Houston City College Dental Hygiene Program: Pass Rate, Jobs and Local Pay
An AAS program in Houston, 5 semesters, full time (68 credits). 39 of its 39 graduates passed the national dental hygiene board exam over 2022-2023 to 2024-2025.
The Short Version
- Its NBDHE rate (100%) is above the Texas program median of 96.5%.
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. 3
| Year | Passed | Took the exam | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14 | 14 | 100% |
| 2024 | 13 | 13 | 100% |
| 2023 | 12 | 12 | 100% |
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.
What It Costs
Houston City College does not publish a total cost for this program. The program page points only to a general tuition calculator Ask the program for its cost sheet; contact details are on its page.
For comparison only, not this program's price: the 13 Texas dental hygiene programs that publish a cost range from $4,290 to $29,729, with a median of $13,670.
Jobs and Pay in the Houston Area
About 3,060 dental hygienists work in the Houston area. The middle half earn between $99,220 and $107,200 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).
Other Dental Hygiene Programs in the Houston Area
Compare all 6 dental hygiene programs in the Houston area
| Program | NBDHE rate | Job placement | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston City College (this page) AAS, Houston | 100% | Not reported | Not published |
| College of the Mainland AAS, Texas City | Not reported | Not reported | $8,686 to $9,436 |
| Lone Star College, Kingwood AAS, Kingwood | Not reported | Not reported | $16,000 |
| Pima Medical Institute, Houston AAS, Houston | Not reported | Not reported | Not published |
| The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Dentistry BS, Houston | Not reported | Not reported | Not published |
| Wharton County Junior College AAS, Wharton | Not reported | Not reported | $11,500 to $16,063 |
Program Facts
- Credential
- AAS
- Length
- 5 semesters, full time (68 credits)
- Schedule
- In person
- Starts
- Fall 2027 (apply Jan 1 to Mar 31, 2027)
- Before you apply
- A&P I, Introduction to Chemistry, English Composition I and Introduction to Sociology, C or better, 2.5 prerequisite GPA, science within 5 years.
- Entrance exam
- HESI A2: 80% academic, 750 critical thinking, two attempts maximum
- Accreditation
- CODA, Approval without reporting requirements
- Leads to
- National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE), a clinical licensing exam and a Texas license
Sources and Dates
- Houston City College program outcomes page, Program page lists 100% for 2024-2025 (14 passed), 2023-2024 (13 passed) and 2022-2023 (12 passed); attempted counts are taken as equal to passed since the rate is 100%. Years in byYear are the ending year..
- 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