Dental Hygiene Programs in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has 13 CODA-accredited dental hygiene programs, spread across 13 cities from Bethlehem and Philadelphia in the east to Pittsburgh and Youngwood in the west.
Each program is listed below with its city, address, website, and current accreditation status, pulled directly from the Commission on Dental Accreditation's own program directory.
Graduating from a CODA-accredited program satisfies the education requirement for licensure in every U.S. jurisdiction, though how a program prepares you for the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and Pennsylvania's own licensing process is worth understanding before you apply.
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At a glance
In Pennsylvania
Programs
13
With a program
Cities
13
Approval without Reporting Requirements
Fully approved
13 of 13
Every CODA-Accredited Program in Pennsylvania
Source: CODA program directory, index dated 2026-09-09. Status terms (“Approval without Reporting Requirements,” “Approval with Reporting Requirements,” “Initial Accreditation,” “Discontinued,” etc.) are CODA’s own.
Reading the List Below
"Approval without reporting requirements" means CODA found the program meets or exceeds its accreditation standards outright. "Approval with reporting requirements" means CODA identified specific deficiencies the program must document a fix for within a set timeframe — it is not a warning to avoid the program, just a status mid-correction. "Initial accreditation" applies to a program that hasn't yet graduated its first class.
The site-visit years listed are CODA's own accreditation-cycle dates, not anything set by the program.
Confirm admissions requirements, cost, and current status directly with the program and with CODA before applying.
Why Accreditation Matters for Your License
CODA accreditation is the credential jurisdictions look for when they evaluate a hygiene applicant's education.
Graduating from a CODA-accredited program satisfies the education requirement for licensure in every U.S. jurisdiction.
The National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE) fulfills or partially fulfills the written-exam requirement most jurisdictions set, though acceptance of it — like every licensing requirement — is at that jurisdiction's own discretion, including Pennsylvania's.
For the full path from enrollment to license, see our step-by-step guide to becoming a dental hygienist, and for how degree level factors in, see associate vs. bachelor's in dental hygiene and how long dental hygiene school takes.
After You Graduate: Licensure and Work in Pennsylvania
A CODA-accredited program is the first step, not the last.
Pennsylvania's own board sets the exam, application and continuing-education requirements a graduate must meet to hold an active license, and those requirements can change.
See our Pennsylvania dental hygienist requirements and scope of practice page for what the state itself requires, and confirm anything you intend to rely on with the Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry before enrolling or applying.
Once licensed, our Pennsylvania dental hygienist salary guide covers pay by market, and open dental hygienist jobs in Pennsylvania lists current openings across the state.
Where Pennsylvania's Programs Are Located
Pennsylvania's 13 programs sit at community colleges, career and technology centers, and universities spread one to a city: Bethlehem, Blue Bell, Bryn Mawr, Essington, Harrisburg, Jenkintown, Nanticoke, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Scranton, Williamsport, Willow Street and Youngwood.
That footprint runs from the Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia suburbs in the east across the central Susquehanna Valley to Pittsburgh and Westmoreland County in the west, so most Pennsylvania residents have a CODA-accredited program within driving distance.
Each program sets its own admission requirements and application cycle — contact a program directly for its current details.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CODA-accredited dental hygiene programs are in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania has 13 CODA-accredited dental hygiene programs, located across 13 cities: Bethlehem, Blue Bell, Bryn Mawr, Essington, Harrisburg, Jenkintown, Nanticoke, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Scranton, Williamsport, Willow Street and Youngwood.
Each is listed above with its current CODA accreditation status, address and website.
CODA's own directory is the definitive, up-to-date list — confirm a program's status directly with CODA before applying.
Does it matter which Pennsylvania program I attend?
Not for licensure eligibility — every program listed above holds CODA accreditation, and CODA accreditation is what jurisdictions require for the education portion of licensure nationwide, including Pennsylvania.
Beyond that baseline, programs differ in location, campus and admission requirements, so contact each one directly to compare them.
See associate vs. bachelor's in dental hygiene if you're also weighing degree level.
Do I have to attend a Pennsylvania program to work as a hygienist in Pennsylvania?
No. Pennsylvania licenses hygienists who graduated from any CODA-accredited program, not only ones located in Pennsylvania.
What matters for licensure eligibility is the program's CODA accreditation and passing the required exams — see our Pennsylvania requirements page for the state's own licensing rules.
What does "Approval with reporting requirements" mean for a Pennsylvania program?
It means CODA identified specific deficiencies or weaknesses in one or more areas and requires evidence of compliance within a set timeframe — a matter of months, longer for programs that run two years or more.
It does not mean the program has lost accreditation, and it is not a signal to avoid the program; check the status shown above and CODA's directory for a program's current standing.
What comes after I finish a CODA-accredited hygiene program in Pennsylvania?
Graduates typically sit for the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and a regional or state clinical exam, then apply for licensure with the Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry.
Our step-by-step guide to becoming a dental hygienist walks through that full sequence.
Is every program on this list accredited?
Every program above is shown with the CODA accreditation status CODA had published for it as of 2026-09-09, the date this directory was last pulled from CODA's own program search. "Approval without Reporting Requirements" is CODA's standard fully-accredited standing; other status terms on this page — such as "Approval with Reporting Requirements," "Initial Accreditation," or "Discontinued" — mean something different, and a status can change after that date.
Confirm a program's current status directly with CODA before applying.
More Pennsylvania & Dental Hygienist Resources
Sourced from the CODA program directory (index dated 2026-09-09). Verified September 2026. Program details change. Confirm accreditation status, admission requirements and costs with the program and with CODA before applying.