Paying for School

Dental hygiene school can be expensive. Tuition and fees for an associate degree at University of Hawaii Maui College is $31,604 and tuition and fees for a bachelor’s degree at University of Hawaii at Manoa is $72,168.

But, there are many resources out there that can help you afford dental hygiene school! See our list below!
 

1) Federal aid

Both the University of Hawaii Maui College and University of Hawaii at Manoa Dental Hygiene programs are FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) eligible, meaning you are eligible to receive federal aid to help you pay for your tuition. Federal aid comes in the form of grants (which you don’t have to pay back), loans (which you do have to pay back), and work-study (which provides an opportunity to earn money to pay your educational expenses). 

If you have questions on how federal aid works and how to fill out the FAFSA, you can find helpful resources at the Hawaii P-20 website on financial aid here.
 

2) Scholarships

There are many scholarships specifically for dental hygiene students. Since you don’t have to pay back scholarships, they are a great way to pay for your tuition!

Here are some scholarships available to dental hygiene students in Hawaii:

2024-2025 HDS Foundation scholarship recipients from the University of Hawaii at Manoa dental hygiene program pose with HDS President and CEO, Dr. Diane Paloma.


 

3) Loan repayment

There are also programs that help you pay for school after you graduate. Hawaii offers loan repayment for eligible dental hygienists to help them pay off their student loans while working in Hawaii. Through these programs, you can earn a salary and have your loans partially repaid at the same time! 

You can apply to either the Hawaii State Loan Repayment Program or the Healthcare Education Loan Repayment Program for loan repayment assistance.