Dental Hygiene

1. Apply and be accepted to USD.
2. Complete the prerequisite classes needed to meet program entrance requirements. Your academic advisor will help you register for the right classes.
3. Once you have met the entrance requirements, you can apply to your academic program via an application. You may need to submit supplementary forms in addition to your application.
4. Once you are accepted to your academic program, further information will be disseminated from the department. Some programs require additional forms, deposits and procedures following admittance.

Prerequisite Courses and GPA

• You can find a list of the prerequisite courses required for our program in the catalog.
• To be eligible for the Dental Hygiene Program, you will need to complete items such as prerequisite courses, dental office experience, and other application materials. This list isn’t all inclusive.
• All prerequisite courses (both unscored and scored prerequisite courses) must be completed or in progress at application deadline, which is February 1, and all must be completed by June 1. Scored science prerequisite courses greater than 10 years old will not be accepted.
• Department minimum GPA on scored prerequisite courses is 3.0. No applications will be considered with a scored prerequisite GPA lower than 3.0. Applications with final or midterm grades of D or lower on any scored prerequisite courses will not be considered. If a course has been repeated, the grade received for the most recent registration will be used in calculating the scored prerequisite grade point average. If you are repeating a scored prerequisite course with a D or lower grade at the application deadline, the midterm grade for the current semester will be used in place of the previous grade. Per Board of Regents policy 2:4, students are allowed to enroll in an undergraduate course no more than three times. Retakes and withdrawals of scored prerequisite courses will affect application scoring.

Students from Other Programs

• Students who have been dismissed from the USD Dental Hygiene program are not eligible for readmission. Students who have been officially dismissed from another accredited dental hygiene program for academic/non-academic reasons must submit a written personal statement regarding the situation with their application. Application eligibility will be considered on a case-by-case basis. 
• The department has articulation agreements with 2 technical colleges (Lake AreaTechnical College and Western Iowa Tech Community College)  in which students meeting specific criteria may be exempt from some courses within the dental hygiene professional curriculum. For more information, please contact the department.

Citizenship

To be eligible for admission to the USD dental hygiene program:

• You must be a US citizen OR
• You must possess a green card indicating permanent residency and have lived/worked in the US for three of the previous five years.

Transfer Students

Please check which courses are transferable by contacting the Dental Hygiene Academic Advisor at [email protected].

USD Student Status

All students must obtain active USD student status before applying to the Dental Hygiene Program.

Location Matters

This undergraduate program is designed to meet the educational requirements for a professional license or certification and allows students to enroll in at least one course through distance education during the first semester. Pursuant to Federal Regulations, the program may only admit students who are located in states where the program meets the educational requirements for professional licensure or who attest in writing that they intend to seek licensure or employment in a state where the program meets those requirements. 
 
Please fill out the corresponding form to indicate the state where you will be living (located) on the first day of the semester you begin the program. 

• Current, active, USD students, please submit the Professional Licensure Student Location form.
• All other students, please submit the Professional Licensure Transfer Student Location form. 

If you need additional information based on your response, a representative from the program will reach out to you about the next steps. 

Dental Hygiene Application Materials

The online application will open on October 1. The deadline for all application materials is February 1.

• Dental Office Experience Form
• USD Dental Hygiene application

Dental Hygiene Selection Criteria

Our selections depend on the pool of applications each year, and the department Admissions Committee reserves the right to determine first round consideration levels per selection criterion.

We accept up to 40 students into the professional program each year; students are selected through a competitive application process. The deadline for application is Feb. 1.

An admissions committee reviews applications and conducts interviews before offering student admission. Selection is based on evaluation of the following:

• GPA on scored prerequisite courses ^
• ACT composite score
• Interpersonal skills ^^
• Recommendation forms
• Academic Experience and Residency

^Midterm grades will be used for any scored prerequisite courses in progress at application deadline.
^^ Not all applicants will be contacted for an interview. Applications will be ranked according to established criteria and candidates who rank highly will be interviewed. The number of applicants interviewed will be determined by ranking of total pool. Dental office experience and recommendation credit is incorporated into the interview score.

Applicants selected into the incoming fall class will have a short period of time after receiving notification of admission to accept the seat in the class. To ensure your seat in the class there are several requirements and policies. If there are questions regarding these policies, please contact the Department of Dental Hygiene. Failure to meet these terms could jeopardize your seat in the class.

• Completion of all prerequisite courses with a grade of C or better with proof by June 1
• There is a required $350 non-refundable tuition deposit
• Immunizations
  • Compliance and documentation deadlines must be followed or the seat in the class will be forfeited.
  • USD Health Affairs Infection Control Manual
  • USD Health Affairs Immunization Tuberculosis Policy (page 13)
  • School of Health Sciences Immunization Report Form
• CPR certification for healthcare providers
• Criminal background checks are required as part of conditional admission to all health professions programs
  • Background checks will be performed only after the applicant has received notice of conditional admission
  • Understand that failure to disclose any previous convictions or charges pending at any point during the application process or while in the professional program may lead to denial or revocation of admission
  • Felony convictions will result in denial of acceptance to the program and/or eligibility of licensure. Misdemeanor convictions may result in denial of acceptance to the program
  • Drug screening checks may be required for licensure and/or clinical placement while a student in the program
  • Additional background checks may be required for programmatic clinical experience
• Accepted students must purchase instruments, uniforms and supplies for their dental hygiene education
  • Specific instruments, uniforms and supplies are ordered by the department at a discount for the students. It is in the students' best interest to purchase these through the department. If there are questions please contact the department
  • The amount for these instruments, uniforms and supplies will be added to the tuition bill and will be payable during tuition and fee collection, which is generally held the first week of classes or can be paid by phone, mail or SDePay when tuition bill is received through a USD email account
• Professional liability insurance
  • Contracted by the department at a reduced rate for the students.
• All other department policies and procedures are outlined in the Department of Dental Hygiene policies and procedures manual.