Dental Hygiene Intake Process

How to apply to the Dental Hygiene A.A.S. Program

Dental Hygiene is one of four select degree programs in the College’s Allied Health department. The programs in this department can accept only a limited number of students each year. Students can apply for admission into the Dental Hygiene program after completing all prerequisites required.

As part of the application, students must (1) meet a minimum GPA requirement of 2.8, (2) take a pre-admission test, and (3) successfully complete prerequisite courses.

Students are allowed to submit one application to only ONE program in the Allied Health department per year. Applications for Dental Hygiene open in October, and the application priority deadline is March 1, or until the program seats have been filled. The Dental Hygiene program begins once a year in July at the start of the late summer term. Submitting an application before or on the day of the priority deadline ensures students that their application will be given the strongest possible consideration. Applications remain open until the program is full.

Minimum GPA Requirement

Students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher to be considered for the Dental Hygiene program. Admission is highly competitive and successful applicants accepted into the program often have a GPA higher than 2.8.

Transcripts

If you plan to use your previous College experience toward your application, you must submit an official transcript to the Transcript Evaluation Office. A transcript for previous Community College of Philadelphia experience is not required. Transcripts are only official if they are unopened.

Prospective Students: You must request official transcripts from all previously attended colleges/universities for evaluation for transfer credit, and have them emailed DIRECTLY from your college(s) to traneval [at] ccp.edu (traneval[at]ccp[dot]edu). Placement testing, a requirement to enroll at the College, will be waived if you have successfully completed college English and/or college math. For more information about the admission process, follow the steps to enrollment for “Transfer Students.”

Current Students: Login to MyCCP and under “Electric Forms,” click on the “Transcript Evaluation Request” link to submit your transcripts. Please be sure to request ALL OFFICIAL transcripts from previous institution(s) requiring evaluation.

This procedure may take several weeks. If you are attempting to transfer a course that is a pre- or co-requisite course to a required element of the program, you may be required to register for that course until the transcript evaluation and transfer process is complete.

Prerequisite Courses

Students must submit an official transcript with their application. Before applying to the Dental Hygiene program, students must:

• Successfully complete high school Biology or its equivalent (Biology 106 or Biology 109*)
• Successfully complete high school Chemistry or Chem 110*
• Be placed in English 101 and FNMT 118 (intermediate algebra) or higher

*These courses must have been taken less than ten (10) years ago with grade of “A,” “B” or “C,” or be completed, and recorded on your Community College of Philadelphia transcript by January 31, 2023.

Kaplan Pre-Admission Test

The Kaplan Pre-Admission exam is a timed exam which takes 1.5-3 hours to complete. The Dental Hygiene program requires a composite score of 64. Reading, Writing and Math sections make up the composite score, however, science can be a deciding factor when applications go to the program directors. You must complete all portions of the Kaplan exam, including the tutorial questions. All sections should be taken seriously.

You must check your MyCCP email for testing dates. You can also download the MyCCP app to get push notifications.

Please note that students MUST complete the Kaplan by March 14.

The results you receive at the end of the test is Overall Correct, not your Kaplan Composite Score. To obtain your Kaplan Composite score, you can divide the Math, Reading and Writing score at the end of the test by the number 3. This should give you your Composite score.

Students who do not meet the minimum score needed for a specific program or want to discuss options for raising their score in a future application cycle should visit the Counseling department at any campus. No appointment is needed.

Preparing for Kaplan: Buy a Kaplan study book called, "Kaplan Nursing School Entrance Exams Prep 2021-2022" ISBN 9781506255422. This is sold in the College’s bookstore, or you can buy it online. There are FREE online study options you can find by typing in “Kaplan pre-admission Nursing exam” into any search engine. YouTube also has videos about preparing for the Kaplan exam.

Application Submission

Current Community College of Philadelphia students who plan on applying to the Dental Hygiene program and meet the eligibility requirements should complete the program application by following these steps:

• Step one: Login to MyCCP
• Step two: Click on the "Student" tab
• Step three: Click on the "Allied Health/Nursing Application Forms" under "Electronic Forms" on the top, right-hand side of the page
• Step four: Select your program of interest
• Step five: Complete and submit the form

Not a Community College of Philadelphia student? You must apply to Community College of Philadelphia before you can apply to the Dental Hygiene program. Please follow our Steps to Enrollment to get started.

Admission Interview

Applicants who complete and meet the aforementioned requirements will be eligible to continue in the admissions process and will be contacted, in writing, concerning the scheduling of an admissions interview with the Program Director (or designee).  An admission interview is not guaranteed and will only be granted to highly qualified applicants. A scheduled interview also does not guarantee admission. Applicants will be asked to submit the following if they are called for an interview:

• Résumé with letter of intent
• Two recommendation forms

Upon completion of the admissions interview, the Program Director (or designee) will review and score all applicants with particular attention to:

1. Cumulative grade point average
2. Strength of secondary/post-secondary academic curriculum
3. Allied Health pre-entrance examination score (Kaplan)
4. Extracurricular activities, community service, and work experience
5. Personal interview

Although a minimum college grade point average (GPA) of 2.8 is required, admission to the Dental Hygiene Program is highly competitive and most successful applicants have a GPA that is higher than 2.8 and a Kaplan Test score higher than 64.

Post Acceptance-Screenings

Students accepted into the Dental Hygiene program may be required to complete and provide verification of:

• Criminal background check – PA State Police and FBI
• Child abuse clearance
• Drug screening test
• Physical exams and or dental exam
• CPR training – must be health care providers
• Liability and Health insurance
• Social Security Number verification
• Being age 18 or older before program starts

ACCEPTANCE INTO THE PROGRAM WILL BE CONSIDERED CONDITIONAL UNTIL THESE ITEMS ARE COMPLETED. Students should not complete any of the above until requested by the program director.

Questions?

You can reach Allied Health admissions at selectprogram [at] ccp.edu (selectprogram[at]ccp[dot]edu).

Additional Program Costs

Additional costs listed below do not include College tuition.

Attending a Dental Hygiene board review course or taking the practice examination is mandatory for completion of the program. Additional costs each semester will be College tuition and lab fees for courses.