TN · FIPS 47 · South · State

Tennessee

77% stayed home, and residents fill 43% of Tennessee's seats.

684

students started dental school

#14 of 52 in the nation

80%

stayed in-state

548 students

136

left for another state

#27 most leavers

different schools attended

across 28 states

Destinations

Where Tennessee's students went

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

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

Top 10 schools

The most common picks

In TennesseeOut of state

University of TennesseeTN · Public
40459.1%
Lincoln Memorial UniversityTN · Private
8111.8%
Meharry Medical CollegeTN · Private
639.2%
University of LouisvilleKY · Public
182.6%
Loma Linda UniversityCA · Private
152.2%
Tufts UniversityMA · Private
121.8%
University of KentuckyKY · Public
101.5%
University of AlabamaAL · Public
81.2%
Howard UniversityDC · Private
60.9%
New York UniversityNY · Private
60.9%

The story

What the numbers say

From 2021 to 2025, 684 students from Tennessee started dental school, 14th in the nation. 80% stayed in Tennessee, 59% at an in-state public school.

The 136 who left went to 27 other states. The most popular out-of-state school was University of Louisville (KY), with 18 students.

Tennessee's dental schools enrolled 1,272 students over the same years, 43% of them residents. Arkansas (128) and Georgia (75) sent the most outsiders.

Stayed in Tennessee for dental school80%

Went to an in-state public school59%

Seats at Tennessee's schools filled by residents43%

Inbound

Who else comes here

Tennessee's 3 dental schools enrolled 1,272 students; 43% were residents. Top out-of-state feeders:

Home schools

Dental schools in Tennessee

Lincoln Memorial UniversityPrivate81 from TN
Meharry Medical CollegePrivate63 from TN
University of TennesseePublic404 from TN

All 46 schools Tennessee students attended

School	State	Type	Students	Share
University of Tennessee	TN	Public	404	59.1%
Lincoln Memorial University	TN	Private	81	11.8%
Meharry Medical College	TN	Private	63	9.2%
University of Louisville	KY	Public	18	2.6%
Loma Linda University	CA	Private	15	2.2%
Tufts University	MA	Private	12	1.8%
University of Kentucky	KY	Public	10	1.5%
University of Alabama	AL	Public	8	1.2%
Howard University	DC	Private	6	0.9%
New York University	NY	Private	6	0.9%
Columbia University	NY	Private	5	0.7%
Roseman University of Health Sciences	UT	Private	4	0.6%
Virginia Commonwealth University	VA	Public	4	0.6%
High Point University	NC	Private	3	0.4%
Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health	MO	Private	3	0.4%
Nova Southeastern University	FL	Private	3	0.4%
Augusta University	GA	Public	2	0.3%
Case Western Reserve University	OH	Private	2	0.3%
Indiana University	IN	Public	2	0.3%
LSU Health Sciences Center	LA	Public	2	0.3%
Lyon College School of Dental Medicine	AR	Private	2	0.3%
Medical University of South Carolina	SC	Public	2	0.3%
Midwestern University - IL	IL	Private	2	0.3%
Ohio State University	OH	Public	2	0.3%
University of Pennsylvania	PA	Private	2	0.3%
Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health	AZ	Private	1	0.1%
Boston University	MA	Private	1	0.1%
Creighton University	NE	Private	1	0.1%
Harvard University	MA	Private	1	0.1%
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC	CA	Private	1	0.1%
Kansas City University	MO	Private	1	0.1%
LECOM College of Dental Medicine	FL	Private	1	0.1%
Southern Illinois University	IL	Public	1	0.1%
Temple University	PA	Public	1	0.1%
UT Health San Antonio	TX	Public	1	0.1%
University of Colorado	CO	Public	1	0.1%
University of Connecticut	CT	Public	1	0.1%
University of Detroit Mercy	MI	Private	1	0.1%
University of Florida	FL	Public	1	0.1%
University of Michigan	MI	Public	1	0.1%
University of Minnesota	MN	Public	1	0.1%
University of New England	ME	Private	1	0.1%
University of North Carolina	NC	Public	1	0.1%
University of Pittsburgh	PA	Public	1	0.1%
University of Texas at Houston	TX	Public	1	0.1%
University of the Pacific	CA	Private	1	0.1%

1,161

students started dental school

#17 of 52 in the nation

77%

stayed in-state

893 students

268

left for another state

#27 most leavers

different schools attended

across 31 states

Destinations

Where Tennessee's students went

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

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

Top 10 schools

The most common picks

In TennesseeOut of state

University of TennesseeTN · Public
68458.9%
Meharry Medical CollegeTN · Private
12811.0%
Lincoln Memorial UniversityTN · Private
817.0%
University of LouisvilleKY · Public
474.0%
Loma Linda UniversityCA · Private
262.2%
Tufts UniversityMA · Private
191.6%
University of KentuckyKY · Public
181.6%
University of AlabamaAL · Public
131.1%
New York UniversityNY · Private
121.0%
Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral HealthMO · Private
100.9%

The story

What the numbers say

From 2016 to 2025, 1,161 students from Tennessee started dental school, 17th in the nation. 77% stayed in Tennessee, 59% at an in-state public school.

The 268 who left went to 30 other states. The most popular out-of-state school was University of Louisville (KY), with 47 students.

Tennessee's dental schools enrolled 2,066 students over the same years, 43% of them residents. Arkansas (263) and Georgia (125) sent the most outsiders.

Stayed in Tennessee for dental school77%

Went to an in-state public school59%

Seats at Tennessee's schools filled by residents43%

Inbound

Who else comes here

Tennessee's 3 dental schools enrolled 2,066 students; 43% were residents. Top out-of-state feeders:

Home schools

Dental schools in Tennessee

Lincoln Memorial UniversityPrivate81 from TN
Meharry Medical CollegePrivate128 from TN
University of TennesseePublic684 from TN

All 54 schools Tennessee students attended

School	State	Type	Students	Share
University of Tennessee	TN	Public	684	58.9%
Meharry Medical College	TN	Private	128	11.0%
Lincoln Memorial University	TN	Private	81	7.0%
University of Louisville	KY	Public	47	4.0%
Loma Linda University	CA	Private	26	2.2%
Tufts University	MA	Private	19	1.6%
University of Kentucky	KY	Public	18	1.6%
University of Alabama	AL	Public	13	1.1%
New York University	NY	Private	12	1.0%
Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health	MO	Private	10	0.9%
Howard University	DC	Private	9	0.8%
Columbia University	NY	Private	8	0.7%
Midwestern University - IL	IL	Private	7	0.6%
Roseman University of Health Sciences	UT	Private	7	0.6%
Augusta University	GA	Public	5	0.4%
LECOM College of Dental Medicine	FL	Private	5	0.4%
Virginia Commonwealth University	VA	Public	5	0.4%
LSU Health Sciences Center	LA	Public	4	0.3%
Medical University of South Carolina	SC	Public	4	0.3%
Nova Southeastern University	FL	Private	4	0.3%
Ohio State University	OH	Public	4	0.3%
University of Colorado	CO	Public	4	0.3%
Case Western Reserve University	OH	Private	3	0.3%
Creighton University	NE	Private	3	0.3%
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC	CA	Private	3	0.3%
High Point University	NC	Private	3	0.3%
Temple University	PA	Public	3	0.3%
University of Pennsylvania	PA	Private	3	0.3%
Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health	AZ	Private	2	0.2%
Boston University	MA	Private	2	0.2%
Indiana University	IN	Public	2	0.2%
Lyon College School of Dental Medicine	AR	Private	2	0.2%
University of Iowa	IA	Public	2	0.2%
University of Michigan	MI	Public	2	0.2%
University of Minnesota	MN	Public	2	0.2%
University of Missouri, Kansas City	MO	Public	2	0.2%
University of New England	ME	Private	2	0.2%
University of North Carolina	NC	Public	2	0.2%
University of Pittsburgh	PA	Public	2	0.2%
University of Utah	UT	Public	2	0.2%
University of the Pacific	CA	Private	2	0.2%
Harvard University	MA	Private	1	0.1%
Kansas City University	MO	Private	1	0.1%
Marquette University	WI	Private	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 California, Los Angeles	CA	Public	1	0.1%
University of Connecticut	CT	Public	1	0.1%
University of Detroit Mercy	MI	Private	1	0.1%
University of Florida	FL	Public	1	0.1%
University of Illinois Chicago	IL	Public	1	0.1%
University of Maryland	MD	Public	1	0.1%
University of Texas at Houston	TX	Public	1	0.1%

2,398

students started dental school

#19 of 52 in the nation

78%

stayed in-state

1,867 students

531

left for another state

#29 most leavers

different schools attended

across 33 states

Destinations

Where Tennessee's students went

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

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

Top 10 schools

The most common picks

In TennesseeOut of state

University of TennesseeTN · Public
1,49662.4%
Meharry Medical CollegeTN · Private
29012.1%
University of LouisvilleKY · Public
984.1%
Lincoln Memorial UniversityTN · Private
813.4%
Loma Linda UniversityCA · Private
512.1%
University of KentuckyKY · Public
371.5%
University of AlabamaAL · Public
341.4%
Tufts UniversityMA · Private
331.4%
Howard UniversityDC · Private
220.9%
New York UniversityNY · Private
190.8%

The story

What the numbers say

From 2000 to 2025, 2,398 students from Tennessee started dental school, 19th in the nation. 78% stayed in Tennessee, 62% at an in-state public school.

The 531 who left went to 32 other states. The most popular out-of-state school was University of Louisville (KY), with 98 students.

Tennessee's dental schools enrolled 4,289 students over the same years, 44% of them residents. Arkansas (641) and Georgia (266) sent the most outsiders.

Stayed in Tennessee for dental school78%

Went to an in-state public school62%

Seats at Tennessee's schools filled by residents44%

Inbound

Who else comes here

Tennessee's 3 dental schools enrolled 4,289 students; 44% were residents. Top out-of-state feeders:

Home schools

Dental schools in Tennessee

Lincoln Memorial UniversityPrivate81 from TN
Meharry Medical CollegePrivate290 from TN
University of TennesseePublic1,496 from TN

All 61 schools Tennessee students attended

School	State	Type	Students	Share
University of Tennessee	TN	Public	1,496	62.4%
Meharry Medical College	TN	Private	290	12.1%
University of Louisville	KY	Public	98	4.1%
Lincoln Memorial University	TN	Private	81	3.4%
Loma Linda University	CA	Private	51	2.1%
University of Kentucky	KY	Public	37	1.5%
University of Alabama	AL	Public	34	1.4%
Tufts University	MA	Private	33	1.4%
Howard University	DC	Private	22	0.9%
New York University	NY	Private	19	0.8%
Medical University of South Carolina	SC	Public	13	0.5%
Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health	MO	Private	12	0.5%
Columbia University	NY	Private	11	0.5%
Boston University	MA	Private	10	0.4%
Nova Southeastern University	FL	Private	8	0.3%
Ohio State University	OH	Public	8	0.3%
Roseman University of Health Sciences	UT	Private	8	0.3%
University of North Carolina	NC	Public	8	0.3%
University of Pennsylvania	PA	Private	8	0.3%
Virginia Commonwealth University	VA	Public	8	0.3%
Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health	AZ	Private	7	0.3%
Augusta University	GA	Public	7	0.3%
LECOM College of Dental Medicine	FL	Private	7	0.3%
Midwestern University - IL	IL	Private	7	0.3%
University of the Pacific	CA	Private	7	0.3%
Midwestern University - AZ	AZ	Private	6	0.3%
West Virginia University	WV	Public	6	0.3%
Case Western Reserve University	OH	Private	5	0.2%
Creighton University	NE	Private	5	0.2%
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC	CA	Private	5	0.2%
LSU Health Sciences Center	LA	Public	5	0.2%
University of Colorado	CO	Public	5	0.2%
University of Detroit Mercy	MI	Private	5	0.2%
University of Michigan	MI	Public	5	0.2%
University of New England	ME	Private	5	0.2%
Marquette University	WI	Private	4	0.2%
University of Maryland	MD	Public	4	0.2%
University of Pittsburgh	PA	Public	4	0.2%
Harvard University	MA	Private	3	0.1%
High Point University	NC	Private	3	0.1%
Indiana University	IN	Public	3	0.1%
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine	NJ	Public	3	0.1%
Temple University	PA	Public	3	0.1%
University of Florida	FL	Public	3	0.1%
Lyon College School of Dental Medicine	AR	Private	2	0.1%
UT Health San Antonio	TX	Public	2	0.1%
University at Buffalo	NY	Public	2	0.1%
University of Connecticut	CT	Public	2	0.1%
University of Iowa	IA	Public	2	0.1%
University of Minnesota	MN	Public	2	0.1%
University of Missouri, Kansas City	MO	Public	2	0.1%
University of Texas at Houston	TX	Public	2	0.1%
University of Utah	UT	Public	2	0.1%
Kansas City University	MO	Private	1	0.0%
Southern Illinois University	IL	Public	1	0.0%
Texas A&M University	TX	Public	1	0.0%
Touro College of Dental Medicine	NY	Private	1	0.0%
University of California, Los Angeles	CA	Public	1	0.0%
University of California, San Francisco	CA	Public	1	0.0%
University of Illinois Chicago	IL	Public	1	0.0%
University of Nebraska Medical Center	NE	Public	1	0.0%

Staying home, 2000–2025

Are more Tennessee students staying in-state?

In the last five years, 80% of Tennessee's first-year dental students stayed in-state, down from 86% in 2000–2004. Nationally, 57% stayed home in 2025, down from 66% in 2000.

Share of first-year students who stayed in-state

TennesseeU.S.

Dentist workforce, 2001–2025

Dentists working in Tennessee

3,473 dentists work in Tennessee: 47.5 per 100,000 people, below the U.S. rate of 60.0. That's #44 of 51 for dentists per person. The number of dentists is up 19% since 2001.

3,473dentists, 2025

47.5per 100,000 people (U.S. 60.0)

#44of 51 in dentists per person

2,923dentists in 2001 (50.8 per 100K)

Dentists per 100,000 people

TennesseeU.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 Tennessee?

Tennessee gained a net 128 dentists from other states from 2019 to 2024 (+4.7% of its 2019 dentists), #9 of 51. The state's overall population changed by +4.0% from domestic migration (2020–2025).

All dentists+4.7%+128 net · #9 of 51350 moved in, 222 moved out

Early career (under 10 yrs)+6.5%+56 net · #12 of 51218 moved in, 162 moved out

10+ years in practice+3.8%+72 net · #5 of 51132 moved in, 60 moved out

Early-career specialists+11.1%+15 net · #11 of 5136 moved in, 21 moved out

Net dentists Tennessee 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

California29
Texas23
Illinois21
Kentucky21
Florida20

Moved to

Georgia24
Kentucky21
North Carolina21
Florida19
Texas11

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

What dentists earn in Tennessee →