Dental Hygiene Programs in Tennessee
Tennessee has 10 CODA-accredited dental hygiene programs, spread across 7 cities from Memphis to Johnson City, at public universities, community colleges and career colleges around the state.
Each 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 it prepares you for the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and Tennessee's licensing process is worth understanding before you apply.
Verify before you apply
At a glance
In Tennessee
Programs
10
With a program
Cities
7
Approval without Reporting Requirements
Fully approved
10 of 10
Every CODA-Accredited Program in Tennessee
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 Tennessee'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 Tennessee
A CODA-accredited program is the first step, not the last.
Tennessee'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 Tennessee dental hygienist requirements and scope of practice page for what the state itself requires, and confirm anything you intend to rely on with the Tennessee Board of Dentistry before enrolling or applying.
Once licensed, our Tennessee dental hygienist salary guide covers pay by market, and open dental hygienist jobs in Tennessee lists current openings across the state.
Where Tennessee's Programs Are Located
Tennessee's 10 programs sit at public universities, community colleges and career colleges across 7 cities: Athens, Chattanooga, Harrogate, Johnson City, Memphis, Nashville and Oak Ridge.
That footprint runs from Memphis in the west across Nashville and Oak Ridge in Middle and East Tennessee to Johnson City and Harrogate near the state's eastern border, with Nashville alone home to three separate programs.
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 Tennessee?
Tennessee has 10 CODA-accredited dental hygiene programs, located across 7 cities: Athens, Chattanooga, Harrogate, Johnson City, Memphis, Nashville and Oak Ridge.
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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee.
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 Tennessee program to work as a hygienist in Tennessee?
No. Tennessee licenses hygienists who graduated from any CODA-accredited program, not only ones located in Tennessee.
What matters for licensure eligibility is the program's CODA accreditation and passing the required exams — see our Tennessee requirements page for the state's own licensing rules.
What does "Approval without reporting requirements" mean for a Tennessee program?
It's CODA's own term for a program that achieves or exceeds its basic accreditation requirements outright, with no follow-up documentation required before the next scheduled site visit.
It is not a ranking or a measure of admissions selectivity — every Tennessee program listed above currently holds this status.
Confirm a program's current standing directly with CODA before applying.
What comes after I finish a CODA-accredited hygiene program in Tennessee?
Graduates typically sit for the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and a regional or state clinical exam, then apply for licensure with the Tennessee 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 Tennessee & 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.