Dental Hygiene: Admissions

All General Education Credits may not be acceptable for transfer. Therefore, Applicants must contact the affiliate college directly to determine the residency credit requirement for the number of general education credits, which must be taken at that college.

Keystone testing is required as a part of the admissions process. For information, please contact the affiliate institution.

The affiliates maintain policies which outline residency requirements regarding transfer credits. Students taking pre-requisite courses will be required to register for the following number of credits at the designated affiliate institutions:

A high school diploma or its recognized equivalency with a minimum of a 2.0 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) and completion of six college level prerequisite courses with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 is required for admission into the program. All basic skills requirements must have been completed prior to entry into the program. Those persons who lack certain basic skills will have to complete the indicated remedial courses and demonstrate competence in all basic skills before beginning the program in January. "Candidates must also take the written pre-qualifying Allied Health Examination developed by Keystone Professional Testing, LLC" at the affiliate college.


Students must have access to a Computer: In order to do web ct instruction for some courses, computer must be equipped with a CD Rom.

The following college level courses must be competed with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 (C+) or above:

Candidates are rank-ordered according to GPA in the prerequisite courses above. Performance in additional college level course work and dental work experience are considered although not required.

Admissions to Brookdale Community College, Essex County College, Raritan Valley Community College, Thomas Edison State College or Union County College.

Applications to the Dental Hygiene Program must first be admitted to either Brookdale Community College, Essex County College, Raritan Valley Community College, Thomas Edison State College or Union County College, designating the dental hygiene program as their chosen program of study.

Program Technical Standards

The following standards pertain to particular cognitive, motor, and behavioral and social skills that are associated with the educational process of the allied health program that you plan to pursue.

A. Attend and participate in didactic and clinical education and training, on and off campus.
B. Participate in patient assessment and evaluation
C. Gather and report data
D. Participate in invasive and non-invasive procedures
E. Participate in patient education and supportive care
F. Participate in emergency care
G. Develop medical ethics and understand medical-legal concepts
H. Work lengthy and irregular hours attending to patients
I. Develop and exhibit professional ethical demeanor
J. Participate in co-educational peer physical examination practicum
K. Perform frequent practical, oral and written examination and/or demonstration.

For more information, contact:

Office of Admissions - Brookdale Community College: Ms. Beth Stryker (732) 224-2330 bstryker@brookdale.cc.nj.us

Office of Admissions- Essex County College:
Mr. Martin Asobayire, Biology (973) 877-3271 asobayire@essex.edu or (973) -3100

Office of Admissions/Recruitment - Raritan Valley Community College
(908) 253-6688

Office of Admissions - Thomas Edison State College:
Service Center: 1 (888) 442-8372
Email Information Request: info@tesc.edu

Office of Admissions / Recruitment - Union County College:
Counseling: (908) 709-7525, or (908) 709-7025

For a catalog from UMDNJ, contact:

UMDNJ- Academic & Enrollment Services (973) 972-5454

There are no restrictions placed on prospective applicants because of their color, creed, race, sex, marital status, or national origin. Admission of disabled students is governed by the University Policy regarding disabled persons. UMDNJ-SHRP recognizes the value of diversity and is committed to providing appropriate support for its student body.

Test of English Foreign Language Examination (TOEFL)

To insure that persons admitted to the Dental Hygiene Program are sufficiently fluent in the English language to facilitate learning at the college level, a foreign applicant must score a minimum of 550 (written) and 79/80 (Internet) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Advanced Standing

Students transferring from another college program or those who have already completed a college degree may receive advanced standing in some of the coursework. Transcript copies of coursework must be submitted after acceptance into the program and individual requests for advanced standing for coursework are required.