Dental Hygienist - Program Admissions

• Gain acceptance to the college in the “AA/Pre-Dental Hygiene” major.
• Apply online
• Submit high school transcript
  • Required if graduated high school 5 or fewer years ago
  • If the language of the record is not English, a certified translation must be included with the official transcript
• Submit official college transcript from ALL colleges previously attended
  • If the language or record is not English, a certified course-by-course evaluation that includes GPA and course levels must be provided
• Submit Accuplacer, ACT, SAT, or MCA test scores
  • Or schedule a time to take the Accuplacer exam at SCTCC or a location near you.

• Pre-Requisites for the Dental Hygienist Program

• A minimum grade of “C” or better AND a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or above in pre-requisite coursework is required to be considered for admission and must be maintained in the program.

• ALL pre-requisites MUST be complete before applying to the program.

• When applying to the program, applicants must be in Good Academic Standing at SCTCC

  • Not on warning or probation - cumulative GPA 2.0 & cumulative completion rate of 66.67%.

• RE-TAKE Options: Pre-requisites may be taken 3 times (effective December 2022).

  • Consult with an advisor about the impact of repeated courses

• Program application dates and periods may vary and/or be extended. Priority is given to those who apply during the first application period. Stay up to date by checking the program page frequently.
• The Dental Hygiene program is highly competitive, the college may not be able to accept all applicants that meet the minimum admission standards.

CPR requirement: Basic Life Support (BLS) American Heart Association OR American Red Cross

• AFTER accepted to the Dental Hygiene program students will be required to have CPR while in the program.

• CPR Requirements will be discussed with accepted students at the Dental Hygiene orientation session in May.

Admissions Exam

• An admissions exam is used by the Dental Hygiene program to help evaluate student readiness as part of the selection process. Qualified applicants will be invited to take the Admissions Test Dental Hygiene (ATDH) exam

• When invited to do so, applicants may visit www.ada.org/atdh and apply to take the examination. The Candidate Guide will provide all the information that applicants will need to register and prepare for the exam (e.g., information about testing dates, exam cost, accommodations, Prometric testing centers). 

• The ATDH test must be taken within the timeline of the application process, it can take up to two weeks for test scores to be delivered. 

• A set of free practice questions will be posted to the ATDH website.

• The ATDH exam covers sections including (1) Reading Comprehension, (2) Language Usage, (3) Quantitative Reasoning, (4) Perceptual Ability, (5) Biology, and (6) General Chemistry.  Students will also receive an Overall Score. Scores range from 200 to 500.  Applicants for the St. Cloud Technical & Community College Dental Hygiene Program are not required to have a minimum score.  

Please click here to access the Dental Hygienist Program application.

• All science and general education courses must be completed by January 15th.  
• Applicants will be ranked using the Dental Hygiene Program Point System, using cumulative GPA in the completed science prerequisites and general education prerequisites.
• Qualified applicants will be invited to take the ATDH exam. Students who have completed all program requirements and achieved a minimum required GPA of 3.5 will be eligible. Directions are included in the invitation sent via email. 
• Non-accepted applicants are encouraged to reapply during the next program application period.

• Must be a current SCTCC student to apply to the program

• The Dental Hygienist application is open December 1st through January 15th

  • Dates are estimated and subject to change. Review Dental Hygiene page for updates.

• Dental Hygienist Program Application

• Mid-Late February qualified applicants will be invited and take the ATDH exam

  • Dates are estimated and subject to change. Review Dental Hygiene page for updates.

Approximately 7 weeks after application period closes:

• Accepted applicants will have emails sent
  • Top 16 ranking students
• Alternate List applicants will be notified of their status
• Non-accepted applicants are notified & encouraged to meet with an advisor to discuss:
  • Ways to improve your application before reapplying to the program
  • Your educational options / course selection for next semester
  • Other programs and opportunities at SCTCC

Students admitted to the Dental Hygienist program

• Applicants will be notified of the date and time for the mandatory Dental Hygienist student orientation, usually held in May.

• Applicants must be CPR certified. Information about this will be discussed during the orientation session.

• Applicants will be required to take and pass a MN Criminal Background study with electronic fingerprinting.

Applicants placed on the Alternate List for the Dental Hygienist program

• Applicants who meet the requirements but were not admitted because the program was full will be placed on a ranked alternate list.
• Applicants placed on this list will be eligible for admission to the program if spaces open prior to the beginning of the fall semester.
• ALL applicants who wish to gain admission to the Dental Hygienist Program in the future must reapply, including those who were on the previous year’s alternate list.

If an applicant is accepted and declines to be admitted into the program, no preference will be given to the applicant should they choose to apply in any subsequent year. To be considered for admission in any subsequent year, students will be required to repeat the application process in its entirety.