### SUMMARY

 Studying Dental Hygiene is not only a valuable choice, but often a needed first step for undergrads trying to begin a career as a dental insurance officer , a dental office manager, or a dental hygienist. In fact, nationally, dental hygiene is a very rare degree ranking as the 129th most popular degree. Last year, there were 2,443 dental hygiene graduates. In-state tuition for dental hygiene at private colleges is, on average, 4.5 times more costly than their public equivalents.

 With only 92 schools offering this degree you could have limited options as to the institutions you can choose from. If you are looking to surround yourself with other dental hygiene students, consider schools in California which have the most undergrads admitted to dental hygiene annually. Zooming out, the best region to major in dental hygiene is in the Southeast region with [St Petersburg College](/colleges/st-petersburg-college), [East Tennessee State University](/colleges/east-tennessee-state-university), and [Old Dominion University](/colleges/old-dominion-university) best representing the region. Interestingly, our selection for the best conference to major in dental hygiene is the Big Sky Conference with [Northern Arizona University](/colleges/northern-arizona-university), [Weber State University](/colleges/weber-state-university), and [Eastern Washington University](/colleges/eastern-washington-university) representing the conference. That being said, our choice for the best school for dental hygiene is [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california), and here you can find our comprehensive list for the [best colleges](/rankings/best-colleges).

 The overall best school does not mean it is the 'best' school for you. There might be tons more factors to consider when selecting college. Features like campus amenities, transportation services, and food might definitely sway one's choice on where to go to school. Here at authority.org, we've weighed the pros and cons for you. If, for example, you are intrigued by which dental hygiene college is home to the top campus, the winner is [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university). If, for example, you are very interested in which college boasts the best campus, we have a whole list [dedicated to that](/rankings/best-college-campuses). We have carefully pored through professor reviews, government databases, student reviews, and more in order to evaluate every major in an unbiased and informative way. Here you can explore our comprehensive list for the schools with the [best student life](/rankings/best-student-life)&nbspand, from that list, our pick for the school with the best student life for dental hygiene is [University of Michigan-Ann Arbor](/colleges/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor). Curious why? Continue reading to find out more about Authority's top selections. Some of our decisions will probably surprise you.

 If cost is a significant factor in your decisions, you might be cautious about [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california). [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california)&nbspappears to be the most expensive college for dental hygiene, at least regarding out of state attendance. We have an entire list of the [most expensive](/rankings/most-expensive-colleges)&nbspcolleges that could put the price tag of [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california)&nbspinto perspective. For more context, you may be interested to know that dental hygiene is the 249th most expensive degree in the nation, with an average cost of $27,000. To zoom out a little, the most costly state for dental hygiene in the country is Massachusetts with expenses at the main two colleges MCPHS University and Regis College of $33,600 and $42,650 respectively. Even more broadly, the most expensive region for dental hygiene is the New England region which is best demonstrated with [University of New Haven](/colleges/university-of-new-haven) with a cost of $39,000, [University of New England](/colleges/university-of-new-england) with a cost of $37,390, and [Regis College](/colleges/regis-college) with a cost of $42,650.

 Our cheapest region for dental hygiene is the Rocky Mountains region which is represented by [Community College of Denver](/colleges/community-college-of-denver) with a cost of $14,662, [Dixie State University](/colleges/dixie-state-university) with a cost of $14,976, and [Weber State University](/colleges/weber-state-university) with a cost of $14,973. In better news, the most affordable university for dental hygiene is [University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences](/colleges/university-of-arkansas-for-medical-sciences). Our entire list of the most affordable colleges can be found [here](/rankings/most-affordable-colleges).

 In-state students can expect to pay in the neighborhood of $8,500 for a degree in dental hygiene. That price balloons intensely to a median of $20,500 for an out-of-state public-school student. On that note, our selection for the university with the best value for dental hygiene: [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california). Through this link you can find our comprehensive list for the schools we see as being the [best value](/rankings/best-value-colleges)&nbspoverall. With that said, this discussion is predicated on the assumption that you are an out-of-state student. The value proposition changes when it comes to in-state tuition, as such, we are using out-of-state tuition as the baseline.

 Earnings for dental hygiene students range widely, but two years after graduation graduates will typically earn around $77,200. While there can be much variation in earnings potential; top positions can make up to $119,300. Straight out of college, the lowest earning positions within the dental hygiene space make $49,000, which could be worse. The top earning graduates from dental hygiene studied at [MCPHS University](/colleges/mcphs-university)&nbspand if you want to find the schools with all of the [highest earning graduates](/rankings/highest-earning-graduates), Authority has that too.

 The overall diversity of dental hygiene ranks near the bottom, arriving within only the 21st percentile of all majors. The school with the most composite diversity for dental hygiene is [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university)&nbspand here you can find our general list for the colleges with the [most diversity](/rankings/most-diverse-colleges). The overall financial diversity of Dental Hygiene only ranks within the 43rd percentile compared to all other majors. Racial diversity is even less in the 32nd percentile. White collegians make up the largest share, 69%, of scholars studying dental hygiene. Additionally, 96% of scholars seeking a dental hygiene degree are women.

 The median ranking of dental hygiene professors is 4 stars, which is surprisingly the median score for every major; this is a fine. If you are interested in the most popular dental hygiene instructor nationally, look no further than Mary Godfrey at [Grand Rapids Community College](/colleges/grand-rapids-community-college). This might be surprising, but the top rated dental hygiene instructors from student rankings are found at [Pensacola State College](/colleges/pensacola-state-college). If we including data beyond simply rankings we find that the college possessing comprehensively the best professors for dental hygiene is [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university). You can find more detail on our evolving ranking methodology of the [best overall professors here](/rankings/best-professors), as well as some of the finest instructors in the country.

 Finally, the most difficult college to get into for dental hygiene is [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california). While we are unsure why you would be interested, we do have a comprehensive page for the [hardest colleges to get into](/rankings/hardest-colleges-to-get-into). With that said, we hope you understand that considering college with a lens only shaped by superlatives can cause issues. We at Authority encourage you to explore our more nuanced pages on different universities and peruse a couple of our background pages on important things to consider as your school search continues.



 ### POPULARITY

 Dental hygiene is the 129th most popular degree in America, with 2,443 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #130 [Behavioral Sciences](/rankings/best-colleges-for-behavioral-sciences), and narrowly lost to #128 [Homeland Security](/rankings/best-colleges-for-homeland-security).

 The degree is offered at a total of 92 colleges across the nation, and is the 184th most widely offered degree. It is only offered at 4% of the Top 100 [Best Colleges](/rankings/best-colleges) in America.

 It is also worth noting that 85% of colleges offering dental hygiene are public making it a very accessible field.

 The southeast produces the most dental hygiene graduates, largely led by [St Petersburg College](/colleges/st-petersburg-college), while it’s the Big Sky Conference that leads conference totals. As far as states, California ranks highest, with particular help from [Foothill College](/colleges/foothill-college) and [West Los Angeles College](/colleges/west-los-angeles-college).

 All that being said, no individual school produces more dental hygiene graduates than [George C Wallace State Community College-Hanceville](/colleges/george-c-wallace-state-community-college-hanceville), which graduated 59 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study dental hygiene). More students studied dental hygiene as a percentage of total students at [Foothill College](/colleges/foothill-college) than any other college.



 ### COST

 Dental hygiene is the 249th most expensive degree in the nation, with a median cost of $27,000 for the top 50 programs (just ahead of #250, [Forestry](rankings/best-colleges-for-forestry), with a median cost of $26,991).

 New England has the most expensive schools with top 50 dental hygiene programs led by [University of New Haven](/colleges/university-of-new-haven) with an annual cost of $39,000. The most expensive state for dental hygiene is Massachusetts led by [MCPHS University](/colleges/mcphs-university) and [Regis College](/colleges/regis-college).

 Public schools with solid programs by and large charge 77.89% less than private schools for in-state students. However, when looking at out-of-state tuition, the median top 50 Public school charges 46.82% less than your average private school. So, if you're applying to a state school, make sure you qualify for in-state tuition sooner rather than later.

 The most expensive option in the top 25 is [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california), which is the 14th most expensive college in the US. The most affordable option in the top 100 is [Tyler Junior College](/colleges/tyler-junior-college). It costs just $3,480 per year, and it's its dental hygiene program is ranked #46. If you’re looking for a higher ranked, but still affordable college, [University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences](/colleges/university-of-arkansas-for-medical-sciences)  could be right for you, ranked #15 with an in-state cost of just $Another more affordable pick would be #8, [Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans](/colleges/louisiana-state-university-health-sciences-center-new-orleans) in Orleans Parish, LA with a cost of $#9, [The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-health-science-center-at-san-antonio)  with a cost of $ for in-state students and $ for out-of-state students.



### SALARY

 Going to college is a huge investment for most people. It is important to be confident you justify your spend. With that in mind, we hope the following earnings and job placement statistics help you make an informed decision when choosing your major.

 Right out of school, Dental Hygiene majors bring in $25,846 per year on average (bottom 5%). Later on in their employment, they ordinarily bring in something between $48,990 and $119,250, but average near $77,243. Just so you know, that is 100% over the nation's average.

 The most common work title for a Dental Hygiene graduate is Public Health Dentist, which for the most part earn more or less $64,000; next are Warehouse Worker and Certified Nursing Assistant, which predominantly earn about $23,000 and $22,000 respectively.

 The most well paid region for Dental Hygiene graduates is The Far West. The best paid state for Dental Hygiene graduates is CA. The most well paid conference for Dental Hygiene graduates is Big Sky Conference.



### PROFESSORS

 Fast Facts for Dental Hygiene: Median Professor Rating: 4 / 5, which is below average.

 Professors continually play a severe role in your college experience, regardless of your major. A thought-provoking instructor may help a student find their passion and set a student up for future success. On the flip side, a poor professor can derail your education or even worse... flunk you!

 Dental Hygiene professors have a median student rating of 4 out of 5, which puts them in the upper 72nd percentile in the United States grounded in overall professor quality. Suprisingly, this major is exactly the median for professor rating, which, in our opinion, is remarkably average! Dental Hygiene professors just edged-out those from ["Industrial and Product Design"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-industrial-and-product-design), whereas ["Biological and Physical Sciences"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-biological-and-physical-sciences)&nbspprofessors ranked one slot above Dental Hygiene.

 Now for some statistics about Dental Hygiene professors. Colleges located in large suburbs tend to have the best Dental Hygiene professors. The Atlantic 10 Conference has the highest rated Dental Hygiene professors. The Mid East region has the highest rated Dental Hygiene professors. Public universities tend to have higher rated Dental Hygiene professors than private colleges. Finally, Maryland has the highest rated Dental Hygiene professors in America.

 Mary Godfrey, professor at [Grand Rapids Community College](/colleges/grand-rapids-community-college)&nbspin Grand Rapids, MI is the most popular Dental Hygiene professor in the United States. Taneika Duhaney, professor at [Anne Arundel Community College](/colleges/anne-arundel-community-college)&nbspin Arnold, MD is the highest rated Dental Hygiene professor in the US, with a rating of 4.5 / 5.

 Want to know which schools have the [Best Professors](/rankings/best-professors)!



### STUDENTS

 College can be a profoundly constructive adventure in one's life; it is an occasion for personal progress and development. Undergrads try to figure out who they are as people and build the must-have skills to be a successful member of society. But learning goes far beyond a classroom - the campus dialogue, the personal lesson gained from an old professor, the exposure to a different stance on an issue. Therefore, finding a diverse college vastly enhances what one gains from the time in university.

 Dental Hygiene is a less ethnically diverse subject than average\*. 69% of America's Dental Hygiene majors are white students, followed by latino students (13%), asian students (9%), and students of other races\*\*(5%). The most ethnically diverse college\* in the top 100 is [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university) located in New York, NY.

 Moreover, Dental Hygiene is the the 6th most female dominated major, with female students out numbering male students by a 24 to 1 ratio. The most gender balanced school in the top 100 is [Lewis University](/colleges/lewis-university) in Romeoville, IL.

 Another critical type of diversity is class diversity. Dental Hygiene ranks around average for wealth diversity (57th percentile). 32% of its students come from families with a sub $30,000 annual income, 16% are from homes with $30,000 to $48,000 annual incomes, and 21% grew up in households who take home over $110,000 per year. [Vermont Technical College](/colleges/vermont-technical-college) is the most economically diverse institution in the top 100.

 Considering each type of diversity, overall NY is the most diverse state for Dental Hygiene. The Far West is the most diverse region, and the Pacific-12 Conference is the most diverse conference.

   \* diversity calculations and comparisons are based on [Simpson's Diversity Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity_index)   
  \*\* other races is used to refer to non asian, black, latino, or white

  #### Diversity Statistics

  ##### Racial Diversity

 * Asian: 9%
* Black: 4%
* Latino: 13%
* White: 69%
* Other: 5%
  ##### Gender Diversity

 * Male: 4%
* Female: 96%
  ##### Socioeconomic Diversity (By Household Income)

 * Under 30k: 32%
* 30k - 48k: 16%
* 48k - 75k: 16%
* 75k - 110k: 15%
* Over 110k: 21%
  ##### Geographic Diversity

 * In State: 76%
* Out of State: 21%
* International: 4%


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2023 Dental Hygiene Salary

There are about 34,367 students enrolled in Dental Hygiene in the USA.

SALARY