Best Dental Support Professions Programs in the South (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Health Professions Colleges in the South
Regional list from Top Dental Support Professions Programs in the United States
This page ranks 21 Dental Support Professions programs in the South by median earnings of Dental Support Professions graduates four years after completing. Virginia Commonwealth University leads the list with median earnings of $78,231 four years after completing, followed by West Virginia University at $76,662 and Midwestern State University at $74,347.
Across the listed programs, the figure ranges from $78,231 to $54,022, with a median of $65,708.
Every program on the list is at a public institution. Texas A&M University-College Station ranks 25th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, the strongest position in the group. Clayton State University reports the lowest average net price, at $8,365.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia Commonwealth University · Richmond, VA | $78,231 | $23,433 | $17,512 | 92.6% |
| Virginia Commonwealth University ranks 1st on this list with median earnings of $78,231 for its Dental Support Professions graduates four years after completing, and its average net price of $23,433 is the highest on the page. | |||||
| 2 | West Virginia University · Morgantown, WV | $76,662 | $15,634 | $9,450 | 89.0% |
| West Virginia University reports median earnings of $76,662 four years after completing, and median federal debt of $26,000 among Dental Support Professions completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 3 | Midwestern State University · Wichita Falls, TX | $74,347 | $11,656 | $8,856 | 93.5% |
| Midwestern State University posts an admission rate of 94% and median earnings of $74,347 for its Dental Support Professions graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | University of Maryland Baltimore · Baltimore, MD | $74,215 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
| University of Maryland Baltimore reports median earnings of $74,215 four years after completing, alongside median federal debt of $15,000 among Dental Support Professions completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 5 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · Chapel Hill, NC | $72,567 | $11,655 | $2,004 | 15.3% |
| With an admission rate of 15%, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranks 5th on this list, and its Dental Support Professions graduates earn a median of $72,567 four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio · San Antonio, TX | $71,120 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
| The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio ranks 6th on this list, and median federal debt of $20,000 among Dental Support Professions completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 7 | Texas A&M University-College Station · College Station, TX | $70,132 | $21,315 | $12,784 | 57.4% |
| Texas A&M University-College Station ranks 25th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Dental Support Professions graduates earn a median of $70,132 four years after completing. | |||||
| 8 | Old Dominion University · Norfolk, VA | $69,732 | $14,638 | $9,739 | 90.4% |
| Old Dominion University reports median earnings of $69,732 for its Dental Support Professions graduates four years after completing, with a cohort of 74 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 9 | Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans · New Orleans, LA | $67,665 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
| Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans ranks 9th on this list, and median federal debt of $15,000 among Dental Support Professions completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 10 | Texas Woman's University · Denton, TX | $66,034 | $11,963 | $9,948 | 96.1% |
| Texas Woman's University admits 96% of applicants and reports median earnings of $66,034 for its Dental Support Professions graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 11 | University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences · Little Rock, AR | $65,708 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences ranks 11th on this list, with median earnings of $65,708 for its Dental Support Professions graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 12 | East Tennessee State University · Johnson City, TN | $65,649 | $15,983 | $12,433 | 86.2% |
| East Tennessee State University posts an admission rate of 86% and a median federal debt of $14,000 among Dental Support Professions completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 13 | The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston · Houston, TX | $64,980 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
| The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston reports median earnings of $64,980 for its Dental Support Professions graduates four years after completing, alongside a cohort of 25 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 14 | Clayton State University · Morrow, GA | $63,402 | $8,365 | $7,405 | 68.5% |
| With an average net price of $8,365, Clayton State University ranks 14th on this list and admits 68% of applicants. | |||||
| 15 | University of Louisville · Louisville, KY | $62,595 | $17,988 | $15,138 | 79.4% |
| University of Louisville shows median earnings of $62,595 for its Dental Support Professions graduates four years after completing, with a median federal debt of $23,000 among Dental Support Professions completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 16 | University of Louisiana at Monroe · Monroe, LA | $62,089 | $13,466 | $11,490 | 84.8% |
| Admitting 85% of applicants, University of Louisiana at Monroe reports an average net price of $11,490 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 17 | The University of Tennessee Health Science Center · Memphis, TN | $61,981 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
| The University of Tennessee Health Science Center ranks 17th on this list, with a median federal debt of $15,000 among Dental Support Professions completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 18 | West Liberty University · West Liberty, WV | $61,801 | $15,366 | $12,714 | 97.3% |
| West Liberty University reports median earnings of $61,801 for its Dental Support Professions graduates four years after completing, and its admission rate is 97%. | |||||
| 19 | Augusta University · Augusta, GA | $61,584 | $13,787 | $11,064 | 86.4% |
| Augusta University reports an average net price of $11,064 for families earning under $30,000, and its Dental Support Professions graduates earn a median of $61,584 four years after completing. | |||||
| 20 | Western Kentucky University · Bowling Green, KY | $57,958 | $10,990 | $7,087 | 93.9% |
| Western Kentucky University ranks 20th on this list, with a median federal debt of $21,000 among Dental Support Professions completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 21 | University of Mississippi · University, MS | $54,022 | $13,314 | $8,945 | 96.6% |
| University of Mississippi reports median earnings of $54,022 for its Dental Support Professions graduates four years after completing, and graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $20,000 in federal loans. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Dental Support Professions graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the South appear. The median is drawn from federally aided completers of the program who were working and not enrolled four years after completing. It does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost of attendance, or differences in who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The spread from Virginia Commonwealth University to the bottom of the list is $24,209, and the gap between Virginia Commonwealth University and West Virginia University is $1,569.
Job market context in the South
Graduates of Dental Support Professions programs in the South enter a labor market that links to occupations such as Dental Assistants, Dental Hygienists, and Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary. The median annual wage across those occupations is $69,428, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $56,155. Projections for 2024 to 2034 show about 34,620 openings a year, or about 4,561 openings a year for every hundred graduates, with more projected openings than graduates. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 15.6% higher. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses the median earnings of graduates four years after completing, a different measure from the occupational wage figures reported here.
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