Getting into dental hygiene school requires a mix of strong science grades, prerequisite college coursework, and a competitive entrance exam score. Most programs admit students with a cumulative GPA around 3.5, though the minimum to apply is typically 2.5 or above. The process takes planning, often a year or more of preparation before you even submit your application.
Choose Between an Associate or Bachelor’s Degree
Your first decision is which type of program to pursue. An associate degree takes two to three years and is the fastest route to becoming a registered dental hygienist. The curriculum covers general education, science courses like anatomy and microbiology, and core dental courses including radiology, pharmacology, and dental materials.
A bachelor’s degree takes four years, or two additional years if you already hold an associate degree (often called a 2+2 path). It includes everything in the associate program plus advanced coursework in areas like dental hygiene research, practice management, and oral pathology. A bachelor’s degree can open doors to roles in education, public health, or corporate settings, and some states are moving toward requiring it for expanded clinical duties. Both degree paths lead to the same entry-level clinical license, so if your goal is to start working in a dental office as soon as possible, the associate route gets you there faster.
Complete Your Prerequisite Courses
Before applying, you’ll need up to 40 credit hours of college-level prerequisite coursework. The specific courses vary by school, but most programs require some combination of general chemistry, English composition, speech, psychology, sociology, and human anatomy and physiology. Some also require microbiology and nutrition. These courses serve double duty: they prepare you for the clinical science in the program, and your grades in them heavily influence whether you get accepted.
Programs pay close attention to your science GPA. At the University of Oklahoma’s dental hygiene program, for example, the average science GPA of admitted students was 3.62. That science GPA is calculated from courses like general chemistry, human anatomy, human physiology, microbiology, and nutrition. If you earned mediocre grades the first time around, retaking one or two key science courses can meaningfully improve your competitiveness.
Aim for a Competitive GPA
Most programs list a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 to 2.5, but don’t mistake the minimum for what it actually takes to get in. Admitted students typically have GPAs well above the floor. At Oklahoma’s program, the average cumulative GPA for the entering class was 3.55. Competitive applicants at many schools fall in the 3.3 to 3.7 range.
If your GPA is below 3.0, you’re not automatically out of the running, but you’ll need to strengthen other parts of your application. Taking additional science courses and earning high marks, scoring well on your entrance exam, and gaining relevant clinical experience can all help offset a lower GPA. Some programs also use a points-based ranking system where your GPA is just one of several scored categories.
Prepare for the Entrance Exam
Most dental hygiene programs require a standardized entrance exam, and the two most common are the ATI TEAS and the HESI.
The ATI TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills) covers four areas: mathematics, science, reading comprehension, and English language usage. It’s the more widely required of the two for dental hygiene programs and focuses on foundational academic skills rather than clinical knowledge.
The HESI exam covers a broader scope. In addition to academic skills, it tests clinical knowledge and critical thinking in subjects like anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, and pathophysiology. It’s more common in nursing programs but some dental hygiene schools use it as well.
Check your target programs early to find out which test they require, since preparing for the wrong one wastes time. Study guides and practice exams are available for both. Many students spend four to eight weeks preparing, and scores are valid for a limited window, so time your test accordingly.
Get Shadowing and Clinical Experience
While not every dental hygiene program requires shadowing hours, many strongly recommend or require some form of clinical observation. Some health science programs require as many as 100 hours with multiple practitioners. Even when it’s not mandatory, shadowing gives you two advantages: it shows admissions committees you understand what the career involves, and it gives you concrete material to draw on in personal statements and interviews.
Contact local dental offices and ask if you can observe a hygienist during patient appointments. Keep a log of your hours, including dates, the office name, and the supervising clinician. Some programs accept volunteer work at community dental clinics as an alternative or supplement to traditional shadowing.
Submit Your Application Through DHCAS
Many dental hygiene programs use the ADEA DHCAS (Dental Hygiene Centralized Application Service), which lets you submit one application to multiple schools. The application cycle is open from October through August each year. Before you can start, you’ll need a DENTPIN, a unique identifier issued by the American Dental Education Association.
Through DHCAS, you’ll submit your transcripts, prerequisite course grades, entrance exam scores, and any supplemental materials individual programs require, such as letters of recommendation or a personal statement. Not all programs participate in DHCAS. Some accept direct applications through their own portals. Use the DHCAS Program Finder to search participating schools by state, program type, or teaching method, and check each school’s individual deadlines since they vary widely within the October-to-August window.
Apply to more than one program. Dental hygiene programs are competitive, and some accept only 20 to 30 students per cycle from hundreds of applicants. Casting a wider net improves your odds considerably.
Complete Health and Compliance Requirements
Once accepted, you’ll need to clear several health and legal requirements before starting clinical rotations. These typically include a criminal background check, drug screening, and a series of immunizations. The vaccine requirements are extensive because you’ll be working directly in patients’ mouths.
- Hepatitis B: A three-dose vaccine series plus a blood test confirming immunity, usually drawn about a month after the final dose. If you haven’t started this series, plan ahead because the standard schedule spans six months.
- MMR (measles, mumps, rubella): Two doses or blood tests showing immunity to each virus individually.
- Varicella (chickenpox): A positive blood titer or two vaccine doses spaced one month apart.
- Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis): One dose within the past ten years, with some programs requiring it within five years of enrollment.
- Tuberculosis screening: A negative blood test or skin test, repeated annually. A positive result requires a chest X-ray and clinical evaluation.
- Influenza: An annual flu vaccine, typically required before each fall semester.
Programs affiliated with hospitals or medical centers may have additional requirements. COVID-19 vaccination policies vary by institution and clinical site. Start gathering your immunization records early, because tracking down childhood vaccination documentation or completing a multi-dose series can take months.
Verify the Program Is CODA-Accredited
This step is non-negotiable. The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the accrediting body for dental hygiene programs. Graduating from a CODA-accredited program is a requirement to sit for the national licensing exam in every state. If you attend a program that lacks CODA accreditation, you won’t be eligible for licensure, regardless of how well you perform.
You can verify any program’s accreditation status directly on the CODA website, which lists all accredited programs along with their most recent site visit dates. This information is publicly available and updated after each accreditation review meeting.
What the Career Looks Like After Graduation
The investment pays off relatively quickly. The median annual wage for dental hygienists was $94,260 as of May 2024, and employment is projected to grow 7 percent from 2024 to 2034, which is faster than the average for all occupations. Most hygienists work in private dental offices with predictable schedules, and part-time positions are widely available, making it one of the more flexible careers in healthcare.
After completing your program, you’ll need to pass both a written national board exam and a clinical licensing exam administered by your state or regional testing agency. The timeline from acceptance to your first day working as a licensed hygienist is typically two to four years depending on your degree path.