Home › Florida › Dental Assisting schools
49 schools in Florida offer dental assisting-related programs, compared below on official cost, completion, and earnings data. Prefer to earn while you learn? 4 registered apprenticeship sponsors in Florida train dental assisting apprentices — see apprenticeships.
Florida does not license dental assistants for basic chairside work, but taking x-rays requires a Dental Radiographer certification from the Florida Board of Dentistry — earned either through a board-approved dental assisting program or via 3 months of on-the-job training under a Florida dentist plus a board-approved radiology course, with a $35 application and fingerprinting. Expanded functions such as placing sealants require completing a Florida board-approved EFDA training course; the national DANB CDA alone has not counted for this since 2009. You must be at least 18 to take radiographs on patients.
Official source: Florida Board of Dentistry (Florida Department of Health) · Exam: No separate state exam — course completion plus application to the Florida DOH; EFDA duties require completing a Board-approved formal training program · Typical requirement: Age 18+. Either graduate from a Board-approved dental assisting program, OR complete at least 3 months of continuous on-the-job radiography training under a Florida-licensed dentist plus a Board-approved radiology course within 12 months; $35 application fee; electronic fingerprinting (required since 2024, HB 975). Expanded functions require a separate Florida Board-approved EFDA training program (DANB CDA alone has not qualified since May 2009).
| School | City | Type | Net price / yr | Completion | Earnings (10 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Petersburg College | St. Petersburg | public | $1,471 | 37.8% | $42,557 |
| Cape Coral Technical College | Cape Coral | public | $1,463 | 84.8% | $36,080 |
| Manatee Technical College | Bradenton | public | $1,808 | 71.7% | $38,129 |
| Erwin Technical College | Tampa | public | $2,796 | 79.8% | $37,966 |
| Miami Lakes Educational Center and Technical College | Miami Lakes | public | $2,839 | 5.8% | $35,014 |
| Hillsborough College | Tampa | public | $3,861 | 34.1% | $40,782 |
| South Florida State College | Avon Park | public | $3,877 | 49.8% | $39,990 |
| Florida State College at Jacksonville | Jacksonville | public | $4,128 | 38.5% | $42,244 |
| Indian River State College | Fort Pierce | public | $3,815 | 44.3% | $38,315 |
| Pensacola State College | Pensacola | public | $3,957 | 36.9% | $36,739 |
| Northwest Florida State College | Niceville | public | $4,571 | 37.9% | $39,664 |
| Gulf Coast State College | Panama City | public | $4,709 | 38.6% | $38,359 |
| Pasco-Hernando State College | New Port Richey | public | $5,203 | 37.2% | $39,903 |
| Miami Dade College | Miami | public | $5,463 | 41.2% | $40,654 |
| Osceola Technical College | Kissimmee | public | $6,186 | 49.6% | $38,484 |
| Charlotte Technical College | Port Charlotte | public | $5,874 | 58.7% | $36,349 |
| Florida SouthWestern State College | Fort Myers | public | $7,247 | 36.1% | $43,421 |
| Eastern Florida State College | Melbourne | public | $6,440 | 46.4% | $37,195 |
| Lindsey Hopkins Technical College | Miami | public | $6,243 | 51.6% | $34,107 |
| Daytona State College | Daytona Beach | public | $7,177 | 41.6% | $37,096 |
| Lorenzo Walker Technical College | Naples | public | $7,283 | 99% | $36,853 |
| Tallahassee State College | Tallahassee | public | $7,781 | 40.5% | $37,561 |
| Palm Beach State College | Lake Worth | public | $9,182 | 38.1% | $41,923 |
| Santa Fe College | Gainesville | public | $11,098 | 43.9% | $41,631 |
| Atlantic Technical College | Coconut Creek | public | $10,414 | 60.3% | $38,560 |
| First Coast Technical College | Saint Augustine | public | $9,577 | 76.7% | $33,784 |
| William T McFatter Technical College | Davie | public | $11,901 | 63.8% | $41,656 |
| Orange Technical College | Orlando | public | $10,525 | 71.2% | $36,650 |
| Valencia College | Orlando | public | $12,037 | 44.9% | $40,594 |
| College of Central Florida | Ocala | public | $12,088 | 46% | $38,203 |
| Robert Morgan Educational Center and Technical College | Miami | public | $12,776 | 24% | $37,543 |
| Broward College | Fort Lauderdale | public | $14,506 | 34.1% | $41,939 |
| Praxis Institute | Miami | private for-profit | $8,785 | 79.2% | $22,300 |
| State College of Florida-Manatee-Sarasota | Bradenton | public | $22,356 | 35.2% | $40,318 |
| Pinellas Technical College-St. Petersburg | Saint Petersburg | public | $23,620 | 56.3% | $36,188 |
| Florida National University-Main Campus | Hialeah | private for-profit | $23,043 | 41.9% | $33,928 |
| Ultimate Medical Academy | Clearwater | private nonprofit | $20,457 | 61.5% | $29,194 |
| Concorde Career Institute-Tampa | Tampa | private for-profit | $26,077 | 72.6% | $36,288 |
| Concorde Career Institute-Jacksonville | Jacksonville | private for-profit | $24,917 | 71.3% | $34,098 |
| Fortis Institute-Port Saint Lucie | Port Saint Lucie | private for-profit | $24,615 | 57.6% | $32,886 |
| Concorde Career Institute-Miramar | Miramar | private for-profit | $27,673 | 72.5% | $35,442 |
| ATA Career Education | Spring Hill | private for-profit | $28,250 | 50.2% | $34,577 |
| Fortis College-Orange Park | Orange Park | private for-profit | $24,205 | 56.6% | $28,506 |
| Meridian College | Sarasota | private for-profit | $29,812 | 75.6% | $33,735 |
| Fortis Institute-Pensacola | Pensacola | private for-profit | $27,867 | 54.5% | $26,652 |
| Concorde Career Institute-Orlando | Orlando | private for-profit | $37,435 | 74.1% | $34,098 |
| Compu-Med Vocational Careers Corp | Hialeah | private for-profit | $49,299 | 53.8% | $22,226 |
| Traviss Technical College | Lakeland | public | not reported | 85.8% | $39,813 |
| Prestige Health & Beauty Sciences Academy | Hallandale Beach | private for-profit | $24,015 | 92.9% | not reported |
Ranking = median earnings 10 years after entry per $1,000 of average yearly net price (methodology). Schools without both figures sort last — "not reported" means the federal dataset lacks the value, not that the school is bad.
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