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.

You will get a TCC Student ID number once you are accepted as a student at TCC.

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.

For selection purposes, the lab portion of science courses cannot be completed online or be a blended lab. Only sciences with face-to-face labs are eligible for bonus points.

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.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Exception

For a 5-year period, we will accept online science courses (lectures and labs) taken during Spring, Summer, or Fall 2020 through Summer II 2021.

The Selection Committee will give you bonus points for the grades you earn in those online science courses.

Mandatory Observation Hours

November 1, 2022–February 1, 2023 Application Period

You are required to observe a current Texas Registered Dental Hygienist in a clinical setting for 16 hours.

Your 16 observation hours can be from more than one office or of more than one Texas Registered Dental Hygienist.

Find the Mandatory Observation of a Registered Dental Hygienist Form as well as helpful information about applying in Dental Hygiene Application Information (PDF)Listen.

Have accessibility questions about this document? Call us at 817-515-6435 or email us at health.sciences@tccd.edu.

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.

Language Proficiency

If you did not graduate from a U.S. high school, you must complete the TOEFL iBT®, an internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language.

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

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

• Australia
• Canada (other than Quebec)
• Great Britain
• Ireland
• New Zealand
• South Africa

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

TCC does not require students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

However, proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required by the clinical rotation sites affiliated with the TCC Dental Hygiene Program.

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