Retraining ReportJob training public funding can pay for

Find training

Dental hygiene programs in Iowa

5 dental hygiene programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

5 schools offer these dental hygiene programs, and Iowa has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

Dental hygienists check patients for signs of gum and mouth disease and give preventive care such as cleanings. Most have an associate degree in dental hygiene, some a bachelor's, and every state requires a license, in most states a degree from an accredited program and passed written and clinical exams.1 In every state, the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination counts fully or partly toward the written exam needed for a license.2

In Iowa, 1 of the 5 programs takes students without a high school diploma, 2 ask for a diploma or equivalent, 1 asks for earlier courses first and 1 asks for an associate degree.

All 5 are the same kind of program: dental hygiene (associate degree).

See the 5 programs

How much do dental hygiene programs cost in Iowa?

$18,060 to $19,264 is what most dental hygiene programs in Iowa cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 5 programs with a price. All of them: $15,910 to $31,292

In the typical program

Finished the program
56%
Working 6 months later
84%
Earned a year, estimated
about $50,300
Length
80 to 96 weeks

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Iowa may also offer dental hygiene programs. How these figures are made

Are there free dental hygiene programs in Iowa?

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

All 5 dental hygiene programs in Iowa approved for WIOA funding

Filters
What you need to enroll
Kind of program
School
How it's taught
How to show the list

5 programs

  • Dental hygiene (associate degree)In personNo diploma needed

    Dental Hygiene

    Kirkwood Community College

    Cedar Rapids

    Accredited school

    No diploma needed

    Kirkwood Community College, Cedar RapidsDental hygiene (associate degree) · Accredited schoolIn person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimated$41,500
    Price if you pay yourself$18,060
    Program website, Dental Hygiene at Kirkwood Community College
    More details about Dental Hygiene at Kirkwood Community College
    Finished
    12%
    Working at 6 months
    82%
    Earned in a quarter
    $10,367
    Length
    96 weeks, 18 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $7,839
    Students counted
    605
    Earned a year, estimated
    $41,500
    Price if you pay yourself
    $18,060
    Program website, Dental Hygiene at Kirkwood Community College

  • Dental hygiene (associate degree)In personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Dental Hygiene - Associate of Applied Science

    Iowa Western Community College

    Council Bluffs

    Accredited school

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Iowa Western Community College, Council BluffsDental hygiene (associate degree) · Accredited schoolIn person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimated$48,800
    Price if you pay yourself$19,097
    Program website, Dental Hygiene - Associate of Applied Science at Iowa Western Community College
    More details about Dental Hygiene - Associate of Applied Science at Iowa Western Community College
    Finished
    13%
    Working at 6 months
    74%
    Earned in a quarter
    $12,195
    Length
    80 weeks, 26 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $18,606
    Students counted
    207
    Earned a year, estimated
    $48,800
    Price if you pay yourself
    $19,097
    Program website, Dental Hygiene - Associate of Applied Science at Iowa Western Community College

  • Dental hygiene (associate degree)In personAssociate's degree

    Dental Hygiene

    Des Moines Area Community College

    Ankeny

    Accredited school

    Associate's degree

    Des Moines Area Community College, AnkenyDental hygiene (associate degree) · Accredited schoolIn person · Associate's degree

    Earned a year, estimated$56,000
    Price if you pay yourself$15,910
    Program website, Dental Hygiene at Des Moines Area Community College
    More details about Dental Hygiene at Des Moines Area Community College
    Finished
    92%
    Working at 6 months
    88%
    Earned in a quarter
    $13,994
    Length
    90 weeks, 21 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $9,711
    Students counted
    178
    Earned a year, estimated
    $56,000
    Price if you pay yourself
    $15,910
    Program website, Dental Hygiene at Des Moines Area Community College

  • Dental hygiene (associate degree)In personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Dental Hygiene, A.A.S.

    Indian Hills Community College

    Ottumwa

    Accredited school

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Indian Hills Community College, OttumwaDental hygiene (associate degree) · Accredited schoolIn person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimated$50,300
    Price if you pay yourself$31,292
    Program website, Dental Hygiene, A.A.S. at Indian Hills Community College
    More details about Dental Hygiene, A.A.S. at Indian Hills Community College
    Finished
    85%
    Working at 6 months
    84%
    Earned in a quarter
    $12,565
    Length
    96 weeks, 11 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    173
    Earned a year, estimated
    $50,300
    Price if you pay yourself
    $31,292
    Program website, Dental Hygiene, A.A.S. at Indian Hills Community College

  • Dental hygiene (associate degree)In personEducation and courses

    Dental Hygiene

    Iowa Central Community College

    Fort Dodge

    Accredited school

    Education and courses

    Iowa Central Community College, Fort DodgeDental hygiene (associate degree) · Accredited schoolIn person · Education and courses

    Earned a year, estimated$55,400
    Price if you pay yourself$19,264
    Program website, Dental Hygiene at Iowa Central Community College
    More details about Dental Hygiene at Iowa Central Community College
    Finished
    56%
    Working at 6 months
    87%
    Earned in a quarter
    $13,852
    Length
    75 weeks, 18 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $9,675
    Students counted
    73
    Earned a year, estimated
    $55,400
    Price if you pay yourself
    $19,264
    Program website, Dental Hygiene at Iowa Central Community College

How to pay for dental hygiene programs in Iowa

WIOA funding can pay for dental hygiene programs in Iowa

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

Financial aid and grants for dental hygiene programs

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.78

GI Bill for dental hygiene programs

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.9

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Quick facts: Dental hygiene programs in Iowa

lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare
10th of 14
other states where the typical program's graduates earned less
3 of 10
dental hygiene programs here, against the typical state's 3
5 vs 3

State comparisons use the same figures as the dental hygiene programs by state table: the middle program of each state, and only states with three or more schools for prices. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025).

Dental hygiene programs in Cedar Rapids, Omaha, Des Moines and other Iowa cities

Choosing an area filters the program list above.

Other training in Iowa

How dental hygiene programs compare with the rest of allied health: Allied health programs in Iowa

Where the Iowa dental hygiene program numbers come from

Which Iowa dental hygiene programs are on this list?

These are the dental hygiene programs Iowa approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).10 The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Iowa offers.

How the prices and results of Iowa dental hygiene programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

Sources for the facts about dental hygiene programs in Iowa

Show the 10 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Dental Hygienists
  2. Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations: National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE)
  3. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  4. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  5. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  6. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  8. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  9. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  10. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List