According to Mississippi State Law, an individual may not be eligible for employment in a health care agency if the person has ever been convicted of a felony, or plead guilty to, or plead nolo contendere to a felony of possession or sale of drugs, murder, manslaughter, armed robbery, rape, sexual battery, sex offense listed in Section 45-33-23(h), child abuse, arson, grand larceny, burglary, gratification of lust or aggravated assault, of felonious abuse and/or battery of a vulnerable adult.

Applicants must:

• Meet general admission requirements.
• Be a high school graduate or have a satisfactory high school equivalency test score (GED or HiSET).
• Meet one of the following ACT criteria:

  • • A minimum ACT composite score of 18 (or 15 if taken before October 28, 1989) and maintain at least a 2.0 GPA across all college coursework; OR
    • A minimum ACT composite score of 16-17 (or 12-14 if taken before October 28, 1989) and complete at least 12 semester hours of DHT program-approved coursework with a “C” average or higher and a minimum overall GPA of 2.0.
• Must be 18 years of age by start of the program
• Observe in the MDCC Dental Hygiene Clinic. 

1. ALL Applicants must FIRST log on to the MDCC website at www.msdelta.edu to submit an online application for admission/readmission to the school.  Please click the APPLY button on the home page of the website and complete all required fields.  No applicant will be considered for admission into a health science program without first applying to MDCC.  You may receive future correspondence from the Office of Admissions regarding your admissions status to MDCC.
   • If you attended MDCC previously, but are not currently enrolled, you will need to complete this step first.
   • If you are currently enrolled at MDCC, you DO NOT need to do this step.
2. E-Script or mail OFFICIAL transcripts to the MDCC Office of Admission.  All transcripts must be on file by March 1.
3. Submit ACT scores to the MDCC Office of Admission.  (*NOTE* ACT scores are NOT recorded on transcripts from colleges or universities.  It is the student’s responsibility to submit these scores.)
4. Complete the “Dental Hygiene Technology Application” when it is active.  Fill out ALL information.  Do not leave any question blank.
5. Attend two clinical sessions in the MDCC Dental Hygiene Clinic (for a total of 8 hours). MDCC observations will be scheduled by appointment only by contacting Jeri Lynn Mitchell at (662) 246-6249.
6. It is the applicant’s responsibility to verify that all necessary information has been received.  Received information can be verified via the DHT program application. If all information is not received by the deadline, the applicant will not be considered for admission into the program.
7. All applicants will be notified by email of conditional acceptance or non-acceptance.  Notifications of conditional acceptance will include information regarding a required orientation in mid-June.

No applicant will be considered unless the minimum admission requirements are met. Admission requirements are assessed using a rating scale that considers: ACT scores, GPA, performance on core courses (in-progress courses will not be considered), healthcare work experience (credit only awarded if employer verification letter received), applicable previous degrees and certificates earned from an accredited college/university, and other program-specific considerations. All applicants are considered on a competitive basis. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission into the program. The number of applicants accepted is limited due to the nature of the program.

All applicants will be notified by email of their conditional acceptance or non-acceptance into the program.  If an applicant is selected for the program, they will receive a conditional acceptance letter with specific instructions regarding all requirements that must be completed prior to August admission. These requirements are listed below:

• Completion of the following courses with a grade of “C” or better during the summer session or regular session prior to admission to the DH program.
  • Anatomy & Physiology I (BIO 2513/2511) within the last 5 years
  • Anatomy & Physiology II (BIO 2523/2521) within the last 5 years
  • Microbiology (BIO 2923/2921) within the last 5 years
  • Chemistry Elective (CHE 1213/1211 OR CHE 1313/1311) within the last 5 years (note: if taking General Chemistry (CHE 1213/1211) Algebra is a pre-request course

• Acceptable pre-admission drug screen performed by out office

• Satisfactory completion of American Heart Association Healthcare Providers CPR taught by MDCC
• Satisfactory background check (see Health Science Background Information Policy located on the Health Science website)
  • Health evaluation form completed by a licensed healthcare provider
  • Proof of current immunizations including, but not limited:
• A stamped/signed Form 121 Immunization Record must be submitted.  Shots required include but not limited to:
  • Tdap booster within the last 10 years
  • Series of 3 Hepatitis B vaccinations
  • Series of 2 MMR vaccinations
  • Proof of Varicella immunity (either by series of 2 Varicella vaccinations OR Positive Varicella Titer)
  • Flu vaccination (given during flu season before October 1st)
• TB skin test (2-step TB skin test is required for all new entering students) The 2nd step must be completed within 21 days of 1st step.
  • The exception to this is if a returning student has had a negative TB skin test within the last 12 months.  This student will only require a 1-step TB skin test

Female applicants are encouraged to read the pregnancy policy.

Failure to provide compliance documentation as requested will result in the student not meeting entry requirements or the inability to progress.

Selection Rating Scale

The selection rating scale is designed to provide a comprehensive evaluation of each applicant, considering a wider range of factors to ensure a holistic assessment.

Link to the Dental Hygiene selection rating scale 2027/2028 

Relevant course work approved by the program can be found on the program's course check sheet. Link to DHT program course check sheet.

 Students who are accepted into the program must:

• Attend a DHT orientation session.
• Be aware that, in addition to the regular college fees, Dental Hygiene Technology students will incur expenses for items such as uniforms, books, supplies, liability insurance, accident insurance, background check, vaccinations, national and state certification examination fees, and registry review seminars.  Fees are not limited to these listed.
• Be responsible for their own transportation to the college campus and community agencies.

A Dental Hygiene Technology student must earn a grade of “C” or higher in all core Dental Hygiene Technology courses including didactic, laboratory, and clinical components. In addition, a student must obtain a grade of “C” or higher in all DHT co-requisite courses for graduation.

Prior to patient contact (clinical), students must satisfactorily complete AHA-BLS Provider CPR taught during the DHT program

Students seeking readmission or transfer into to the program are considered on an individual basis according to the health sciences readmission and transfer policies and held to the program’s readmission/transfer policies as outlined in the program’s handbook. MDCC Dental Hygiene Program does not accept students with advance standing or DHT transfer credit(s) from other dental hygiene programs and held to the program’s readmission/transfer policies as outlined in the program’s handbook.

MDCC College of Health Sciences Policy on Readmission

A student may be considered for readmission to a specific health science program one time only. This applies to courses in any respective health science program, whether at MDCC or at another institution. The only exception may be: a student who had a passing grade in the classroom and clinical setting, but was forced to withdraw due to illness, accident, pregnancy, or family crisis may be considered for a second readmission. If an applicant has ever attended another health science program a letter of good standing from their former school’s program must be sent following MDCC’s program application instructions. A letter of good standing indicates that the student is eligible for immediate readmission into the former program of study.

Each student requesting readmission into a health science program will be considered on an individual basis.  The student should contact the appropriate program director/supervisor for the readmission procedure. Space must be available in the class and clinical setting. No precedent will be set by the decision of an admissions committee.

At the discretion of the Dean of Health Sciences, with the recommendation of the Admission Committee, a student requesting readmission to a Health Science program may be required to take a challenge exam to assess placement. Per program policy, it may be necessary for the applicant to repeat courses.

If an MDCC Health Science student is academically unsuccessful in their program of study and not eligible for readmission, the student may have one transfer to an alternate MDCC Health Science program. Students will be held to the readmission policies of the program. OR

If an MDCC Health Science student is academically unsuccessful in their program of study and not eligible for readmission, the student will be eligible for one additional consideration of readmission after a waiting period of up-to three (3) years from last date of attendance. This shall not bar those applicants who wish to reapply beyond the aforementioned time-period so long as it is their first readmission application. The student must follow all readmission requirements as outlined in the program’s handbook.

Any MDCC student who was unsuccessful and not eligible for readmission due to non-academic dismissal will be eligible for one additional consideration of readmission after a waiting period of up-to five (5) years from last date of attendance. This shall not bar those applicants who wish to reapply beyond the aforementioned time-period so long as it is their first readmission application. The student will be held to the program’s readmission polices as outlined in the program’s handbook.

Any applicant who has ever been accepted and attended a Health Science program at another institution of higher learning and has been unsuccessful more than once will be eligible for one additional consideration of readmission after a waiting period of up-to five (5) years from last date of attendance. This shall not bar those applicants who wish to reapply beyond the aforementioned time-period so long as it is their first readmission application. The student will be held to the program’s readmission polices as outlined in the program’s handbook.

MDCC College of Health Sciences Policy on Acceptance of Transfer Students

The acceptance of transfer students into health science courses is based upon the following:

• Space available in the specific course being requested
• Evaluation of the applicant’s college transcript and course materials including:
  • Appropriate grades in all course work being considered for transfer
  • Comparable content, semester hours, and clinical experiences in courses being considered for transfer
• Letter documenting good standing from administrator of the transferring program
  • A letter of good standing indicates that the student is eligible for immediate readmission into the former program of study
• Ability to meet all MDCC requirements for graduation
• Individual program guidelines