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.

You are allowed only 2 total attempts at earning your desired grade in these courses to be eligible to apply to Dental Hygiene. A withdrawal or drop counts as an attempt.

For selection purposes, the lab portion of science courses cannot be completed online and will not earn bonus points.

Any science courses not completed at the time of your acceptance will be required to be completed before the end of the program.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Exception

We will accept online science courses (lectures and labs) taken during Spring, Summer, or Fall 2020 for the 5-year period.

Also, we will give you bonus points for the grades you earn in those online science courses, just like we do for face-to-face science course grades.

Once schools can offer face-to-face science lectures and labs, we will expect applicants to take in-person science courses.

If, at any other time in the future, only online courses and labs are possible, we will adopt this same practice.

Work Experience / Observation

If you will be submitting an application in Fall 2023, plan for required work experience / observation and observation hours

Starting in our Fall 2023 application period, work experience / observation and observation hours will once again be application requirements.

Check here toward the end of this semester for details about the requirements.

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

If you graduated from a high school in an English-speaking country not mentioned above, you must provide official transcripts and a notarized letter from the high school's headmaster or principal stating that English was the primary languages of the courses taught.

Immunizations

Submit record of vaccinations after you have been accepted to our Dental Hygiene Program.

In addition to showing immunity to Varicella and Diphtheria/Tetanus, the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) requires all students in health related programs to be immunized prior to enrollment in classes where patient contact is a component.

Required After Acceptance

• Measles: 2 doses required
• Mumps: 1 dose required
• Rubella: 1 dose required
• Meningococcal Meningitis: 1 dose required
• Hepatitis B: 1 series of 3 doses required (may take 6 months to complete)
• Tuberculosis screening: Tuberculosis Test—repeated annually
• Influenza vaccine: 1 dose required annually

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 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