Dental Hygiene Admission Requirements
Start
Fall 2026
Location
Moorhead campus
Application deadline
Feb. 28, 2026
Application must be received by 11:59 p.m. for the Fall 2026 semester start.
Thank you for your interest in the Dental Hygiene program at Minnesota State Community and Technical College. Before applying to the Dental Hygiene program, you must complete M State’s general admission process and the prerequisite courses required for acceptance into the program. To be considered for the Dental Hygiene program after you are admitted to the college, you must submit the completed Dental Hygiene Application before Feb. 28 of the year you wish to enroll in the program. Transcripts from any other colleges you have attended must be received before Feb. 28.
- The top 20 applicants are accepted for fall term based on a point system. If you retake a class, the grades will be averaged. The next 10 highest-scoring applicants are placed on an alternate list. Should a student decline acceptance into the program, the position will be offered to the first person on the alternate list.
- Students not accepted into the program must reapply to be considered for a future year.
- The general education classes required for dental hygiene students are offered on the M State Moorhead campus and are transferrable to a four-year college or university.
- The Dental Hygiene program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and has been granted the accreditation status of “approval without reporting requirements”. The commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at 312.440.4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. The commission’s website is Commission on Dental Education (CODA).
- Graduates of the Dental Hygiene program are eligible to write the National Board Dental Hygiene examination and complete the state or regional clinical board examination.
M State’s Dental Hygiene admission requirements are subject to change to ensure the quality of the program.
Careers in dental hygiene
Dental hygienists are licensed health care professionals skilled in preventing diseases such as cavities (dental caries) and gum disease (periodontal disease) to promote oral and systemic health. The dental hygienist provides direct patient care under the supervision of a dentist and is an essential member of the dental team. Dental hygienists must complete an accredited educational program to qualify for licensure in a particular state or region. Dental hygienists are licensed with the credential of registered dental hygienist or licensed dental hygienist following completion of an academic program that includes didactic and clinical requirements.
Upon licensure, there are many career paths a dental hygienist may choose. Some paths may require additional education such as a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene or a master’s degree.
- Clinician - Dental hygienists in a clinical role assess, diagnose, plan, implement, evaluate and document treatment for prevention, intervention and control of oral disease. Clinicians can be employed in private practice, community dental clinics, hospitals, university dental clinics, prison facilities, nursing homes and schools.
- Corporate - Sales representative, product research, corporate educator, corporate administrator
- Public health - Variety of roles and settings, typically government-funded or non-profit organizations
- Researcher - Colleges and universities, corporations, governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations
- Educator - Clinical instructors, classroom instructors, program directors, corporate educators
- Administrator - Clinical director for a statewide school sealant program, dental hygiene school program director, dean of health sciences at an educational institution, executive director for a state association, director for corporate sales
- Entrepreneur - Product development and sales, practice management company, employment service, continuing education provider, consulting business, founder of nonprofit, independent clinical practice, professional speaker/writer
Learn more at ADHA - Professional Roles of an ADH.
Admission
All students who apply to the Dental Hygiene program must apply and be accepted to the college no later than Feb. 28.
Application to the Dental Hygiene program will be open through Feb. 28, 2026. The Dental Hygiene program application must be submitted to be considered for the program. You must be accepted to M State to access the program application.
Placement testing
Students who have not completed ENGL 1101 or MATH 0095 and who do not have a recent ACT score are required to complete placement testing prior to registering for the first semester. Students who need to complete placement testing should visit Placement Testing for testing dates and locations.
Developmental coursework
All developmental coursework, if required by the placement testing results or ACT scores, must be completed before starting dental hygiene prerequisite courses.
Developmental coursework includes:
- ELL 0050 Foundations of ELL
- ELL 0060 ELL Reading
- ELL 1060 ELL Writing I
- ELL 1080 ELL Writing II
- ENGL 0096 Reading & Writing Strategies
- ENGL 0097 Express English Strategies
- ENGL 0098 Accelerated English
- MATH 0070 Math Literacy
- MATH 0085 Elementary Algebra I
- MATH 0095 Elementary Algebra II
Eligibility
Applicants must meet the minimum eligibility criteria, which includes a math requirement and prerequisite course completion. The optional admission criteria are not required, but may increase your chance of acceptance to the Dental Hygiene program. Selection is based on completion of required admission criteria and optional admission criteria.
Applicants must complete MATH 0095 Elementary Algebra II with a grade of C or better, unless math scores on the Accuplacer/ACT or high school GPA place the student into MATH 1020 Intermediate Algebra or higher.
The following courses must be completed before the application deadline:
- BIOL 2260 Human Anatomy and Physiology I
- BIOL 2267 Medical Microbiology
- DENT 1102 Dental Anatomy
- ENGL 1101 College Writing
- PSYC 1200 General Psychology or SOC 1111 Intro to Sociology
These additional courses must be completed before enrolling in DENT 1103:
- BIOL 2262 Human Anatomy and Physiology II
- BIOL 2202 Principles of Nutrition
- CHEM 1100 Fundamental Concepts of Chemistry
- PSYC 1200 General Psychology and SOC 1111 Intro to Sociology
Completion of prerequisite courses does NOT guarantee acceptance into the Dental Hygiene program.
All science courses must be completed within the last five years.
Repeated courses will be averaged for points. Visit with an advisor before repeating a course.
The following criteria are not required to be considered for the Dental Hygiene program. If you have completed the optional admission criteria, you may increase your chance of acceptance. Please see the Dental Hygiene Application Assessment Points Calculator to determine how points are awarded.
- ACT Composite score
- Completion of BIOL 2261 Human Anatomy & Physiology Lab
- Completion of BIOL 2268 Medical Microbiology Lab
- DENT 1102 Dental Anatomy completed at M State
- Experience as a licensed or registered dental assistant
- Current student or graduate of M State's Dental Assisting program
- Completion of M State's HLTH 1000 Intro to Healthcare course
Calculate and determine how points are awarded for admission to the Dental Hygiene program.
Selection process
Program applicants will be assigned points for completion of the prerequisite courses listed below and the additional optional admission criteria. The additional optional criteria, referred to as "beneficial admission criteria," may increase your chances of being accepted to the program. To receive points, admission criteria must be completed and submitted by the application deadline.
The Dental Hygiene Application Assessment Points Calculator will help you determine how points are awarded.
All eligible applicants will be ranked by their total points earned.
In the case of one or more ties, the grade from DENT 1102 Dental Anatomy will be used as a tiebreaker. If a tie continues, the grade from BIOL 2260 Human Anatomy & Physiology I will be used. In the event that a tie still exists, a public lottery will be the determinant.
The 20 applicants who score the highest will be selected for admission to the Dental Hygiene program. The next 10 students will be placed on the waiting list as alternates.
- Applicants who are in the process of completing courses will not receive points for those courses.
- All repeated graded courses (A-F) will be averaged.
- All science courses must be completed within the past five years to be eligible for points.
- You may apply before you have completed all of the prerequisite courses, but you will need to be registered for them during spring semester and receive a “C” or higher to begin the Dental Hygiene program.
- Students must have completed all the prerequisites prior to full acceptance into the Dental Hygiene program.
Prerequisite courses
The following courses must be completed prior to the application deadline:
- BIOL 2260 Human Anatomy and Physiology I
- BIOL 2267 Medical Microbiology
- DENT 1102 Dental Anatomy
- ENGL 1101 College Writing (or ENGL 1102, 1205, 1210 or 1215) *
- PSYC 1200 General Psychology or SOC 1111 Intro to Sociology *
*The highest of the grades will be used.
The additional prerequisite courses not used for awarding points must be completed prior to starting the program. The "prerequisite courses" section above indicates which courses need to be completed prior to the application deadline vs. prior to the program starting.
Each student who has submitted a complete admissions file by a posted deadline will receive an email from the college indicating whether they are accepted into the program, placed on the program waiting list as an alternate or currently ineligible for the program.
Applicants will be notified of their application status within 30 days after the application deadline.
Estimated program costs 2025-26
Please note: All costs are estimates. Estimates for room, board, transportation and personal expenses are not included.
Dental Hygiene AAS program - 88 credits
Tuition ($188 per credit): $4,888
Books $1,500
Technology Fee ($10/credit) $260
Activity Fee ($3.70/credit) $96.20
Student Association Fee (.61/credit) $15.86
Wellness Fee ($6/credit) $156
Parking Fee ($30/semester) $60
$6,976.06
Tuition ($231.80 per credit): $7,417.60
Books $900
Laptop Computer $1,000
Supplies $2,125
Technology Fee ($10/credit) $320
Activity Fee ($3.70/credit) $118.40
Student Association Fee (.61/credit) $19.52
Wellness Fee ($6/credit) $192
Parking Fee ($30/semester) $60
$12,152.52
Tuition ($231.80 per credit): $6,954
Books $500
Supplies $2,125
Technology Fee ($10/credit) $300
Activity Fee ($3.70/credit) $111
Student Association Fee (.61/credit) $18.30
Wellness Fee ($6/credit) $180
Parking Fee ($30/semester) $60
$10,248.30
Dental Hygiene National Board Exam
$600
American Board of Dental Examiners Clinical Exam
$1,150
Minnesota Jurisprudence Exam
$60
Additional program requirements for accepted students
Dental Hygiene program students must have a laptop computer. The cost will be in addition to the cost of tuition, fees and books. Computer must be a Windows-based system. M State students have access to Office 365 in the student portal. The required computer specifications can be found at Computer Information.
Accepted students must have current certification in American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS). Certification must include a hands-on, in-person testing component.
State law requires that students having direct contact with individuals in licensed institutions complete an annual background study with the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Students in the dental programs are also required to complete a federal criminal background study. Students who do not pass the background checks will not be allowed to participate in clinical activities and thus are not eligible for graduation. The background studies will be initiated after the spring program orientation and must be completed by July 1. The fee will be assessed to DENT 1103, Intro to Dental Healthcare Providers 1. Once the background study has been initiated, the student will be directed to a site for fingerprinting. Currently the cost of fingerprinting is $10.
Students accepted to the Dental Hygiene program are required to complete the information in CastleBranch. This information must be completed by July 1. Included are the instructions for a current record of a two-step Mantoux test or the QuantiFERON tb Gold blood test. All immunizations must be current. It is strongly recommended that students in the dental programs be vaccinated against Hepatitis B. Health career program students may be exposed to blood or other potentially infectious materials, therefore may be at risk of acquiring the Hepatitis B virus (HBV).
Students must achieve a grade of C or above for each course required in the program in order to progress. If a student receives less than a grade of C in any of the Dental program courses, they will be unable to complete sequential courses.
M State and the Dental Hygiene program comply with mandated and recommended health and safety policies to ensure a safe learning and working environment for students, staff and patients. Accepted Dental Hygiene program students will receive the M State Dental Program Student Faculty Handbook, which details all program policies related to infection control, hazards management and safety in the lab and clinical settings.
If you experience any issues with the application, please call 877.450.3322 or email info@minnesota.edu.
