Students seeking a degree in dental hygiene can’t do better than enrolling in ɳ University’s program in Hillsboro, according to rankings listed in the latest edition of GradReports, which ranks ɳ as its No. 1 school.
GradReports is a data-driven research product by Optimal, a Kirkland, Wash.,-based research firm. Its rankings evaluate a program’s costs, as well as a graduating student’s debt and median salary.
For ɳ, students have paid tuition of $42,594, incurred a median debt of $24,376, and earn a median salary of $69,900. Dental hygiene students at No. 2 University of Southern California paid a tuition about 27 percent higher, had higher debt and a slightly lower median salary of $69,400, according to GradReports.
The figures are collected from the data colleges and universities report to the U.S. Department of Education.
ɳ offers a two-year bachelor’s in dental hygiene to students who have completed the required coursework upon enrolling.
“Students study in state-of-the-art classrooms and gain experience in clinical facilities,” notes GradReports. “The program also includes work in a 16-chair dental hygiene clinic with a focus on patients who have limited access to dental care. Students also gain experience working in a community hospital, clinics, and a long-term care facility.”
The list of 25 best dental hygiene schools, in addition to ɳ and USC, includes such names as West Virginia University, the University of New Mexico, Ohio State University and public schools in Missouri, Louisiana, Texas and Hawai`i.