Application to begin the clinical dental hygiene program Fall 2025
The entry-level clinical dental hygiene program, which leads to the completion of requirements for initial licensure and the BSDH degree, begins with the fall semester and continues for three academic years. Annually, the program will accept applications from November 1 until February 1 immediately prior to the fall semester for which a student is applying to begin.
For more information about eligibility and admissions policies please review the school level and program level policies found here.
The Entry-level Dental Hygiene Program has competitive enrollment meaning not every applicant who is qualified will be accepted into the program. Consideration is given to applications from all qualified resident and non-resident candidates. On this page, you'll find helpful statistics about our most recent admission cycle. We hope this information will assist you in understanding how your credentials compare and how you can succeed in the admissions process. Interested students are encouraged to arrange a meeting with an academic advisor to discuss the competitive nature of the program and their candidate status.
The fall 2024 admitted student dental hygienist cohort had an average Application GPA of 3.56 and Science GPA of 3.55.
Admissions and Scoring Criteria
Information about the scoring criteria can be found by clicking the expanding buttons below. The required prerequisite courses are listed to the right.
Beginning November 1 access the application by clicking here!
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for admission a student must minimally:
- Be admitted to Indiana University South Bend with an active admission offer on file at the time of application closure (February 1)
- Minimum 2.0 GPA
- Demonstrate the defined essential abilities with or without reasonable accommodations
- Comply with all policies and procedures of the program, school, college, campus, and/or university, including
- Compliant background check with IU Policy PS-01
- Provide proof of medical insurance
- Never been dismissed from previous health care program and/or have negative action on a certificate or licensure
- Completed the appropriate application process
- Completed all prerequisite courses by the end of spring semester the year of beginning the program
- Attend orientation event(s) scheduled the Wednesday-Friday the week prior to fall classes
Prerequisite Courses
The courses below or IUSB equivalents will be accepted. If a course does not transfer directly as the course listed, the sciences and/or hygiene program director appropriate administrator may review the course syllabus to determine equivalency. Submit all documents for review prior to application deadline.
Non-Science Courses
Written Communications (ENG-W131)
Sociology (SOC-S161)
Psychology (PSY-P103)
Oral Communications (SPCH-S121)
Science Courses
Chemistry (CHEM-C102)
Anatomy (ANAT-A210 or P261)
Physiology (PHSL-P130 or P262 or P204)
*Course listings are for IUSB campus offerings and equivalencies. GPA would average from all attempts in qualifying courses, unless the student were granted grade replacement per IU policy prior to the application deadline. See equivalency list for course transfers.
Information to review before applying
The following information has been made available to you as an applicant to a CODA Accredited Dental Hygiene Program:
GPA is based on a 4.0 scale. The Application GPA is the average GPA from all of the prerequisite courses, including repeated courses and equivalent courses. For example, if a student completed W131 with a grade of C- and with a grade of A-, the English W131 score will be an average of the grades earned.
Calculation: A perfect score of 4.0 will receive the maximum percentage awarded in each category. If a student’s GPA is less than a 4.0, the percentage earned will be adjusted accordingly. For example, if a student’s average Application GPA is 3.5, the score earned by the applicant is:
3.5 ÷ 4.0 = 0.875 → 0.875 * 30% = 26.25% earned.
The GPA score is based on grade earned and credit hours.
GPA is based on a 4.0 scale. The Science GPA is the average GPA from the prerequisite science courses, including repeated courses and equivalent courses. For example, if a student completed P261 with a grade of C- and A210 with a grade of A-, the Anatomy score will be an average of the grades earned.
Calculation: A perfect score of 4.0 will receive the maximum percentage awarded in each category. If a student’s GPA is less than a 4.0, the percentage earned will be adjusted accordingly. For example, if a student’s average Science GPA is 3.5, the score earned by the applicant is:
3.5 ÷ 4.0 = 0.875 → 0.875 * 35% = 30.625% earned.
The GPA score is based on grade earned and credit hours.
Applications will be reviewed to select the most competitive candidates to participate in a non-traditional interview on the IU South Bend campus. The interview will use a rubric to score applicants on their skills and abilities including, but not limited to: communication, critical thinking, leadership, team work, professionalism, and ability to follow directions. Applicants will be invited to a Canvas site prior to the interview to help prepare.
During the on-campus non-traditional interview, candidates will be scheduled in a campus computer lab to independently write an essay on a topic identified by the program. The essay will be scored using a rubric with an emphasis on APA writing mechanics (grammar, spelling, and punctuation), academic tone, content, organization, and alignment with directions. Additional communication about the essay will be provided to applicants with the on-campus interview materials. A rubric will be used to determine each applicant's score.
After the submission of the application and before the end of spring semester, applicants will be added to a Canvas course site to complete additional assignments and learning activities. Missing deadlines for submission will result in ineligibility for the program.
The cumulative GPA is the calculation of all grades received while an undergraduate or a graduate student at the university. The IU GPA listed on an IU transcript is not used in the calculation because it does not include coursework taken at non-IU institutions.
Calculation: A perfect score of a 4.0 cumulative GPA would recieve the maximum percentage awarded of 5%. If a student's cumulative GPA is less than 4.0, the percentage earned will be adjusted accordingly.
For example, if a student's Cumulative GPA is 3.1, the score earned by the applicant is: 3.1/4.0=0.775--> 0.775*5%=3.875% earned.
Additional General Education courses beyond those listed below are required for the degree. These courses are not listed below because the required prerequisite courses are used to calculate the Application GPA and Science GPA. As prerequisite courses all viable applicants are expected to have minimally completed the requirements. For example, at IUSB SOC-S161 fulfills the Diversity in US Society Requirement.
To earn a BSDH, a student must complete a prescribed list of coursework selected to meet specific learning outcomes. Some dental hygiene courses have been developed that meet general education AND dental hygiene learning outcomes. If a student has fulfilled the general education requirement by completing a distinct separate course, they are required to complete a course that counts for general education due to the dental hygiene learning outcomes covered in the course. In rare circumstances will exceptions be made. Students must provide evidence of prior coursework covering specific learning outcomes (syllabus and potential course work assignments) to receive exceptions from having to complete any hygiene course.
If a student chose to complete a course earlier than sequenced in the degree map, the applicants may have to adjust semester credit load for financial aid and other student success considerations. If a specific course is listed below only this course or transfer equivalent will be counted towards the earned score. Other courses fulfilling the general education requirement will not result in earning admission percentage.
Fundamental literacies
Critical Thinking (3cr) (HSC-W314 Ethics and Health Professionals)
Quantitative Reasoning (3cr) (HSC-H322 Epidemiology and Biostatistics required for degree)
4 Common Core Courses (must complete one at the 390/399 level)
Human Behavior and Social institutions (3cr)
Literary and Intellectual Traditions (3cr)
The Natural World (3cr)
Art, Aesthetics, Creativity (3Cr)
Contemporary Social Values
Global Cultures (3cr)
Extended Literacies
Health and Wellness (3cr) (HPER-N220 CODA required for the degree)
Each applicant must submit documentation of shadowing a dental hygienist for a minimum of 4 hours. Documentation must come from the office where the observation occurred and be on official office letterhead that includes practice, name, and office contact information. Documentation must clearly include date of the observation, hours completed, and identifying student information. Observations must have occurred within the last calendar year of the application due date of February 1 (between February 1, 2024, and February 1, 2025).
Applicants must submit a complete dental hygiene program application with supporting documents by February 1. Applications submitted late, incomplete or after February 1 will not be considered. Please carefully review eligibility criteria.
Supporting documents showing proof of enrollment/registration for incomplete required prerequisite courses must be provided with the application. Students with missing prerequisite coursework who are not enrolled in required prerequisite coursework at the time of submission or who fail to provide documentation of enrollment during application will not be considered in the application cycle. Complete of all prerequisites by the end of spring semester for the institution the student is attending for coursework is required. Applications missing documentation, components of requested evidence of eligibility, and/or submitted files that do not align with stated instructions will not be reviewed.
101 prospective students applied for 20 positions during the 2023-2024 application cycle.
Information to Apply
Be sure to include all of the application materials listed below when you apply. If your application is incomplete, it will not be considered. Carefully review the emailed copy of your application for accuracy. Applicants are expected to resubmit prior to the deadline if an error is found.
- Digital copy (PDF or JPEG) documentation of office shadowing experience that includes the requested information outlined above
- Unofficial transcript PDF with all attempts at prerequisite coursework highlighted in yellow AND enrolled prerequisite coursework highlighted in pink. (Official transcripts from outside IU must be sent to the IUSB Campus Admissions Office as part of the campus application process. Do not submit official transcripts to the program application survey).
- Student ID Number
- Student must apply to and have an active offer of admission to IUSB prior to the application deadline (February 1) to be considered a viable candidate for the program
We look forward to reviewing your application.
