South Carolina Dental Assistant Schools and Salary Guide

Do you live in South Carolina?

Are you looking for a job opportunity in the dental industry?

Working as dental assistants offers competitive pay, opportunities for advancement, and national projected employment growth of11 percent from 2020 to 2030.

Dental health also relates to overall health, which makes dental services more important than ever.

In today’s article, we are going to highlight some of the best dental assistant schools throughout South Carolina.

Dental Assistant Schools Around the State

Although there are many dental assistant schools throughout the state, we highlight five schools that offer dental assistant programs.

Florence Darlington Technical College

Florence Darlington Technical College’s main campus is located in Florence, SC.

There are 5 additional campus locations across the Pee Dee region.

The FDTC dental assisting program classes primarily meet at the Health Sciences campus, located in Florence.

FDTC is accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

Its expanded duty dental assisting program is further accredited by the American Dental Association.

A typical course of study for receiving a certificate in dental assisting is 12 months and consists of between 41 and 52 semester hours.

For residents of the Florence and Darlington area, one semester hour costs $185.

You must have at least one year of established residency in the Florence/Darlington area to receive this rate.

For all other South Carolina residents, tuition is $196.

Out of state tuition climbs to $274 per credit hour and out of the country non-residents will pay $363 per credit hour.

As a dental assisting student, you can also expect a health sciences education course fee of $50 applied to each course hour, as well.

All applicants will need to:

• Provide a high school diploma or GED
• Provide their SAT and/or ACT scores or FDTC’s placement test results
• Complete an online application for Admissions

After receiving and processing student paperwork, a faculty advisor will be assigned to accepted students.

Aiken Technical College

Aiken Technical College is located in Graniteville, SC.

This higher learning institution is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

As part of the Health Sciences department, the dental assisting program has a separate application process, following the general admission process.

The Commission accredits Aiken Technical’s Dental assistance program on Dental Accreditation.

Some studying will occur off-campus in clinical facilities, so independent transportation is required.

A typical course of study will consist of 51 semester hours.

Aiken Technical offers an easy-to-use cost calculator to help determine your specific tuition fees.

Enter a few personal responses and you will see an estimated balance of fees for your program(s) of study.

Aiken Technical applicants will need to:

• Apply for admission with ATC
• Supply a copy of their high school transcript or GED
• Supply copies of ACT/SAT scores or the ATC placement test

After being accepted, students will meet with an academic advisor, chart their course plan, and register for classes.

Spartanburg Community College

Spartanburg Community College is located in Spartanburg, SC.

Offering schools of study in a wide array of industries, Spartanburg positions its graduates for careers, upon graduation.

Dental Assisting Program is located within the Health Sciences department and the program is accredited by the American Dental Association.

The Expanded Duty Dental Assisting program, or EDDA, is a 12-month course.

Students will be enrolled for Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters while completing the year-long course. Application for the course occurs annually, in May.

Tuition for the program is affordable, and financial aid is offered.

Currently, Spartanburg CC is offering an opportunity for zero-cost tuition for those that apply and meet the requirements.

Begin your application process by visiting the SCC website.

All forms needed will be available for downloading and printing.

Lake Wylie School of Dental Assisting

The Lake Wylie school focuses on training dental assistants.

They offer a 16-week course which focuses on hands-on training.

Class size is also capped at 15 students, so overcrowding doesn’t negatively impact learning.

During the 16 weeks, students will alternate between lecture and notes and hands-on lab time.

They will also be paired with a practicing dentist for 50 hours of internship.

Students will learn how to work in a dentist’s office, as well as the technical training to continue in a course of dentistry schooling if desired.

Tuition is only $4020 for the course and can be split up into four payment installations.

There is a non-refundable registration fee of $100.

Books currently cost $263.50.

Both of these fees are included in the total cost.

Students can visit the website for more information.

York Technical College

York Technical College, located in Rock Hill, SC, offers applicants a comprehensive course of study in dental assistance.

The program is accredited by the American Dental Association.

Tuition for the program is $184 per credit hour for residents of York and Chester counties in South Carolina.

Out of county, tuition goes up to $199 per credit hour, and out of state is $405 per credit hour.

Begin the enrollment process by visiting the YTC website.

Once accepted, students will be able to meet with career counselors and apply for student aid if needed.

Dental Assitant Schools in South Carolina – Summary Table

Dental Assistant Salary Outlook

Current estimates for dental assistant salaries in South Carolina average between $35,000 and $45,000 annually.

Regions with larger populations tend to offer higher rates of pay.

Overall, there is a need for this profession, and rates of pay seem to be competitive across the state.

Regional Salary in South Carolina