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25 schools in Pennsylvania offer dental assisting-related programs, compared below on official cost, completion, and earnings data. Prefer to earn while you learn? 5 registered apprenticeship sponsors in Pennsylvania train dental assisting apprentices — see apprenticeships.
Pennsylvania does not license or register dental assistants — you can start chairside with no state credential. Two duty-specific rules apply: taking x-rays requires passing the Board-adopted radiologic procedure exam, the DANB Radiation Health & Safety (RHS) exam — this is the only route, and a dental assisting diploma alone does not substitute — and performing expanded restorative functions requires the State Board of Dentistry's EFDA certification, which takes a board-approved education program plus a state written exam administered by Pearson VUE. Voluntary DANB CDA certification is widely preferred by employers.
Official source: Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry (Department of State, BPOA) · Exam: DANB RHS exam (the Board-adopted radiologic procedure examination) for x-ray authorization; Pennsylvania EFDA examination administered by Pearson VUE for expanded-function certification · Typical requirement: No education or license requirement for basic chairside assisting. To perform radiologic procedures, auxiliary personnel must pass the radiologic procedure examination adopted by the Board — the DANB Radiation Health & Safety (RHS) exam (49 Pa. Code § 33.302); the exam is the only pathway, and graduating from an accredited dental assisting program does not substitute for it. EFDA certification requires graduating from a Board-approved EFDA education program (associate-degree program, a certificate/diploma program of at least 200 hours of clinical and didactic instruction from a CODA-accredited institution, or a CODA-accredited dental hygiene school with at least 75 hours of restorative-functions instruction) and passing the state EFDA written examination.
| School | City | Type | Net price / yr | Completion | Earnings (10 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westmoreland County Community College | Youngwood | public | $5,167 | 26.4% | $37,439 |
| Luzerne County Community College | Nanticoke | public | $9,433 | 24.1% | $40,437 |
| Reading Area Community College | Reading | public | $9,228 | 21.2% | $39,082 |
| Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology | Pleasant Gap | public | $9,857 | 90.8% | $41,677 |
| Montgomery County Community College | Blue Bell | public | $11,124 | 24.9% | $46,108 |
| York County School of Technology-Adult & Continuing Education | York | public | $13,490 | 89.7% | $54,322 |
| Manor College | Jenkintown | private nonprofit | $13,078 | 39.7% | $46,825 |
| Northampton County Area Community College | Bethlehem | public | $12,119 | 29.8% | $41,566 |
| Community College of Philadelphia | Philadelphia | public | $11,911 | 18.4% | $40,852 |
| Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center | Altoona | public | $12,419 | 71.5% | $38,008 |
| Harrisburg Area Community College | Harrisburg | public | $14,471 | 21.3% | $42,007 |
| YTI Career Institute-York | York | private for-profit | $14,637 | 77.1% | $40,672 |
| Somerset County Technology Center | Somerset | public | $14,444 | 89.1% | $37,558 |
| Lancaster County Career and Technology Center | Willow Street | public | $17,505 | 77.2% | $44,566 |
| All-State Career School | Essington | private for-profit | $18,205 | 61.7% | $38,495 |
| Pennsylvania College of Technology | Williamsport | public | $25,110 | 61% | $52,567 |
| PITC Institute | Wyncote | private for-profit | $28,276 | 49.6% | $58,389 |
| Harcum College | Bryn Mawr | private nonprofit | $24,776 | 51.5% | $46,827 |
| Commonwealth Technical Institute | Johnstown | private nonprofit | $11,714 | 81.4% | $21,632 |
| Great Lakes Institute of Technology | Erie | private for-profit | $17,540 | 69.7% | $28,704 |
| Miller-Motte College-Berks Technical Institute | Wyomissing | private for-profit | $19,518 | 48.8% | $31,102 |
| Fortis Institute-Scranton | Scranton | private for-profit | $20,186 | 56.3% | $30,224 |
| YTI Career Institute-Altoona | Altoona | private for-profit | $20,822 | 64.7% | $30,188 |
| Institute of Medical Careers | Pittsburgh | private for-profit | $21,392 | 69.5% | not reported |
| Berks Career & Technology Center | Leesport | public | $20,536 | 70% | 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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