(a) The board shall establish four types of scholarships as follows:
(1) A number of loans equal to 20 percent of the number of students enrolled in the University of Alabama School of Dentistry, based on the economic need and scholastic ability of the applicant, in an amount not to exceed the annual tuition per annum or four times that amount over a four-year period, shall be available to any bona fide resident of Alabama of good character who has been accepted for matriculation by the University of Alabama School of Dentistry or any other educational institution accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association. This section shall also apply to graduate students at the discretion of the board.
(2) A number of nonrefundable merit scholarship awards equal in number to five percent of the number of students enrolled in the University of Alabama School of Dentistry, in an amount not to exceed the annual tuition per annum or four times that amount over a four-year period, shall be available to outstanding students, one fourth of which shall be awarded each year to members of the entering class at the University of Alabama School of Dentistry, who, in the judgment of the board, have the highest scholastic achievement in undergraduate studies, sufficient dental aptitude, excellence of character, and other pertinent qualifications.
(3) A number of loans or nonrefundable scholarships for the Rural Dental Health Scholars Program established pursuant to Section 16-47-76 and operated by the College of Community Health Sciences at the University of Alabama and supported by the University of Alabama School of Dentistry.
(4) A number of scholarships and reimbursements for expenses for dental students in the Rural Dental Scholars Program established pursuant to Section 16-47-76.
(b) Any appropriations made pursuant to Sections 16-47-76 through 16-47-81, or funds received by the Board of Dental Scholarship Awards remaining at the end of any fiscal year shall remain with the board and not revert to any other fund. This section shall have retroactive effect to September 30, 2005.
(c) (1) The board shall operate the Alabama Dental Service Program, under which loans may be awarded by the board to applicants of good character who are enrolled in the University of Alabama School of Dentistry or any other educational institution accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association, but only to applicants who have agreed in writing to a contract as provided in subsection (d) of Section 16-47-79. Loans awarded under the program shall be based in part on the economic need and scholastic ability of each applicant. For applicants it approves to participate in the program, the board may award each participant, for as many as four years, an annual loan worth up to the annual cost of in-state tuition and required fees at the University of Alabama School of Dentistry.
(2) The program shall be funded by direct appropriation from the Education Trust Fund.
Last modified: May 3, 2021