Dental Hygiene/Hygienist
CIP Code: 51.0602A dental hygiene/hygienist degree prepares graduates for careers in Health specialties teachers, postsecondary, Dental hygienists. 334 colleges and universities offer this program.
Annual Degrees Awarded
8,802
Colleges Offering
334
Avg. Career Salary
$99,940
Top Career Salary
$105,620
Dental Hygiene/Hygienist Salary by College
Nationally, bachelor’s graduates in this field earn a median $68,061 four years after graduating (middle half: $51,213–$83,379). Where you study it matters: across 76 colleges with reported results, pay ranges from $37,694 to $92,762.
Sort by:
| # | College | 4 yrs after | Wage-adjusted | 1 yr after | Median debt | Outcome Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College of Southern Nevada Las Vegas, NV | $92,762 | $96,276 | $75,252 | — | D |
| 2 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA | $91,726 | $83,465 | $69,479 | $30,556 | A+ |
| 3 | University of the Pacific Stockton, CA | $86,150 | $78,391 | — | — | A |
| 5 | West Coast University-Orange County Anaheim, CA | $85,797 | $78,070 | $73,751 | $33,707 | A |
| 4 | West Coast University-Los Angeles North Hollywood, CA | $85,797 | $78,070 | $73,751 | $33,707 | B+ |
| 6 | Lake Washington Institute of Technology Kirkland, WA | $85,286 | $78,445 | $77,431 | $23,000 | B |
| 7 | MCPHS University Boston, MA | $83,253 | $73,313 | $61,374 | $25,000 | A |
| 8 | Foothill College Los Altos Hills, CA | $82,028 | $74,640 | $81,255 | $11,000 | A |
| 9 | Community College of Denver Denver, CO | $81,896 | $76,589 | — | — | F |
| 10 | University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI | $79,863 | $72,666 | $71,260 | $29,690 | C |
| 11 | Loma Linda University Loma Linda, CA | $79,207 | $72,073 | $67,159 | $15,000 | A |
| 12 | Pacific University Forest Grove, OR | $78,641 | $79,104 | $76,060 | $22,500 | B |
| 13 | Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA | $78,231 | $71,236 | $72,808 | $22,341 | C |
| 14 | Oregon Institute of Technology Klamath Falls, OR | $78,089 | $78,549 | $66,691 | $20,750 | B+ |
| 15 | West Virginia University Morgantown, WV | $76,662 | $90,695 | $57,102 | $26,000 | B+ |
| 16 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN | $76,078 | $72,671 | $64,936 | $17,394 | A |
| 17 | Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA | $75,533 | $69,474 | $67,984 | $23,604 | C |
| 18 | University of Bridgeport Bridgeport, CT | $74,822 | $67,364 | $65,025 | $25,121 | F |
| 19 | University of New England Biddeford, ME | $74,504 | $79,178 | $59,851 | $26,645 | B |
| 20 | Midwestern State University Wichita Falls, TX | $74,347 | $75,589 | $60,153 | $19,349 | C |
| 21 | University of Maryland, Baltimore Baltimore, MD | $74,215 | $65,132 | $72,139 | $15,000 | A+ |
| 23 | Herzing University-Madison Madison, WI | $73,741 | $76,731 | $58,912 | $28,823 | C |
| 22 | Herzing University-Minneapolis St. Louis Park, MN | $73,741 | $70,438 | $58,912 | $28,823 | D |
| 24 | University of New Haven West Haven, CT | $73,231 | $65,931 | $59,086 | $23,281 | C |
| 25 | Metropolitan State University Saint Paul, MN | $73,027 | $69,756 | $60,849 | $15,250 | C+ |
| 26 | Minnesota State University-Mankato Mankato, MN | $72,882 | $69,618 | $62,496 | $21,355 | C |
| 27 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC | $72,567 | $77,875 | $54,207 | $11,000 | A+ |
| 28 | Clark College Vancouver, WA | $72,300 | $66,501 | $64,500 | $19,837 | D |
| 29 | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio San Antonio, TX | $71,120 | $72,308 | $64,535 | $20,000 | A+ |
| 30 | Farmingdale State College Farmingdale, NY | $70,853 | $67,437 | $72,908 | — | B+ |
| 31 | Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX | $70,132 | $71,304 | $64,394 | $15,000 | A |
| 32 | Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA | $69,732 | $63,497 | $63,145 | $18,000 | D |
| 33 | University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha, NE | $69,031 | $71,346 | $59,621 | $15,000 | A+ |
| 34 | Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ | $68,917 | $70,813 | $64,082 | $20,567 | C+ |
| 35 | University of Southern Indiana Evansville, IN | $68,825 | $73,837 | $61,972 | $20,500 | B+ |
| 36 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL | $68,609 | $67,408 | $53,559 | $21,500 | C |
| 37 | University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD | $68,556 | $73,793 | $61,265 | $26,000 | C+ |
| 38 | Siena Heights University Adrian, MI | $68,392 | $72,111 | — | — | C+ |
| 40 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman, OK | $68,018 | $76,368 | $75,367 | $15,000 | A |
| 39 | University of Oklahoma-Health Sciences Center Oklahoma City, OK | $68,018 | $76,368 | $75,367 | $15,000 | A |
| 41 | University of Wyoming Laramie, WY | $67,927 | $70,795 | $62,557 | $7,500 | B |
| 42 | Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans New Orleans, LA | $67,665 | $78,327 | $59,772 | $15,000 | A+ |
| 43 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus Albuquerque, NM | $67,561 | $78,225 | $55,003 | $20,000 | C |
| 44 | Indiana University-Northwest Gary, IN | $67,468 | $72,381 | $57,654 | $17,500 | F |
| 45 | Texas Woman's University Denton, TX | $66,034 | $67,137 | $55,694 | $14,049 | C+ |
| 46 | Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH | $65,920 | $70,347 | $61,173 | $20,000 | A |
| 47 | University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, AR | $65,708 | $77,431 | $58,607 | $20,000 | A |
| 48 | East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN | $65,649 | $71,714 | $51,316 | $14,000 | D |
| 49 | University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Fort Smith, AR | $65,470 | $77,151 | $58,380 | $24,125 | B |
| 50 | Yakima Valley College Yakima, WA | $65,179 | $59,951 | $62,574 | — | D |
| 51 | The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Houston, TX | $64,980 | $66,066 | $59,360 | $18,469 | A+ |
| 52 | Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport, PA | $64,919 | $66,023 | $57,043 | $23,983 | B+ |
| 53 | University of Missouri-Kansas City Kansas City, MO | $64,838 | $69,520 | $60,307 | $18,750 | B |
| 54 | Georgia Highlands College Rome, GA | $64,541 | $66,813 | — | — | C+ |
| 55 | St Petersburg College St. Petersburg, FL | $63,700 | $67,800 | $59,295 | $17,428 | B |
| 56 | Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI | $63,582 | $67,040 | $62,805 | $12,000 | C+ |
| 57 | Clayton State University Morrow, GA | $63,402 | $65,634 | $54,559 | $18,375 | D |
| 58 | University of Detroit Mercy Detroit, MI | $63,364 | $66,810 | $50,234 | $22,032 | A |
| 59 | Idaho State University Pocatello, ID | $62,783 | $66,761 | $53,877 | $18,000 | D |
| 60 | University of Louisville Louisville, KY | $62,595 | $70,876 | $57,464 | $23,000 | B |
| 61 | Youngstown State University Youngstown, OH | $62,099 | $66,269 | $48,826 | $24,905 | F |
| 62 | University of Louisiana at Monroe Monroe, LA | $62,089 | $71,873 | $60,188 | $15,000 | C |
| 63 | Vermont State University Randolph, VT | $61,991 | $63,670 | — | — | D |
| 64 | Wichita State University Wichita, KS | $61,982 | $64,347 | $56,798 | $19,000 | C |
| 65 | The University of Tennessee Health Science Center Memphis, TN | $61,981 | $67,708 | $55,109 | $15,000 | A |
| 66 | West Liberty University West Liberty, WV | $61,801 | $73,114 | $53,420 | $25,481 | C |
| 67 | Augusta University Augusta, GA | $61,584 | $63,752 | $48,992 | $12,687 | D |
| 68 | Indiana University-South Bend South Bend, IN | $61,436 | $65,910 | $55,314 | $21,500 | F |
| 69 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA | $60,778 | $61,812 | — | — | A |
| 70 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI | $59,402 | $62,633 | $43,742 | $17,875 | A+ |
| 71 | Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY | $57,958 | $65,626 | $47,974 | $21,000 | D |
| 72 | Purdue University Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, IN | $57,814 | $62,024 | $51,095 | $22,313 | F |
| 73 | University of Mississippi University, MS | $54,022 | $65,546 | $51,838 | — | B |
| 74 | Utah Tech University Saint George, UT | $48,576 | $46,039 | $51,816 | $11,000 | B |
| 75 | Careers Unlimited Orem, UT | $44,722 | $42,386 | $52,423 | $28,896 | F |
| 76 | Weber State University Ogden, UT | $37,694 | $35,725 | $45,118 | $17,965 | B+ |
Bachelor’s degrees. Wage-adjusted = pay ÷ √(state wage index). Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data.
What Can You Do With a Dental Hygiene/Hygienist Degree?
Graduates with this degree pursue careers in the following fields:
$99,940
Average Salary Across Careers
$105,620
Highest Paying Career
2
Career Paths Available
Best Colleges for Dental Hygiene/Hygienist
Ranked by Repit grade, then by degrees awarded. These are the top-rated colleges that produce the most graduates in dental hygiene/hygienist.
Largest Dental Hygiene/Hygienist Programs
Schools ranked by number of graduates. These institutions produce the most dental hygiene/hygienist graduates annually, including online and distance learning programs.
8,802
Degrees Awarded Annually
334
Colleges Offering Program
2
Related Careers
About Dental Hygiene/Hygienist
Dental Hygiene/Hygienist is a degree program offered at 334 colleges and universities across the United States. Each year, approximately 8,802 students graduate with this degree.
Graduates with this degree can pursue careers such as health specialties teachers, postsecondary, dental hygienists.
Program Classification
CIP Code
51.0602
Field (2-digit CIP)
51
Category (4-digit CIP)
51.06
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I do with a Dental Hygiene/Hygienist degree?
A Dental Hygiene/Hygienist degree can lead to careers as a
health specialties teachers, postsecondary, dental hygienists,
and more.
Top earners in related careers can make up to $105,620 annually.
How many colleges offer Dental Hygiene/Hygienist?
334 colleges and universities in the United States offer
Dental Hygiene/Hygienist as a degree program. Each year, approximately 8,802
students graduate with this degree.
What are the best colleges for Dental Hygiene/Hygienist?
The best colleges for Dental Hygiene/Hygienist based on Repit's ratings include
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, New York University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ohio State University-Main Campus, Texas A & M University-College Station.
Rankings are based on the college's overall Repit grade and the number of degrees awarded in this program.
What is the salary potential with a Dental Hygiene/Hygienist degree?
Graduates with a Dental Hygiene/Hygienist degree can expect average salaries around $99,940
in related careers, with top earners making up to $105,620.
Actual salaries depend on the specific career path, experience level, and location.