Dental Hygiene Program
Applications for Fall 2026 entrance through Fall 2028 entrance (DHYG)
| Application Timeline | Campus Location |
|---|---|
| Fall Enrollment - Apply in February | Lincoln - Day |
Admissions Guidelines
Minimum requirements to apply to the Dental Hygiene program:
- CCRI Application for Enrollment into General Studies with a pre-dental hygiene (DHYG) concentration.
- Official copy of a high school transcript, GED® transcript or baccalaureate transcript
from an accredited
institution, including date of graduation or completion.
- CCRI uses a multiple measures* approach to determine admission into Health
Science programs (For example: High School and GED® transcripts, SAT, ACT, HESI
A2 or Accuplacer scores). Placement can also be determined by taking college level
English and Math courses. Anyone with a degree from a regionally accredited higher
education institution may have this requirement waived following submission of the
official college transcript.
• Reading Comprehension Requirement:
▪ Waived for students with a bachelor's degree or higher
▪ High school GPA of 2.8 or higher or
▪ SAT reading and writing score, 480 or higher or
▪ ACT ≥ 34, or
▪ GED ≥ 165, * or
▪ If using the ACCUPLACER test issued by CCRI's Advising Center, the
following guidelines are used:score of 80 or above in Classic
Accuplacer or score of 253 or above in Next Generation Accuplacer.
Students may retake the ACCUPLACER test once before completing
any remedial course(s)or
▪ ENGL1002 Critical Reading with a grade of "B-" or betteror 0950: Integrated Critical Reading and Writing
- Mathematics Requirement:
▪ Waived for students with a Bachelor's degree or higher
▪ High school GPA of 2.8 or higher
▪ SAT of 421 or higher or
▪ ACT ≥ 18, or higher or
▪ GED ≥165 or higher or
▪ If using the ACCUPLACER test issued by CCRI's Advising Center, the
following guidelines are used:
Score of 75 or above in Classic Accuplacer is required for Math
(Algebra)
or score of 256 in Next Generation Accuplacer is required for Math
(Quantitative, Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics)
or MATH 0101: Foundations of College Algebra with a grade of "C" or
better
▪ The following courses will substitute for MATH 0101: 1025, 1139,
1175, 1240, 1241, 2077, 2110, 2111, 2138, 2141, 2142, or 2243.
- English Requirement:
▪ Waived for students with a bachelor’s degree or higher
▪ High school GPA of 2.8 or higher
▪ SAT of 480 or higher or
▪ ACT ≥ 34 or higher or
▪ GED ≥ 165 or higher or
▪ English (writing) Accuplacer placement into ENGL 1010: Composition I
▪ or completed ENGL 1005: College Writing with a grade of "C" or
better.
▪ ENGL 1300 will not substitute for ENGL 1010.
4. Complete the following required prerequisite courses with a grade of "C" or better:
-
- CHEM 1010: Survey of Biomedical Chemistry (Chemistry placement testing is required prior to enrolling in CHEM 1010)
- DENT 1000: Introduction to Dental Health
- Biology Requirement: See below for description of Biology Department changes and how these changes affect admission requirements.
5. A minimum overall cumulative grade point average of 2.0 for all college courses taken is required to apply to the program. All science courses must have earned a final grade of "C" or better. If not, the science course(s) must be repeated.
All the above requirements must be met satisfactorily BEFORE submission of the Performance-Based
Health Science (PBHS) application and does not guarantee acceptance. Students declining
acceptance into the program for the semester must resubmit a PBHS application for
the program and meet current requirements. Once accepted into the program, the student
must attend a mandatory orientation conducted by the Dental Health Department.
6. Complete and submit an online PBHS application here.
Deadlines are listed on the form.
Conditionally accepted students are required to complete the following:
- When directed by notification from the Office of One Stop Student Services, students must submit a background check
- Results of BCI may prevent admission due to clinical agencies' requirements.
Final acceptance is based upon the completion of the above criteria.
Policies following acceptance into the Dental Hygiene program:
- COVID vaccine acknowledgement. Dental Health students are required to be
vaccinated for COVID-19, unless the student provides a State of Rhode Island
Medical exemption or a religious exemption form. See COVID Vaccination
Acknowledgement form. - Individuals who disclose the presence of bloodborne infectious disease will be
shown the same consideration as noninfected individuals and will be offered
reasonable accommodation. Information regarding health status of an individual is
considered confidential and protected by the Family Education Rights and Privacy
Act of 1974.
Participation in the dental hygiene program potentially exposes students to
bloodborne pathogens, hazardous materials and ionizing radiation. - Students must have a physical examination and required immunizations
completed.
• Students must have a current CPR card (American Heart Association, Health Care
Provider Level) obtained through an AHA-recognized community training center.
This course is available at CCRI - HEAL 0200.
• Please note: Requirements are subject to change.
• For more clarifying information regarding any of the above please contact One
Stop Services:
• Adam Moreau, Flanagan (Lincoln) Campus: (401) 333-7471, [email protected]
• If more specific information is needed, contact Janice Schmitz, Dental Hygiene
Program Director, at 401-333-7225 or via email at [email protected]
Dental Hygiene Program Admission Criteria Point System
The performance‐based acceptance process is based on the performance indicators identified for the Dental Hygiene program. A point system based on the admissions guidelines has been assigned to the performance criteria.
The criteria for the incoming class will include:
Grades in BIOL 1010 / Anatomy & Physiology 1, BIOL 1020 / Anatomy & Physiology 2, and CHEM 1010 (prerequisite science admission courses)
DENT 1000 grade
Selected Multiple Measures
Number of general education courses completed
Number of CCRI Dental Assisting courses completed
| Grade in BIOL 1010 or A&P1, BIOL 1020 or A&P2, and CHEM 1010, using the following scale | Each course's letter grade is converted to points and added |
| A (4.0) | 40 points |
| A- (3.7) | 37 points |
| B+ (3.3) | 33 points |
| B (3.0) | 30 points |
| B- (2.7) | 27 points |
| C+ (2.3) | 23 points |
| C (2.0) | 20 points |
| Maximum points | 120 points |
| Grade in DENT 1000 | |
| A (4.0) | 40 points |
| A- (3.7) | 37 points |
| B+ (3.3) | 33 points |
| B (3.0) | 30 points |
| B- (2.7) | 27 points |
| C+ (2.3) | 23 points |
| C (2.0) | 20 points |
|
Multiple Measures: (one of the following will grant 10 points) Maximum Points,10 points (can only |
|
| General Education Courses |
|
| Number of general education courses completed - Grade of "C" or better | General education courses: COMM 1010, PSYC 2010, ENGL 1010, BIOL 2210, SOCS 1010 (can only receive points for courses completed before application is submitted) |
| A (4.0) | 4.0 points |
| A- (3.7) | 3.7 points |
| B+ (3.3) | 3.3 points |
| B (3.0) | 3.0 points |
| B- (2.7) | 2.7 points |
| C+ (2.3) | 2.3 points |
| C (2.0) | 2.0 points |
| Maximum points | 20 points |
| Dental Assisting Courses | |
| Number of CCRI Dental Assisting courses completed - Grade of "C+" or better | Dental Assisting courses: DENT 2010, DENT 2225 (can only receive points for courses completed before application is submitted) |
| A (4.0) | 4.0 points |
| A- (3.7) | 3.7 points |
| B+ (3.3) | 3.3 points |
| B (3.0) | 3.0 points |
| B- (2.7) | 2.7 points |
| C+ (2.3) | 2.3 points |
| Maximum points | 8 points |
| Maximum total points | 198 points |
*ACCUPLACER may be taken no more than three times.
In the event of a tie, the students' prerequisite GPA will be used as the tie-breaker.
Credits granted through AP, CLEP, challenge exams or assessment of prior learning will be recognized as satisfying course requirements and will be assigned points equivalent to a grade of "B."
Please review the Department of Health website to learn about licensing requirements for the health sciences professions.
Please note: A Social Security number is required to begin the licensing process for the health sciences professions.
Biology Requirements - Changes to Anatomy and Physiology Courses
BIOL 1010 - Human Anatomy will be offered for the final time in Summer 2019.
BIOL 1020 – Human Physiology will be offered for the final time in Fall 2019.
Anatomy and Physiology 1 (A&P1) will be first offered in Fall 2019.
Anatomy and Physiology 2 (A&P2) will be first offered in Spring 2020.
What does this mean?
For students interested in the February 2025 application period (for Fall 2026 entrance):
Before submitting your application, you will need to have completed either of the two options below:
- BIOL 1010 and BIOL 1020 at CCRI or equivalent courses at another college or university*. Remember that BIOL 1010 is last offered in Summer 2019 and BIOL 1020 is last offered in Fall 2019.
OR
- A&P 1, which will first be offered in Fall 2019. Note: A&P2 is a pre-requisite course.
*The Biology Department at CCRI will determine which college/university courses are equivalent
For all potential applicants to the Dental Hygiene Program
For any questions regarding BIOL 1010/BIOL 1020 or Anatomy and Physiology 1 & 2 requirements, please contact One Stop Student Services:
- Adam Moreau, Flanagan (Lincoln) Campus: (401) 333-7471, [email protected]