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Admissions

Yearly Admissions Process
Student Success
Admitted Students
Specific Program Admission Information

Yearly Admissions Process

The Dental Hygiene application deadline is January 31, 2025. Therefore all applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. on  January 31, 2025. Please submit your application to the Dental Hygiene Program at dentalhygiene@cscc.edu . 

 

It is the established policy of Columbus State Community College and the Dental Hygiene Program not to discriminate against any individual for reasons of race, color, sex, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability or veteran status.

Health records must be processed prior to the student's enrollment into the Dental Hygiene Program.

Student Success

The graduation rate from the dental hygiene program for the last 3 years is 95.5%

The licensure examination success rate for the last 17 years on the 1st attempt for the National Boards is 99%.

The ADEX DH (clinical examination) success rate for the last 3 years on the 1st attempt is 95%.

Admitted Students

Subsequent to application or admission to the Dental Hygiene program, Columbus State Community College requires self- reporting of the following regardless of state or country of occurrence: felony conviction, conviction of a crime involving violence, conviction of a crime involving harm to others, or conviction of a crime involving a weapon. Any plea bargains associated with any of the previously listed crimes are also required to be reported. The College can and may deny continued enrollment depending upon the nature and circumstances of the crime in question.

Spring Semester: This is considered the pre-enrollment period. Accepted students must attend a new student program Orientation session held in July. Accepted students must adhere to the deadlines outlined in the acceptance letter. Health records, including physicals and immunizations, must be submitted to Columbus State's Health Records Office via Immuware. Accepted students will be required to undergo drug testing and submit a BCI and FBI background check prior to starting the program. Accepted students shall submit their Health Care Provider BLS at the new student Orientation.

Furthermore, the Ohio State Dental Board can and may deny Dental Hygiene licensure to anyone with a felony conviction.

Specific Program Admission Information

Admissions Criteria/Requirements

    • The Dental Hygiene Program is a rigorous competency-based program of study. Admission is selective and competitive.
    •  Contact a Health and Human Services advisor at https://www.cscc.edu/services/advising/hhs-advising.shtml 

    • Students interested in Health and Human Service programs at Columbus State, but who have not yet applied to the college may contact the Admissions Office at 614-287-2669.

      Students with general questions about the college or about registration may call 614-287-5353 for assistance.

    •  Applications for admission to the program will be evaluated based on completion of admission requirements. The admission requirements are as follows:
      • High School graduate or GED.
      • Placement into ENGL 1100.
      • Placement into STAT 1350.
      • Placement out of reading requirement or completion of DEV 0145.
      • Completion of BIO 0100 or placement equivalent.
      • Achievement of a minimum overall GPA of 2.95.
    • Attendance at a Dental Hygiene Information Session.
      • All applicants are required to attend a mandatory Dental Hygiene Information Session the year of application to obtain an application and to gain full understanding of the application process. Sessions are held during spring, summer and autumn. The dates will be listed on the Information Sessions tab.
    •  Observation of a dental hygienist at work in an office, clinic or other dental hygiene setting within the year of application is required. Twenty hours of observation must be documented on the observation form and must be co-signed by the supervising dentist and the dental hygienist. The observation form and information regarding the documentation will be distributed at an Information session. (If a student is re-applying to the program, the observation must have occurred within 18 months of the application deadline.) The observation form must include a written or typed summary of your experience in the dental office. This summary must be in list form.

 

  • Completion of the HESI A2 Exam is required for admission to Dental Hygiene. A minimum score of 75% must be attained in the English Language, 75% in the Math portion and a 70% in the Science portion of the exam.
    • The English Language component of the exam consists of Reading Comprehension, Meaning-Word Use, Conclusions, Implications, Understanding, Grammar, and Vocabulary & General Knowledge.
    • The Science component of the exam consists of Biology, Chemistry, and Anatomy & Physiology.
    • The Math component of the exam consists of the single Math category.
  • Applicants have one attempt to complete the HESI A2 per application year.
    • The HESI Exam is to be taken at the Columbus Campus Testing Center (WD 223) or Dublin Regional Learning Center (DB 311). Cost currently is $65. 
    • You must inform Accessibility and Testing that you are a Dental Hygiene applicant.
    • The staff in Accessibility and Testing will NOT advise you or discuss your results with you. You will have access to your scores via the portal you establish while registering for the exam. You must report the results to the Dental Hygiene Program, preferablly as part of submitting  your application.
    • Applicants are strongly encouraged to schedule the HESI A2 as soon as possible as scheduled testing times fill very quickly.
    • More information and registration steps can be found on the Accessibility and Testing website: https://www.cscc.edu/services/testingcenter/academic-testing/healthcare-tests.shtml

 

  • Students who have completed a Bachelor’s Degree will receive credit in the admissions process.
  • Students that have graduated from a dental assisting program for which CSCC has a formal articulation agreement will receive credit in the admissions process. These include:
    • Fort Hayes Career Center
    • Eastland Career Center
    • Fairfield Career Center
    • South-Western Career Academy
    • C-TEC
    • Delaware Area Career Center
    • Scioto County Career Center
    • Pioneer Career Center
    • Pickaway-Ross Career Center
  • Students may complete other General Education (G) and Basic-Related (B) courses with a grade of “C” or better prior to the admissions process. The more general and basic-related courses completed with a "C" or better enhances the students' admission score.
  • Required School Documentation to be submitted to the Columbus State Community College Admissions/Records and Registration Office:
    •  Final official high school transcript (sent directly by the high school to Columbus State’s Records Office) verifying date of graduation OR General Education Development (GED) test results with a minimum average standard score of 45 and a minimum of 35 in each subject.
    •  Official transcripts from other college(s) attended (sent directly by the other college(s) to Columbus State’s Records Office).
    •  Application to Columbus State (if not a current student). Note: Students MUST apply to Columbus State Community College before they can apply to the Dental Hygiene program.
    • International Students:
      • DEADLINE for submission to transcript evaluation agency: November 30th. (Cost of transcript evaluation is the responsibility of the student.) Please ask the agency to send one copy of the completed evaluation directly to Columbus State’s Admissions Office (Madison Hall, 550 E. Spring Street, P.O. Box 1609, Columbus, Ohio, 43216-1609) and one copy to you. You must then provide the Dental Hygiene program with your copy of the completed evaluation. The transcript evaluation MUST include a “Course-by-Course” evaluation which shows equivalent credit for the General Education and Basic Related courses in the Dental Hygiene Plan of Study.
  • Required Application Documentation to be submitted to the Dental Hygiene Program......Note: We will only accept your application IF it is included as part of your application packet. You must initial the Dental Hygiene Application Packet Checklist indicating that ALL items are included in the packet. If ALL items are not included in the packet, your application will not be considered. Items to be included in the packet (must be returned in Columbus State envelope given to you at the mandatory information session) are:
      • Dental Hygiene Program Application: This is distributed ONLY at the mandatory Information sessions. (Yellow form)
      • Dental Hygienist Observation Form: This is distributed ONLY at the Information sessions and must be submitted with the official Dental Hygiene Program Application. It is NOT acceptable to observe a dentist rather than a dental hygienist. (Green form)
      • HESI A2 results.
    • A Dental Hygiene Admissions Committee will make the final decision of accepted students. The criteria is as follows:
      • 55% Science Courses
        • BIO 2300 - Human Anatomy
        • BIO 2301 - Human Physiology
        • BIO 2302 - Human Pathophysiology
        • BIO 2215 - Microbiology
        • CHEM 1113 - Elements of Organic & Biochemistry
        • ENGL 1100 - Composition I 
        • STAT 1350 - Elementary Statistics
        • PSY 1100 - Intro to Psychology
        • HNTR 1153 - Nutrition for a Healthy Lifestyle
        • 20% Additional Courses
      • 24% HESI A2 Exam
      • 1% Bachelor's Degree or Dental Assisting Certificate

      Students receive points on their application based on their grades in the classes above. The admission committee is aware that all of these courses may not be completed by the applicant at the time of application.

Additional Admission Information:

  • If you are not a current or previous Columbus State student, you may enroll in Columbus State online at: https://cscc.edu. You may also enroll over the telephone by calling: 287-5353, or (800) 621-6407, ext. 5353. You may also visit the Welcome Center in Madison Hall. (Call ahead and make sure they are open).
  • Please note enrollment in Columbus State is not the same as enrollment in the Dental Hygiene program.
  • Students must complete all Basic-Related (B) courses with a grade of "C" or better (See Plan of Study).
  • Acceptance is conditional on submission and clearance of student background check and drug screening.

Statement Regarding Infectious Diseases:

Students in any of the Allied Health programs, including Dental Hygiene, perform their clinical work on real people. Columbus State does not discriminate against students, faculty, or patients in any way, or based on color, creed, national origin, gender, disability or sexual preference. The patient populations with whom we work come from all walks of life, and the students may therefore be exposed to many types of communicable diseases.

These are not limited to but may include: Hepatitis (A, B, C, or D), HIV/AIDS, TB, measles, mumps, rubella, rubeola, varicella, influenza (flu) etc. All students are required to have appropriate immunizations after they are admitted to the program, and before summer orientation session. Additionally, although all precautions are taken to minimize exposure and risk, there is always a slight possibility that precautions may fail or that a student may accidentally expose him/herself to infectious diseases. All students entering the Dental Hygiene program must be aware of this slight, but real, potential. All students are encouraged to have personal health insurance in effect by the first day of class.

Accreditation

Columbus State Community College Dental Hygiene Program was fully accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation in 2000. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312)440-4653 or at 211 E. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 606611-2678. Third party comments considered that are submitted must pertain only to the standards relative to the particular program being reviewed or policies and procedures used in the accreditation process. Comments will be screened by Commission staff for relevancy. For comments not relevant to these issues, the individual will be notified that the comment is not related to accreditation and, where appropriate, referred to the appropriate agency. For those individuals interested in submitting comments, requests can be made to the Commission office for receiving standards and/or the Commission's Evaluation Policies and Procedures (EPP).

Department Contact

Academics Department

(614) 287-0000

academics@cscc.edu