Dental hygiene school cost

How much is dental hygiene school?

Dental hygiene school tuition and fees average $22,692 for an associate degree, $36,382 for a bachelor’s degree and $30,421 for a master’s, based on ADEA’s published averages for in-state students (ADEA credits the figures to ADHA and does not state the data year).^{[adea_dh_cost]} In-district community-college programs can cost well below the average and private colleges well above it, so treat the average as a starting point and get each school’s cost of attendance.

“Per program year” divides the average by the shortest listed length and is only a rough guide.^{[adha_degrees]} Programs also charge for instruments, clinic fees, uniforms and books, which may or may not be in a school’s tuition-and-fees figure.

Exam and license fees

Exam and license fees for a new dental hygienist come to about $2,000 to $2,150 in the three states below (NBDHE, ADEX, typodont and the state license), plus the clinical exam’s site fee and any retakes.

Fees from the JCNDE candidate guide, the ADEX exam page and each state board’s published forms.^{[jcnde_nbdhe][adex_dh][dhbc_app][fs_466_007][flboard_dh][tsbde_app]}

Is dental hygiene school worth it?

For a typical graduate, dental hygiene school pays for its tuition and loan interest within the first year of full-time work, because a hygienist’s pay is high relative to tuition. Counting the income you give up while studying (the calculator’s “earnings given up” field) usually stretches that to one to three years. The national 10th percentile wage, a fair stand-in for a new graduate, is $74,880.^[oews_hyg] The table runs three scenarios with a 6% loan over 10 years and a 20% tax rate on the extra pay, starting from no prior income:

A 6% loan on $22,692 costs about $252 a month over 10 years, 4.0% of a 10th-percentile salary. The bigger cost for most students is the income given up while in school, which the calculator handles in the “earnings given up” field. For the other side of the ledger, see the dental hygienist salary by state and the hourly pay table if you plan to work part time.

Ways to pay less

• In-district community college programs are usually the lowest-cost accredited route; check that the program is CODA-accredited, since accreditation is required for licensure.^{[adha_degrees]}
• Federal student aid: file the FAFSA and compare any federal loan offer with private loans before you borrow.
• Employer help: some dental offices support assistants who go back to school; ask before you enroll.
• Work while studying: enter part of your current pay in “earnings given up” if you can keep a part-time job.

To compare this with a dentist’s path, read dental school cost. For the full sequence of steps, see how to become a dental hygienist.