10 dental schools with the highest first-year enrollment
By Ariana Portalatin
Originally at beckersdental.com
Summary & scoring by The Bell Brief (Dr. Jennifer Bell) using the Drill-Down Protocol (Drill-Down Score) — not the original publisher.
Why it matters for dental
Large incoming class sizes at NYU (403 students) and similar programs signal a coming surge in new dentists entering the market, which practice owners and DSOs must factor into long-term staffing plans, associate compensation models, and competitive recruitment strategies.
Key points
- NYU College of Dentistry tops the list with 403 first-year students for the 2025-26 academic year; the next nine schools follow in descending order per ADA data.
- The list is published by Becker’s Dental Review and draws directly from ADA enrollment statistics, not from any individual school’s marketing release.
- Higher first-year cohorts translate into more new graduates seeking associate or residency positions roughly four years from now, potentially easing hiring but pressuring compensation and partnership tracks.
- DSOs and multi-site groups can use these enrollment figures to project regional dentist supply and time expansion plans or acquisition targets accordingly.
Who should care
Read the original on Becker's Dental + DSO Review
Full reporting and any paywall content live on beckersdental.com. We summarize and score; we do not republish.
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