Selective Admission: Dental Hygiene

Grade Point Average (GPA)

We recommend 3.5 or higher overall GPA.

Make A's and B's in most—if not all—of your college courses.

TCC Student ID Number

First, you must apply to TCC.

Apply online with ApplyTCC (use Firefox or Chrome for the best experience)

• Application instructions: How to Apply for Admission

Once you are accepted as a student at TCC, you will get a TCC Student ID number.

You need a TCC Student ID number for your application to our Dental Hygiene Program.

Texas Success Initiative (TSI)

You must meet the TSI requirements for enrolling in college credit courses. Confirm your TSI status with the Admissions and Registrar Office (817-515-0498).

Questions? See TSI Assessment.

3-Attempt Rule

You are allowed to apply a maximum of 3 times to our Dental Hygiene Program (effective 2016).

Science Courses

It is recommend you complete most, if not all of these courses with a grade of “C” or higher before applying to our program:

• BIOL–2401 Anatomy and Physiology I
• BIOL–2402 Anatomy and Physiology II
• BIOL–2420 Microbiology Non-Science Majors
• CHEM–1406 Intro Chemistry I–Allied Health
  Note: A course is valid only if completed within 5 years of your application.

We will consider only the highest grade from your first 2 attempts on any science course for admission bonus points. A withdrawal or drop counts as an attempt.

If you have not completed one or more of the science courses at the time of your acceptance, you must complete them before the end of the program, per the degree plan.

Health Education System Inc. (HESI HP A2 V1) Admission Exam

HESI HP A2 V1 is the required admissions exam for the program. 

For details, see How to Apply to Dental Hygiene: Step 4: Take required admissions exams before applying.

The HESI HP A2 V1 exam is not offered at any TCC campus. A study guide is not offered/recommended for the exam.

English Language Proficiency

To be admitted to TCC, you must submit passing scores for English language proficiency if you are an international student. See English Language Proficiency for more details.

Does the Dental Hygiene program have English language requirements?

If you did not graduate from a high school in the United States or on a U.S. military installation where English was the primary language, you will have to complete the TOEFL iBT® exam.

Your test must reach a total of 90 points to be accepted to the Dental Hygiene Program.

Find out how to schedule your TOEFL iBT^®. You will also find test centers that offer this test, test dates, and costs.

Graduate from a high school in an English-speaking country?

If you graduated from a high school in one of the following English-speaking countries, you must provide documentation of your graduation:

• Antigua & Barbuda
• Australia
• Bahamas, The
• Barbados
• Belize
• Bermuda
• British Virgin Islands
• Canada (except Quebec)
• Cayman Islands
• Dominica
• Grenada
• Guyana
• Ireland
• Jamaica
• Liberia
• Montserrat
• New Zealand
• South Africa
• St. Kitts & Nevis
• St. Lucia
• St. Vincent & the Grenadines
• Trinidad & Tobago
• Turks & Caicos Islands
• United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales)

Immunizations

The Texas Administrative Code (TAC) and Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council Foundation Community Standards (PDF)Listen require that all students in health-related programs complete the following immunizations before applying to programs where direct patient contact is a component.

If you know you will be applying to our Dental Hygiene Program within the next year, you will need to start these now because some will take up to 7 months to complete the series.

Under state law, all immunization must be complete by the first day of class. You will be dropped from the program for incomplete immunizations. Direct patient contact starts with the first fall semester for new students in our Dental Hygiene program.

Once accepted, you will need to submit a TCC Health Department Immunization and Health Record to document that you have completed the following immunizations.

• Tetanus, Diphtheria & Pertussis (TDaP): 1 dose
• Varicella: 2 doses
• Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR): 2 doses
• Influenza (Flu Shot)
• Hepatitis B: 3-shot series (initial dose, dose at 1 month & dose at 6 months)
  • Accelerated schedules are not accepted.

Note: Titers showing positive immunity to the diseases will be acceptable.

Required screening: Tuberculosis Skin Test or Chest X-Ray within the last 12 months.

COVID-19 Vaccination

The COVID-19 vaccination is not currently a program application requirement because:

• TCC does not require students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
• None of our current clinical rotation sites require the COVID-19 vaccine.

Health Requirements

• Physical Exam
• American Heart Association Healthcare Provider CPR Certification
  • Earned through hands-on course
• Health insurance
  • Required when doing clinical coursework

Criminal Background Check and Drug Screening

After being accepted to the program, but before classes begin, you must undergo and pass a criminal background check and drug screening.

These screenings will be administered through CastleBranch, a background screening management service, and will be at your expense. There are no exceptions.

Notice: Licensure

You may be ineligible for licensure by the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners (TSBDE), and you may not be able to complete extramural rotations as required by our Dental Hygiene program if you have any of the following:

• Indictments
• Orders of deferred adjudication
• Judgments
• Probation records
• Evidence of completion of probation, misdemeanors, or felonies

Also, acceptance into our program is dependent on background check and drug screening results.

If you are concerned about any items that might be flagged on a Criminal Background Screening, you must apply for a Criminal History Evaluation through the TSBDE website:

• Apply for a TSBDE Criminal History Evaluation
• Download the TSBDE Criminal History Evaluation Application (PDF)Listen