apply

Dental Hygiene Application Process

Thank you for your interest in our Dental Hygiene program. We have a competitive admissions process and students with a strong science background usually do well in the application process.

You can review the RECORDED INFORMATION SESSION here

General Admission to Normandale Community College is required in order for the application to the Dental Hygiene program to be reviewed. If you have never applied to Normandale, complete your Application for Admission prior to completing the Dental Hygiene Application.

The Dental Hygiene application for Fall 2027 will be open from November 1, 2026 through January 15, 2027 by 4:30 pm. We will not accept the previous paper/PDF application.

Please check out the current admissions requirements below.

Dental Hygiene Quick Guide for Fall 2027

Current Dental Hygiene Information Packet

*Note that the application process is different for new and returning students. Please review the steps to apply and the minimum course requirements. Find detailed program requirements.

Dental Hygiene Application Information

The current dental hygiene admission criteria will remain in effect through the 2026–2027 application cycle. The Dental Hygiene application will be available on the Normandale Dental Hygiene program website from November 1, 2026-January 15, 2027 (application closes as 4:30 pm) for a Fall 2027 program start. This will be the final application cycle using the current admission requirements. Please review the current dental hygiene information packet for the current admissions process.

Apply as a New Student

If you're new to Normandale we recommend that you review the following resources before you apply:

First, complete a Normandale general application form. Acceptance to the college does not imply acceptance to the Dental Hygiene Program.
After you’re admitted, you’ll receive information on course placement, advising, and registration, and how to connect with a health sciences academic advisor.
To be considered for acceptance into the Dental Hygiene Program, you must complete a separate Normandale Health Sciences Dental Hygiene Program application. Complete your electronic application between November 1- January 15 by 4:30 pm.
Decision notifications for Dental Hygiene Program admission consideration will be sent to the student e-mail address by March 15.

Applying for Fall 2027 (November 1, 2026- January 15, 2027)

The current dental hygiene admission criteria will remain in effect through the 2026–2027 application cycle. The dental hygiene application will be available on the Normandale dental hygiene program website from November 1, 2026-January 15, 2027 by 4:30 pm for a Fall 2027 program start. This will be the final application cycle using the current admission requirements.

Current Minimum Dental Hygiene Program Requirements

A grade of C or higher is needed in each of these courses:

Courses	Course Name	Credits
College-level mathematics placement	Completion of an appropriate developmental math course (MATH 0630, 0990, or 0995) within 2 years of the December 31 admission deadline grade C, P or higher	0
ENGC 1101	College Writing	4
CHEM 1050	Foundations of Organic and Biochemistry or equivalent	3
BIOL 2041	Human Anatomy with a lab or equivalent	4
BIOL 2042	Human Physiology with a lab or equivalent, or show registration in this course for spring semester. If an applicant is accepted into the dental hygiene program, final admission is contingent upon completion

To be considered for acceptance into the Dental Hygiene Program, you must complete a separate Normandale Health Sciences Dental Hygiene Program application. Complete your electronic application between November 1, 2026- January 15, 2027.
If you earned credits during the Fall semester, send your official transcripts with fall grades to transfer@normandale.edu by January 15,2027 to complete your application.
Decision notifications for Dental Hygiene Program admission consideration will be sent to the student's Normandale e-mail address by March 15, 2027.

Applying for Fall 2028 or After (New Admissions Criteria)

Beginning with the 2027–2028 application cycle (November 1, 2027-January 15, 2028 for a Fall 2028 program start), the Dental Hygiene program will be using new admission criteria:

A minimum 3.25 prerequisite GPA (cumulative GPA will no longer be used)

Completion of 9 required prerequisite courses by the application deadline

Completion of the Admission Test for Dental Hygiene (ATDH)

A revised admission scoring process based on prerequisite GPA, science course grades, and ATDH score

Nine Required Prerequisite Courses:

Course Number and Title	Course Pre-Requisites	Credits
ENGC 1101 College Writing	ENGC/EAP 0960 or college-level English placement	4
CHEM 1050 Foundations of Organic and Biochemistry (Completed CHEM 1061 and 1062 will also be accepted. Grade for CHEM 1062 used in GPA calculation)	*CHEM 1020 or complete Chemistry self- assessment for review to be placed into CHEM 1050*	3
BIOL 2041 Human Anatomy	CHEM 1050 or CHEM 1061 or concurrent registration AND* college-level English placement or ENGC 0960/EAP 0960*	4
BIOL 2042 Human Physiology	BIOL 2041 AND* CHEM 1050 or CHEM 1061*	4
BIOL 2044 Introductory Microbiology (BIOL 2043: Microbiology will also be accepted)	BIOL 2041, or BIOL 1100, or BIOL 2042, or BIOL 1501 AND* CHEM 1050 or CHEM 1061*	3
COMM 1111 Interpersonal Communication	Recommended: College-level English placement	3
HLTH 1107 Principles of Nutrition	Recommended: College-level English placement	3
PSYC 1110 Introduction to Psychology	Recommended: College-level English placement	4
SOC 1104 Introduction to Sociology	None	3

In addition to the required DENH courses, students must complete two courses from Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) Goal areas 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10. Courses must satisfy at least two different MnTC Goal areas. These courses may be completed before being admitted to the dental hygiene program.

Applicant Scoring Guidelines

Applications will be scored using the following criteria for a maximum score of 110.

Pre-requisite GPA:40 points max (GPA multiplied by 10)

The prerequisite GPA will be calculated based on the grades from the nine required prerequisite courses listed above.

Science Courses: 20 points max
The four prerequisite science courses (CHEM 1050, BIOL 2041, BIOL 2042, BIOL 2044 or accepted alternatives noted on page four) will earn points based on the grade range:

A range (Grade of A+, A, or A-): 5 points
B range (Grade of B+, B, or B-): 3 points
C range (Grade of C+ or C): 1 point

ATDH Exam Score: 50 points max (applicant score divided by 10)

Scores range from 200-500

Additional information including work experience and letters of recommendation will not be considered in application scoring or decisions.

Check out the 2027-2028 Dental Hygiene Quick Guide for a quick overview

For complete details, review the 2027–2028 DENTAL HYGIENE INFORMATION PACKET

Students are encouraged to meet with their advisor to discuss how these changes may affect their application plan. Please call the advising office at 952-358-8261 or email to make an appointment with an Academic Advisor.

About Our List of Alternates

Applicants who are not accepted into the dental hygiene program and have met the application requirements will be placed on an alternate list.

Applicants who were placed on the alternate list, but were not accepted into the program, will need to meet all the requirements and reapply for admission into the program the following year.

Contact Us

Health Sciences Department

HealthSciences@normandale.edu

952-358-8417

Activities Building (we recommend calling or e-mailing ahead of time for drop-in availability)

Hours: Monday - Friday 8am - 4:30pm