Public	1	0.3%
Case Western Reserve University	OH	Private	1	0.3%
Creighton University	NE	Private	1	0.3%
Indiana University	IN	Public	1	0.3%
LECOM College of Dental Medicine	FL	Private	1	0.3%
Marquette University	WI	Private	1	0.3%
Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health	MO	Private	1	0.3%
Ohio State University	OH	Public	1	0.3%
Temple University	PA	Public	1	0.3%
UT Health San Antonio	TX	Public	1	0.3%
University at Buffalo	NY	Public	1	0.3%
University of Kentucky	KY	Public	1	0.3%
University of Michigan	MI	Public	1	0.3%
University of Missouri, Kansas City	MO	Public	1	0.3%
University of North Carolina	NC	Public	1	0.3%
University of Pennsylvania	PA	Private	1	0.3%
University of Utah	UT	Public	1	0.3%
University of the Pacific	CA	Private	1	0.3%
Virginia Commonwealth University	VA	Public	1	0.3%
West Virginia University	WV	Public	1	0.3%

600

students started dental school

#31 of 52 in the nation

67%

stayed in-state

400 students

200

left for another state

#33 most leavers

different schools attended

across 29 states

Destinations

Where Mississippi's students went

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

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

Top 10 schools

The most common picks

In MississippiOut of state

University of MississippiMS · Public
40066.7%
University of TennesseeTN · Public
467.7%
Meharry Medical CollegeTN · Private
203.3%
University of LouisvilleKY · Public
152.5%
University of AlabamaAL · Public
142.3%
LSU Health Sciences CenterLA · Public
122.0%
Lincoln Memorial UniversityTN · Private
101.7%
Tufts UniversityMA · Private
91.5%
LECOM College of Dental MedicineFL · Private
71.2%
Medical University of South CarolinaSC · Public
61.0%

The story

What the numbers say

From 2016 to 2025, 600 students from Mississippi started dental school, 31st in the nation. 67% stayed in Mississippi, all of them at public schools.

The 200 who left went to 28 other states. The most popular out-of-state school was University of Tennessee (TN), with 46 students.

Stayed in Mississippi for dental school67%

Went to an in-state public school67%

Seats at Mississippi's schools filled by residents100%

Inbound

Who else comes here

Mississippi's dental school enrolled 400 students; 100% were residents. Top out-of-state feeders:

Home schools

Dental schools in Mississippi

University of MississippiPublic400 from MS

All 44 schools Mississippi students attended

School	State	Type	Students	Share
University of Mississippi	MS	Public	400	66.7%
University of Tennessee	TN	Public	46	7.7%
Meharry Medical College	TN	Private	20	3.3%
University of Louisville	KY	Public	15	2.5%
University of Alabama	AL	Public	14	2.3%
LSU Health Sciences Center	LA	Public	12	2.0%
Lincoln Memorial University	TN	Private	10	1.7%
Tufts University	MA	Private	9	1.5%
LECOM College of Dental Medicine	FL	Private	7	1.2%
Medical University of South Carolina	SC	Public	6	1.0%
Howard University	DC	Private	5	0.8%
Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health	MO	Private	4	0.7%
Roseman University of Health Sciences	UT	Private	4	0.7%
Case Western Reserve University	OH	Private	3	0.5%
Creighton University	NE	Private	3	0.5%
Lyon College School of Dental Medicine	AR	Private	3	0.5%
University of North Carolina	NC	Public	3	0.5%
Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health	AZ	Private	2	0.3%
Indiana University	IN	Public	2	0.3%
Kansas City University	MO	Private	2	0.3%
New York University	NY	Private	2	0.3%
Temple University	PA	Public	2	0.3%
University at Buffalo	NY	Public	2	0.3%
University of Florida	FL	Public	2	0.3%
University of Michigan	MI	Public	2	0.3%
Western University of Health Sciences	CA	Private	2	0.3%
Augusta University	GA	Public	1	0.2%
Loma Linda University	CA	Private	1	0.2%
Marquette University	WI	Private	1	0.2%
Midwestern University - AZ	AZ	Private	1	0.2%
Ohio State University	OH	Public	1	0.2%
Southern Illinois University	IL	Public	1	0.2%
Touro College of Dental Medicine	NY	Private	1	0.2%
UT Health San Antonio	TX	Public	1	0.2%
University of California, San Francisco	CA	Public	1	0.2%
University of Colorado	CO	Public	1	0.2%
University of Kentucky	KY	Public	1	0.2%
University of Missouri, Kansas City	MO	Public	1	0.2%
University of Oklahoma	OK	Public	1	0.2%
University of Pennsylvania	PA	Private	1	0.2%
University of Utah	UT	Public	1	0.2%
University of the Pacific	CA	Private	1	0.2%
Virginia Commonwealth University	VA	Public	1	0.2%
West Virginia University	WV	Public	1	0.2%

1,317

students started dental school

#32 of 52 in the nation

73%

stayed in-state

959 students

358

left for another state

#38 most leavers

different schools attended

across 31 states

Destinations

Where Mississippi's students went

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

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

Top 10 schools

The most common picks

In MississippiOut of state

University of MississippiMS · Public
95972.8%
University of TennesseeTN · Public
816.2%
Meharry Medical CollegeTN · Private
554.2%
LSU Health Sciences CenterLA · Public
322.4%
University of AlabamaAL · Public
251.9%
University of LouisvilleKY · Public
181.4%
Howard UniversityDC · Private
151.1%
Tufts UniversityMA · Private
131.0%
Lincoln Memorial UniversityTN · Private
100.8%
LECOM College of Dental MedicineFL · Private
90.7%

The story

What the numbers say

From 2000 to 2025, 1,317 students from Mississippi started dental school, 32nd in the nation. 73% stayed in Mississippi, all of them at public schools.

The 358 who left went to 30 other states. The most popular out-of-state school was University of Tennessee (TN), with 81 students.

Stayed in Mississippi for dental school73%

Went to an in-state public school73%

Seats at Mississippi's schools filled by residents100%

Inbound

Who else comes here

Mississippi's dental school enrolled 959 students; 100% were residents. Top out-of-state feeders:

Home schools

Dental schools in Mississippi

University of MississippiPublic959 from MS

All 50 schools Mississippi students attended

School	State	Type	Students	Share
University of Mississippi	MS	Public	959	72.8%
University of Tennessee	TN	Public	81	6.2%
Meharry Medical College	TN	Private	55	4.2%
LSU Health Sciences Center	LA	Public	32	2.4%
University of Alabama	AL	Public	25	1.9%
University of Louisville	KY	Public	18	1.4%
Howard University	DC	Private	15	1.1%
Tufts University	MA	Private	13	1.0%
Lincoln Memorial University	TN	Private	10	0.8%
LECOM College of Dental Medicine	FL	Private	9	0.7%
Medical University of South Carolina	SC	Public	7	0.5%
Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health	MO	Private	6	0.5%
New York University	NY	Private	5	0.4%
Roseman University of Health Sciences	UT	Private	5	0.4%
Temple University	PA	Public	5	0.4%
Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health	AZ	Private	4	0.3%
Creighton University	NE	Private	4	0.3%
Marquette University	WI	Private	4	0.3%
Nova Southeastern University	FL	Private	4	0.3%
University of Pennsylvania	PA	Private	4	0.3%
Case Western Reserve University	OH	Private	3	0.2%
Lyon College School of Dental Medicine	AR	Private	3	0.2%
University of Kentucky	KY	Public	3	0.2%
University of North Carolina	NC	Public	3	0.2%
Indiana University	IN	Public	2	0.2%
Kansas City University	MO	Private	2	0.2%
Loma Linda University	CA	Private	2	0.2%
Midwestern University - AZ	AZ	Private	2	0.2%
Texas A&M University	TX	Public	2	0.2%
University at Buffalo	NY	Public	2	0.2%
University of California, San Francisco	CA	Public	2	0.2%
University of Detroit Mercy	MI	Private	2	0.2%
University of Florida	FL	Public	2	0.2%
University of Maryland	MD	Public	2	0.2%
University of Michigan	MI	Public	2	0.2%
University of Oklahoma	OK	Public	2	0.2%
Virginia Commonwealth University	VA	Public	2	0.2%
Western University of Health Sciences	CA	Private	2	0.2%
Augusta University	GA	Public	1	0.1%
Boston University	MA	Private	1	0.1%
Ohio State University	OH	Public	1	0.1%
Southern Illinois University	IL	Public	1	0.1%
Touro College of Dental Medicine	NY	Private	1	0.1%
UT Health San Antonio	TX	Public	1	0.1%
University of Colorado	CO	Public	1	0.1%
University of Missouri, Kansas City	MO	Public	1	0.1%
University of Nevada, Las Vegas	NV	Public	1	0.1%
University of Utah	UT	Public	1	0.1%
University of the Pacific	CA	Private	1	0.1%
West Virginia University	WV	Public	1	0.1%

Staying home, 2000–2025

Are more Mississippi students staying in-state?

In the last five years, 62% of Mississippi's first-year dental students stayed in-state, down from 71% in 2000–2004. Nationally, 57% stayed home in 2025, down from 66% in 2000.

Share of first-year students who stayed in-state

MississippiU.S.

Dentist workforce, 2001–2025

Dentists working in Mississippi

1,285 dentists work in Mississippi: 43.5 per 100,000 people, below the U.S. rate of 60.0. That's #49 of 51 for dentists per person. The number of dentists is up 13% since 2001.

1,285dentists, 2025

43.5per 100,000 people (U.S. 60.0)

#49of 51 in dentists per person

1,135dentists in 2001 (39.8 per 100K)

Dentists per 100,000 people

MississippiU.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 Mississippi?

Mississippi lost a net 24 dentists to other states from 2019 to 2024 (−2.2% of its 2019 dentists), #39 of 51. The state's overall population changed by −0.7% from domestic migration (2020–2025).

All dentists−2.2%−24 net · #39 of 5156 moved in, 80 moved out

Early career (under 10 yrs)−4.4%−14 net · #34 of 5135 moved in, 49 moved out

10+ years in practice−1.3%−10 net · #42 of 5121 moved in, 31 moved out

Early-career specialists+2.6%+1 net · #22 of 516 moved in, 5 moved out

Net dentists Mississippi 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

Louisiana8
Alabama6
Arkansas5
Tennessee5
Texas5

Moved to

Alabama12
Tennessee12
Louisiana7
Florida6
Arkansas5

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

What dentists earn in Mississippi →