Wharton County Junior College Dental Hygiene Program Costs $11,500 to $16,063. Here Is How Its Graduates Do.
An AAS program in Wharton, Two years, five semesters.
We are still collecting data for this program. This page will be listed in search once it has published outcomes and a cost or program details.
The Short Version
- 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 1.1 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. 3
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
The school's estimate. The page's five semester estimates (tuition and fees, books, instruments, testing and other items) add to $15,563 in-district, plus a required $500 conference fee.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Estimated two-year program cost, in-district with used books (as stated) | $11,500 |
| Total 1 | $11,500 |
* How we calculated this: High is the sum of the page's five in-district semester estimates plus the $500 conference fee.
Not included: prerequisite courses and living costs. Program page estimate, in-district, no year given.
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 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 (this page) AAS, Wharton | Not reported | Not reported | $11,500 to $16,063 |
Program Facts
- Credential
- AAS
- Length
- Two years, five semesters
- Before you apply
- Four hours of college chemistry with a C or better is strongly recommended.
- Accreditation
- CODA, Accredited by CODA (program page)
- Leads to
- National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE), a clinical licensing exam and a Texas license
Sources and Dates
- Wharton County Junior College Dental Hygiene program page, Program page estimate, in-district, no year given.
- 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