Admission into the Dental Hygiene Program

Applicants must meet the following requirements and be a high school graduate or equivalent to be eligible for admission to the Dental Hygiene program.

• A personal interview or program orientation session and job shadow experience may be required.
• Students must be Health Care Provider level CPR certified and have a physical exam with immunization record on Hawkeye Community College form, prior to the first day of classes.
• Students are strongly advised to complete all of the general education courses within the program of study prior to admission. These courses include:
  • PSY111 Introduction to Psychology
  • SOC110 Introduction to Sociology
  • SPC101 Fundamentals of Oral Communication
  • ENG105 Composition I
  • BIO151 Nutrition

How to Apply

1. Complete an application for admission
   • Applications can be submitted online or you can print and mail your application. Contact the Admissions Office at admission@hawkeyecollege.edu, 800-670-4769, ext. 4000, or 319-296-4000 for an application to be mailed to you.
   • No application fee
   • Be sure to indicate your major on your application form.
2. Send transcripts to the Admissions Office
   • Official high school transcripts and/or GED scores.
   • Previous official college transcripts.
3. Send ACT scores or register for the COMPASS Assessment
   • The ACT is not required, but it is accepted for admissions.
   • If you choose not to take the ACT, you must take the COMPASS Assessment.
   • If you have taken the ACT, your score will appear on your high school transcripts.
   • Hawkeye evaluates English, reading, and math subscores. Each subscore must be 19 or above to be applicable. If any subscore is below 19, you must take the COMPASS Assessment in that area.
   • Students with prior college credit in math, reading, or English courses may be exempt from one or more assessment areas.
   • To schedule a COMPASS Assessment please contact Student Services at assessment@hawkeyecollege.edu, 800-670-4769, ext. 1238, or 319-296-4014. Learn more about the COMPASS Assessment

Admissions Process

1. Applications will be processed for admission in March of each year for the following Fall semester's class provided the applicant is of senior high school status or older.
2. Applicants will be required to submit credentials (transcripts and test scores) as required by the program's admission requirements.
3. Completed applicant files will be processed as follows:
   1. Applicants who do not meet the program's admission requirements will be inactivated.
   2. Applicants enrolled in coursework to complete the admission requirements will be candidates.
   3. Applicants who meet the program's admission requirements for one of the options will be acceptable for admission.
4. We will accept approximately 22 students each Fall semester. Applicants will be accepted based on their admission requirement completion date.
5. Upon being offered acceptance to begin the Dental Hygiene program, if the applicant chooses to decline their acceptance, their file is inactivated and they will need to re-apply for the program when interested.
6. Students must achieve a minimum "C" grade in all courses required to complete the program.
7. Graduates are eligible to take the national and state/regional examinations for licensure, which is required to practice in any state. Please keep in mind, a social security number is required in order to take exams and apply for licensure.

*Changes are taking place within healthcare facilities nationally. These changes directly affect all health programs at Hawkeye Community College. The Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO), which accredits healthcare facilities across the country, enforced background screening September 2004 and has set requirements mandating that students in a healthcare field must now complete the same background check as hospital employees. As a Health student of Hawkeye Community College you will be required to complete a criminal background check, sex offender, child abuse and dependent adult registry. The outcome could possibly affect your opportunities to participate in the clinical setting.

Useful Areas of Study / Experience

• Chemistry
• Algebra
• Biology
• Advanced Biology
• Communication skills