What UIC dental students will actually borrow under the 2026 federal caps
UIC publishes its DMD cost of attendance, so the arithmetic is straightforward: federal loans now cover about two thirds of an Illinois resident's tuition and fees, and under half a non-resident's.
The University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry publishes what its DMD program costs, which makes it a useful place to see what the 2026 federal borrowing caps actually do to a student's plan.
Here are UIC's published tuition and fees for 2025-26. Note that D1 is two semesters and D2 through D4 are three each, which is why the first year looks cheaper.
| Year | Illinois resident | Non-resident |
|---|---|---|
| D1 (2 semesters) | $56,678 | $87,668 |
| D2 (3 semesters) | $85,017 | $131,502 |
| D3 (3 semesters) | $85,017 | $131,502 |
| D4 (3 semesters) | $85,017 | $131,502 |
| Four-year total | about $311,700 | about $482,200 |
That is tuition and fees only. Living costs come on top, and UIC's own program-cost sheets budget roughly $30,000 a year for them, which adds about $120,000 across four years.
Against a $200,000 federal ceiling
Grad PLUS closed to new borrowers on July 1, 2026. Professional students can now borrow $50,000 a year and $200,000 in total in federal loans. Put the two numbers side by side:
| Illinois resident | Non-resident | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition, fees and living costs | about $432,000 | about $602,000 |
| Federal loans available | $200,000 | $200,000 |
| Gap to cover another way | about $232,000 | about $402,000 |
For a resident, federal money now covers roughly two thirds of tuition and fees, and under half of the full cost of attendance. For a non-resident it covers about a third.
What the split does to your monthly payment
Federal and private debt behave nothing alike once you graduate. Federal loans get RAP, the income-driven plan that replaced the old options, where the payment is a percentage of your income rather than your balance. Private loans charge a fixed amount whatever you earn, with no forgiveness and no PSLF.
Take a resident graduate who ends up with roughly $200,000 federal and $232,000 private, and starts as an associate at $200,000 a year. The federal side costs about $1,000 a month on RAP in a full-salary year. The private side, at 11% over ten years, costs roughly $3,200 a month, and it does not care that you are a resident earning $65,000 or that you want to buy a practice.
This is the thing worth internalizing before you sign anything: your federal balance sets a payment you can live with, and your private balance sets one you have to live with.
Run your own numbers in the 8-step guideWhat UIC students should do now
- Ask the College of Dentistry financial aid office (DENTFinAid@uic.edu) for your full four-year cost of attendance in writing, including the current year's figures.
- Confirm how many years of legacy federal borrowing you have left if you started before July 1, 2026.
- Check the Illinois state loan repayment programs, the National Health Service Corps and the military HPSP before you take private money — those are not loans.
- Compare at least four private lenders on rate, in-school interest, cosigner release and hardship terms.
- Model the combined federal and private payment before your first private disbursement, not in D4.
Figures here come from UIC's published cost sheets for 2025-26; 2026-27 tuition is subject to Board approval and may differ. Path to Dentist is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the University of Illinois Chicago. Estimates only, not financial advice.