State governments have been reducing financial support for dental school budgets since the 1980s. As a result, dental schools have steadily increased tuition rates to pass on the costs to students. The journey from college freshman to dental school graduate takes at least eight years and costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, much of which is financed through student loans. The idea behind spending money on an expensive education is that it will help you earn more money in your career. Dentists earn well above the national average in exchange for a costly degree.