Dental Hygiene
Admission Requirements

Applicants interested in this program are required to visit the college and meet individually with an admissions representative and program faculty. Admission is dependent upon class size. Applicants will be reviewed based on minimum requirements for cumulative GPA of required pre-requisite general education courses, cumulative GPA of required pre-requisite science courses, and interview score. The Admissions, Progression and Retention (APR) Committee will make admission recommendations to the Chair of Dental Education for final approval. The Chair may accept or reject the recommendation of the Committee.  A denial of admission may be appealed to the South College Academic and Conduct Appeals Committee within five business days of the notification. Appeals outside of this timeframe will not be considered.

Applicants seeking admissions must:

1. Meet South College General Undergraduate Admission or Admission of Transfer Student requirements.
2. Complete the South College Dental Hygiene program application.  The Dental Hygiene program has rolling enrollment with cohort admissions in the Spring and Fall quarters.
3. Have earned a minimum of 2.50 cumulative grade point average in required pre-requisite General Education courses.
4. Have earned a minimum of 2.50 cumulative grade point average in required pre-requisite Science courses.
5. Participation in an interview is required for admission to the program.  Interviews will be conducted by the faculty in the South College Dental Hygiene program the quarter before the cohort start date. The applicant must achieve a minimum score of 25 points out of a possible 40 points to be considered for admission.  Students who score less than 25 points may apply for admission to the next cohort.
6. Complete all Dental Hygiene Prerequisite Courses: Basic Life Support Certification, ENG1201 English Composition, MAT1100 College Algebra, BIO1011 Foundations of Anatomy, CHM1000 General Chemistry for the Dental Hygienist, PSY1811 General Psychology, and BIO1015 Microbiology and Immunology for the Dental Hygienist with a minimum grade of “C” or better in a maximum of two attempts.  Withdrawal grades (W) are considered attempts.
7. Commit to full attendance and participation in a rigorous educational program which requires class participation, significant out-of-class preparation time, and clinical education assignments.

Students who have been unsuccessful in the South College Dental Hygiene program, or other Dental Hygiene programs, will be reviewed on an individual basis. Students who present transcripts indicating failure from two Dental Hygiene programs will not be considered for admission or readmission to the South College Dental Hygiene program.

Requirements for Admission (Other Than Academic)

In addition to course work, each student must provide proof of ability to perform the skills needed to practice dental hygiene effectively. Health care facilities must meet federal guidelines, and students must also meet these requirements in order to be allowed to gain clinical experience. All Dental Hygiene students must comply with communicable diseases/blood-borne pathogen requirements that the clinical agencies require. Therefore, proof of the following are requirements for the dental hygiene program applicant:

1. Health history and physical exam certifying ability to function in the required capacity prior to admission.
2. Common communicable disease immunization or immunity, including MMR (2 in series if born after 1957), tetanus (booster required every 10 years) and varicella vaccine (2 in series). A vaccine titer test showing immunity is also acceptable.
3. Hepatitis B immunization (3 in series) or completed Declination Form for Hepatitis B Vaccination depending on the requirements of the clinical affiliate. The Declination Form must only be used for medical reasons and must be documented by student’s primary care provider. A vaccine titer test showing immunity is also acceptable.
4. Annual Flu immunization or completed Declination Form for Influenza Vaccination depending on the requirements of the clinical affiliate. The Declination Form must only be used for medical reasons and must be documented by student’s primary care provider.
5. Annual screening for tuberculosis or x-ray follow-up.
6. Annual acceptable drug screen. Students may be required to obtain more than one acceptance drug screen per year depending on the requirements of the clinical affiliate. In any case where a drug screen is positive and no authorized prescription is produced to validate the presence of the drug in the individual’s system, continuation in the program will be denied. Upon notification of the drug screen results, the student will have 5 working days to provide prescription validation. Students are responsible for costs associated with any required testing.
7. Annual acceptable criminal background check for a minimum of past 15 years. Students may be required to obtain more than one acceptance criminal background check per year depending on the requirements of the clinical affiliate. If the background check reveals previous criminal convictions, admittance into the program will be made on a case by case basis. Students who are denied clinical experiences due to past convictions may be unable to progress in the program which will result in failure to complete the required courses for the program.
8. Proof of health insurance coverage throughout the entire Dental Hygiene program.

Students admitted to the Dental Hygiene program must demonstrate the functional capacities as communicated via the Department of Dental Education. Students who believe they will not be able to meet one or more of these requirements without accommodation or modification must notify the Chair of Dental Education and the Director Student Services, and a determination will be made on a case-by-case basis whether reasonable accommodation may be made. In no instance will an accommodation be made which will compromise dental hygiene care, or that will put patients or other students at risk.  Accommodation granted when a student is generally admitted to South College does no guarantee that this modification will apply to admission to the dental hygiene program.

Acceptance into a South College program does not imply or guarantee that a student will be able to obtain licensure, certification, or employment. Several South College programs require field experiences during the curriculum (e.g., clinicals, internships, practicums, student teaching) and/or lead to a field that requires a license or certification. Background checks are required prior to matriculation into these programs and may further be required prior to the field experiences and/or licensure/certification. Students should be aware that a prior misdemeanor or felony arrest or conviction (or an event of this nature occurring during the program) may restrict the individual’s ability to gain admission into the program, progress into field experiential training, and/or obtain professional licensure or certification. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the program of any issues that may have occurred in the past or that arise during the program. The events may require voluntary withdrawal or administrative dismissal from the program. All students are responsible for learning the requirements for licensure within their home state or any state in which he/she wishes to practice ensuring ability to meet these requirements.