Dental Hygiene Students Receive $350,000 in Scholarships from Delta Dental Foundation
July 23, 2025
Dental Hygiene Students Receive $350,000 in Scholarships from the Delta Dental Foundation
OKEMOS, Mich. – The Delta Dental Foundation (DDF) is excited to announce the first cohort of students receiving dental hygiene scholarships and equipment funds. Thirty-five students in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana from 13 schools were awarded nearly $350,000 to support their dental hygiene education.
“This is a long-term investment in the future of dental hygiene—which is experiencing historic shortages—and the health of our communities,” said Holli Seabury, EdD, executive director of the DDF. “Whether it’s the cost of tuition or the instrument kit students need to start the program, our goal is to eliminate as many barriers as possible.”
The funding is part of a new suite of scholarship and loan repayment opportunities for dentists and dental hygienists offered by the Delta Dental Foundation and Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. Students could apply for funding to cover the cost of tuition (up to $10,000 per year, up to two years) or to pay for instrument kits (up to $5,000 for students entering dental hygiene school).
The American Dental Education Association estimates the average cost of an in-state associate’s degree in dental hygiene at $22,692, which climbs to $36,382 for a bachelor’s degree. The average upfront cost for instrument kits, lab fees and uniforms ranges from about $5,300 to $10,000, and financial aid and other scholarships often can't be used to purchase those materials.
“The demand for dental hygienists is huge,” Seabury says. “These students are setting themselves up for recession-proof careers that will influence the health and well-being of thousands.”
A recent survey from the American Dental Association Health Policy Institute reported that 31.7% of dentists have been trying to hire dental hygienists during the last three months, and 77.8% say that it’s been “extremely challenging” to recruit them. Further, that same survey reports that more than 62% of respondents say staffing is the top challenge facing their practices in 2025.
The scholarship and equipment fund recipients will be attending:
- Ferris State University (Michigan)
- Grand Rapids Community College (Michigan)
- Indiana University (Indiana)
- Ivy Tech Community College (Indiana)
- Kellogg Community College (Michigan)
- Lakeland Community College (Ohio)
- Lansing Community College (Michigan)
- Lorain County Community College (Ohio)
- Rhodes State College (Ohio)
- Shawnee State University (Ohio)
- Sinclair Community College (Ohio)
- University of Michigan (Michigan)
- Wayne County Community College (Michigan)
For more information or to bookmark the application for next year, visit: https://resources.deltadentalmi.com/Loan-Repayment.
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About the Delta Dental Foundation
The Delta Dental Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization established in 1980, which serves as the philanthropic arm of Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and North Carolina. The DDF is dedicated to developing and enhancing partnerships and programs to improve oral and overall health and health equity. For more information, visit www.deltadental.foundation.
Media Contact:
Jen Anderson
Delta Dental Foundation
517-375-5507
jmanderson@deltadentalmi.com