Recent grads point to the increased costs of education.
While these amounts may seem imposing, they hardly cover the full cost of a student's education, notes Ms. Luke. What a student pays is far less than what it costs a dental school to provide the education. Increased borrowing requires increased lending, and the availability of credit is also cited in the soaring indebtedness. One major source of funding for dental students is the federal government's Stafford Loan program, which provides both subsidized and unsubsidized loans at low interest to borrowers. Although New Jersey Dental School students may now borrow up to the new maximum, they were unable to do so until last July, when the Department of Education changed its policy.