Dental Assisting Admission Requirements
Start
Fall 2026
Location
Moorhead campus
Application deadline
May 15, 2026
Thank you for your interest in the Dental Assisting program at Minnesota State Community and Technical College. Before applying to the Dental Assisting 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 Assisting program after you are admitted to M State, you must submit the completed Dental Assisting Application before May 15 of the year you wish to enroll in the program. Transcripts from any other colleges you have attended must be received before May 15.
M State’s Dental Assisting admission requirements are subject to change to ensure the quality of the program.
- Approximately 60 students apply to the Dental Assisting program each year.
- The top 30 applicants are accepted for fall term based on a point system. 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 highest-ranking 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 assisting students are offered on the M State Moorhead campus and are transferrable to a four-year college or university.
- The program in dental assisting 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, CODA | Commission on Dental Accreditation, or 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Ill. 60611.
- Graduates receive a diploma in Dental Assisting or an Associate of Applied Science degree, depending on the program selected.
- After successful completion of the Dental Assisting National Board exam and the Minnesota Dental Assistant and Jurisprudence exams, a graduate may apply for licensure by the Minnesota Board of Dentistry.
Careers
If you are interested in a health career oriented toward preventing disease and helping patients maintain good oral health, dental assisting may be the career for you.
A dental assistant is a vital member of the dental health team and enjoys a range of exciting and challenging duties: preparation of instrument tray set-ups and treatment rooms, chairside assisting for dental procedures, expanded functions, patient oral care instruction, instrument recirculation and sterilization, dental laboratory procedures and dental business office procedures. Expanded functions are a special group of procedures a qualified Minnesota dental assistant may perform independently on a patient such as polishing teeth, taking radiographs, applying dental sealants, taking impressions, tying in orthodontic wires, fabricating temporary restorations and administering nitrous oxide-oxygen inhalation sedation.
The dental assisting major is designed to provide the student with the technical knowledge, manual skills and clinical experiences required to make the graduate a valuable member of the dental health care profession. The program prepares the student to function in both general and specialty practices, hospitals, public health facilities and product research centers. Dental assistants may also work in health education, product sales and marketing.
Admission
All students who apply to the Dental Assisting program must apply and be accepted to the college no later than May 15.
Application to the fall 2026 Dental Assisting program will be open through May 15, 2026. The Dental Assisting program application mut 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 (AAS program) or MATH 0070 (Diploma program) 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 assisting 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 Assisting program. Selection is based on completion of required admission criteria and optional admission criteria.
Dental Assisting AAS - 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.
Dental Assisting Diploma - Applicants must complete MATH 0070 Math Literacy with a grade of C or better, unless math scores on the Accuplacer/ACT or high school GPA place the student into MATH 0085 Elementary Algebra I or higher.
The following courses must be completed before the application deadline:
- BIOL 2260 Human Anatomy and Physiology I
- ENGL 1101 College Writing
- DENT 1102 Dental Anatomy
BIOL 2261 is not a program requirement; however, if a student has completed it with an A or B, they will earn one point.
Having completed the prerequisite courses does NOT guarantee acceptance into the Dental Assisting program.
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 Assisting program. If you have completed the optional admission criteria, you may increase your chance of acceptance. Please see the Dental Assisting Application Assessment Points Calculator to determine how points are awarded.
- ACT Composite score
- Completion of BIOL 2261 Human Anatomy & Physiology I Lab
- Completion of 12 or more college credits with a 2.5 cumulative GPA
OR - Completion of 24 or more college credits with a 2.5 cumulative GPA
- Completion of M State's HLTH 1000 Intro to Healthcare course
Calculate and determine how points are awarded for admission to the Dental Assisting program.
Selection process
Applicants for the Dental Assisting program 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 Assisting Application Assessment Points Calculator will help you determine how points are awarded.
All eligible applicants will be ranked by their total points earned.
In case of one or more tied scores, we will use the following tiebreaker criteria: 1. DENT 1102 grade, 2. BIOL 2260 grade, 3. ENGL grade, 4. ACT score. In the event that a tie still exists, a public lottery will be the determinant.
The 30 applicants who score the highest will be selected for admission for the Dental Assisting program. The next 10 students will be placed on the waiting list as alternates.
- To receive points for the courses, applicants must have completed the courses and received a letter grade before May 15.
- We will average all grades (A-F) for each course.
- All science classes will be considered for selection only if the courses were taken within the past five years.
- You may apply before all of the prerequisite courses are completed but should be registered for them during the spring semester.
Prerequisite courses
The following courses must be completed prior to the application deadline:
- BIOL2260 Human Anatomy and Physiology I
- DENT 1102 Dental Anatomy
- ENGL 1101 College Writing (or ENGL 1102, 1205, 1210 or 1215)*
*The highest of the grades is used if more than one ENGL course was taken.
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 within 30 days of the application deadline.
Estimated program costs 2025-26
All costs are estimates. Estimates for room, board, transportation and personal expenses are not included.
Dental Assisting Diploma program - 48 credits/Dental Assisting AAS program - 63 credits
Tuition ($188 per credit): $1,504
Books $800
Technology Fee ($10/credit) $80
Activity Fee ($3.70/credit) $29.60
Student Association Fee (.61/credit) $4.88
Wellness Fee ($6/credit) $48
Parking Fee $30
$2,496.48
Tuition ($231.80 per credit): $4,404.20
Books $835
Laptop Computer $1000
Technology Fee ($10/credit) $190
Activity Fee ($3.70/credit) $70.30
Student Association Fee (.61/credit) $11.59
Wellness Fee ($6/credit) $114
Parking Fee $30
$6,655.09
Tuition ($231.80 per credit): $4,867.80
Books $300
Technology Fee ($10/credit) $210
Activity Fee ($3.70/credit) $77.70
Student Association Fee (.61/credit) $12.81
Wellness Fee ($6/credit) $126
Parking Fee $30
$5,504.31
Dental Assisting National Board Exam
$425-750
Minnesota Jurisprudence Exam
$60
Additional program requirements for accepted students
Dental 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 Requirements.
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 who do not pass the background check will not be allowed to participate in clinical activities and thus are not eligible for graduation. Students in the dental programs are also required to complete a federal criminal background study. The background study 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 I. 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 Assisting 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 Assisting 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 Assisting 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.
