Dental Hygiene

This program at Houston City College use a selective admissions process and requires an additional application beyond applying. Enrollment is limited, and not all qualified applicants may be offered placement. Please review the admission dates below carefully to ensure you complete all required steps by the required deadlines.

Program Admissions Statistics

On average, approximately 150 students apply for admission each application period. Of these, 18 are accepted.

When the number of eligible applications exceeds program seat availability, selective criteria are used to determine which applicants are offered admission. Selective criteria are awarded based on the following:

• 50% may be awarded based on the health program academic criteria (grades earned from pre-entry form required and recommended courses and general education requirements.)
• 25% may be awarded based on the interview including a timed essay.*
• 25% may be awarded for psychomotor skills conducted at the time of the interview.*  

* An applicant with a minimum score of 0% in the timed essay or psychomotor skills test will not be eligible for admission.

Student Success Course

EDUC 1300 – Learning Framework (3 credit hours)
This course is required for students who are new to college or transferring to HCC with fewer than 12 college-level credit hours.

Prerequisite GPA Requirement

A minimum prerequisite GPA of 2.5 or higher is required for consideration.

Prerequisite Courses

Completion of the following courses with a minimum grade of ‘C’ upon application submission.

Academic Courses

A minimum grade of “C” or above is required in all academic requisite courses; no substitutions allowed. Academic courses are not required for the application, but are HIGHLY ENCOURAGED to be taken in advance to receive additional points on the admission rubric.

Note: Applicants with completed 12 credit hours or more from the above prerequisite and/or corequisite courses in the last four semesters by the application submission deadline will receive additional points.

HESI Pre-entrance Exam Requirements

The HESI A2- Admissions Assessment entrance exam is required to apply for the Dental Hygiene program at HCC Coleman College and must be taken in person at the HCC Coleman College Testing Center.

Schedule HESI-A2 test: Please contact HCC Coleman College Testing Center via email: coleman.testing@hccs.edu.
The cost of the HESI is $75.00 per attempt. Payment must be made by either credit or debit card.

HESI A2 Required Components & Scores

Applicants must complete both HESI A2 components and submit official scores with the Dental Hygiene program application. Applications will be declined if HESI A2 results are not received by the application deadline.

Academic Component

• Minimum required cumulative score: 80%
• No minimum score is required for individual sections
• Sections included: Anatomy & Physiology, Grammar, Vocabulary & General Knowledge, Chemistry, Reading Comprehension

Critical Thinking Component

• Minimum required score: 750

Attempt Limits

• Maximum of two attempts per component
• All attempts must be completed between April 1, 2025 – March 31, 2026
• A 30-day waiting period between attempts is recommended

Additional Notes

• Free HESI remediation is available through Elsevier
• College degrees do not substitute for the HESI A2 requirement

Additional HESI Resources:

• How to access your HESI exam scores, including critical thinking scores
• Resources for HESI study materials

If You Are Offered Admission

You will need to complete the following pre-enrollment requirements by a specific due date to maintain eligible status. Please note the program director will be in contact with you once your Letter of Intent has been received to provide you the information on the process of getting a background check, drug screen, personal health insurance, and deadlines for immunizations. Please check your email regularly for updates and information.

• Complete the Letter of Intent form by the deadline stated in the admission acceptance offer email. The offer will be sent to your submitted email address with the application form.
• Proof of personal health insurance (needed for the duration of the Program). If you need to purchase health insurance please visit a list of healthcare insurance providers that HCC has compiled as a courtesy to students who wish to contact a potential provider to meet their personal health insurance needs. Students are advised to contact more than one company and compare offerings.
• Pass drug screening by program orientation.
• Physical examination (by medical doctor, nurse practitioner or physician assistant licensed in the United States)
• Immunization record showing: Completion of Hepatitis B immunization series (may take up to 6 months), MMR – 2 shots or titer, Tdap – every 10 years, TB – every year, Varicella – 2 shots or titer, Meningitis (required for students 22 years or younger) and Influenza must be completed by the 27th of September. Mandatory Basic Life Support (Adult, Child, Infant, and AED) for Healthcare Providers (Hands-On Only) must be completed by the 1st day of class.
• Complete the mandatory student services and program orientation on the date provided in your admission email. (Please clear your calendar so you are available to attend the mandatory orientations if you are offered admission as follows: Fall Term – plan to attend orientation between July and August).
• Student must adhere to and comply with requirements in the currently published program handbook.
  Cleared Criminal Background by program orientation - All applicants are conditionally accepted and must have a clear background check. Therefore, if an applicant has ever been arrested, charged, convicted, plead guilty or not guilty, adjudicated, case disposed, case dismissed for any misdemeanor or felony, the applicant is required to submit an “Eligibility of Licensure” letter from the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners by the required application deadline date. For more information on the Eligibility of Licensure letter, go to Texas State Board of Dental Examiners Criminal History Evaluation 
• Eligibility of Licensure letter from the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners must be “current” within the last or current calendar year. So, it must be dated for 2025 or 2026.
• If you fail the background check without submitting the letter, your application will be disqualified.

Advanced Standing – HCC Dental Assisting Graduates

The Dental Hygiene Program will hold two (2) seats per year for former HCC Dental Assisting graduates or current HCC Dental Assisting students graduating prior to the start of the 1st semester of the Dental Hygiene Program. The applicant must meet the same minimum admission criteria as all other program applicants. The student will have conditional acceptance until verified that all dental hygiene minimum requirements are met. In case of more than two applicants applying, the applicants with the highest admission points will be offered the slots. 

Once accepted, students who meet this criteria will have the opportunity to test out of DHYG 1319, Dental Materials. The DHYG 1319 lecture and lab test must each be passed independently with a 75%. If the student scores less than 75% in the lecture or lab test, they will be required to take the course within the Dental Hygiene program. 

HCC Coleman College Grading Scale

To best prepare students for success in their chosen fields, Health Sciences Programs have high standards for progression. Unlike other HCC programs, the Dental Hygiene program requires a C (75%) or better to progress to the next course or semester in the program. For specific questions about grades, grading, and progression within Health Science programs, please contact Coleman College at co.dentalhygiene@hccs.edu. 

Dental Hygiene Program Grading Scale

• A = 100 – 90 %
• B = 89 – 80 %
• C = 79 – 75 %*
• D = 74 – 60 %
• F = 59 – 0 %

*A grade of C (75%) or better must be achieved to progress to the next course or semester. 

Clinical Requirements for Program Progression & Completion

To provide students with the most robust clinical educational experience and to ensure that students’ progress and graduate as scheduled, applicants are strongly encouraged to weigh all options before accepting a conditional acceptance into their desired health science program. To facilitate this decision-making, students should understand all the requirements of their program, including clinical education.

To be placed in a clinical educational experience, students must comply with the guidelines and requirements of HCC clinical sites, including health and wellness directives. Most clinical sites require background checks, health testing, drug screens, and immunizations.

Students are required to provide proof to HCC that they meet all immunization, testing, and other health requirements necessary for clinical placement. These requirements are determined by the healthcare facilities with which HCC partners for clinical education.

Many healthcare facilities require specific immunizations as a condition of employment, volunteering, or student clinical placement. If a student chooses not to receive or provide proof of required immunizations, HCC may be unable to place the student in clinical rotations. HCC will make reasonable efforts to place such students in a clinical site that does not require immunization(s), provided an appropriate site is available, and HCC has an active affiliation agreement that meets the necessary conditions to support the student’s learning outcomes. Though HCC cannot guarantee that such sites will be available at the time clinical placement is needed.

If a student cannot be placed in a qualifying clinical site due to unmet immunization requirements, the student’s progression in the program and ability to graduate may be delayed or prevented. Our affiliate partners’ expectations for student trainees reflect the same standards applied to individuals employed in their respective professional settings.

Students with questions about clinical requirements or placement should contact the program director of their program of interest.

HB 1508 requires the following information be given to students:

This program may lead to an occupational license for which a prior criminal history may make a student ineligible. For more information please visit:  HB 1508 Licensing Requirements.

The program in dental hygiene is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation [and has been granted the accreditation status of “approval without reporting requirements”]. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. The Commission on Dental Accreditation.

The Dental Hygiene program graduates licensures/certifications are issued by Texas State Board of Dental Examiners.

Licensure exams are administered through The Central Regional Dental Testing Service, Inc. (CRDTS).

For more information on the specific requirements for licensure in each of the CRDTS member states, you must contact each state's Dental Board. 

Please note, every attempt is made to ensure the above information is accurate and up to date; however, some information is subject to change.

If you have any questions or encounter problems contacting the appropriate licensing board, please contact the Program Director at (713) 718-7238.

2023-2024 Third-Party Licensure/Certification Exam Results 

Occupational licensure and/or certification pass rates reported by academic calendar year (Sept. 1–Aug. 31). Results for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 academic years are provided for comparison.   

Psychomotor Skills

Cognitive Skills

Sensory Skills

Social-Behavioral Skills