Amarillo College Dental Hygiene Program Costs $13,670. Here Is How Its Graduates Do.
An AAS program in Amarillo, Two academic years, five consecutive semesters including a six-week summer term. 78 of its 84 graduates passed the national dental hygiene board exam over Classes of 2023 to 2026.
The Short Version
- Its NBDHE rate (93.0%) is below the Texas program median of 96.5%.
- 95.0% of students who started finished the program.
- Its published cost is at or below the median for Texas dental hygiene programs that publish one ($13,670).
- At 10% of the local median wage for dental hygienists, the program cost is paid back in about 1.6 years.
These lines are generated from the numbers on this page and change when the data does.
How Graduates Do
CODA requires every accredited program to publish the same outcome measures, so they can be compared program to program. 4
Graduates who passed the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination, as the program publishes it. CODA does not require programs to post a standard set of outcomes, so many Texas programs publish none, and those that do differ in years and detail. Job placement: graduates employed as dental hygienists, as the program reports it.
Where the Money Goes
About half of every dollar goes to instrument kit fee (estimate). Tuition and college fees are not stated as a fixed amount; the page points to the college tuition schedule for 68 credit hours. Optional loupes ($1,000 to $1,400) and a board review course (about $400) are left out.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Instrument kit fee (estimate) | $7,500 |
| Textbooks and required software (approximate) | $2,200 |
| Uniforms and clinical attire (estimate) | $500 |
| Health and clinical compliance | $500 |
| ADHA student membership, two years | $150 |
| TEAS admission test | $120 |
| Graduation, board and licensure (planning estimate) | $2,700 |
| Total 1 | $13,670 |
* How we calculated this: Added up from the page's required line items; tuition and college fees not included.
Not included: prerequisite courses and living costs. Program costs page estimates, no year given.
Jobs and Pay in the Amarillo Area
About 180 dental hygienists work in the Amarillo area. The middle half earn between $79,450 and $97,340 a year; new graduates usually start toward the lower end. Texas expects about 1,370 openings a year statewide through 2034, from new positions, retirements and people changing jobs, with the number of jobs growing 21.8% (from 15,550 to 18,950).
Program Facts
- Credential
- AAS
- Length
- Two academic years, five consecutive semesters including a six-week summer term
- Schedule
- In person, weekdays, with an on-site clinic
- Starts
- Once a year; 2027 cycle applications due March 25, 2027 (24 seats)
- Before you apply
- A&P I, A&P II, Microbiology, Introductory Chemistry I and Medical Terminology, each with a C or better.
- Entrance exam
- ATI TEAS 7, minimum composite 65%, one attempt per cycle
- Accreditation
- CODA, Approval without reporting requirements (CODA moved it from approval with reporting requirements in its Winter 2026 actions)
- Leads to
- National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE), a clinical licensing exam and a Texas license
Sources and Dates
- Amarillo College Dental Hygiene program costs page, Program costs page estimates, no year given.
- Amarillo College program outcomes page, Program page lists classes of 2023 to 2026: completion 95% (82 of 86), National Board 93% (78 of 84), clinical board 99% (83 of 84 on first attempt). No program employment rate..
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Dental Hygienists (29-1292), May 2025 estimates.
- Commission on Dental Accreditation (American Dental Association) (CODA), checked Nov. 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Texas and metro areas (employment and wage percentiles), May 2025 estimates.
- Texas Workforce Commission, long-term occupational projections, 2024 to 2034.
Every number was checked against its source on Nov. 4, 2026. Spot an error? Report it. Program Outcomes is independent and not affiliated with any school or CODA. Our independence policy