How to Choose a Dental Assisting School That's Right for You

Colorado has everything from eight-week Saturday courses to two-year college programs, and on paper they can look pretty similar. The best choice is whichever one gets you hired, on a schedule you can keep, at a price you can manage. These are the questions that separate them.

Is the school legitimate?

Private occupational schools in Colorado have to be approved by the Colorado Department of Higher Education through its Division of Private Occupational Schools. Community colleges and career colleges have their own accreditation. Ask about approval on the first call. A good school will answer right away.

Accreditation from the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) is a separate question. Colorado doesn't require it, and most short programs don't have it. It matters if you want to qualify for DANB's CDA through the graduate route, or if you might continue on to hygiene later.

Will it make you employable?

Start with radiography. Does tuition include x-ray training that meets Colorado's requirement? If not, you'll pay for it separately and can't take x-rays until you do. For most people, this question matters more than any other.

Then ask how the hands-on time is split. How many hours are on mannequins and how many with real patients? Programs that hold class inside a working dental office usually have a clear answer. There's more on why this matters in the advantages of live-patient training.

Ask whether there's an externship and who finds the office for it: the school or you. Ask about the instructors too. People who are still working in dentistry teach what offices are actually doing now.

What will it really cost?

Get the total in writing, including books, scrubs, CPR/BLS, radiography, supplies and any exam fees. Ask about payment plans. If you need federal aid, you'll be looking at career or community colleges, since most short programs don't participate. Workforce funding through WIOA is worth checking either way. Our cost breakdown has current Colorado prices.

Read the refund policy before you sign the enrollment agreement, not after. If a school won't show it to you in advance, don't enroll there.

Will the schedule work?

Weekend, evening or weekday? And what happens if you miss a class because your kid is sick? Some programs have makeup sessions and others don't. Better to ask now than find out in week six.

Do graduates get jobs?

Ask what share of last year's graduates are working as dental assistants. If they can put you in touch with a recent graduate, even better, and a dentist who has hired their graduates is better still. Schools with good results are usually happy to share them.

Short program or college?

If you need to keep working and want to be employed within a few months, a short weekend or evening program is hard to beat. If you need financial aid or want a longer runway, look at the career colleges; Pima Medical Institute and Concorde both run programs of around nine months in the Denver area. If hygiene school or teaching is on your long-term list, a CODA-accredited college program sets you up best.

Warning signs

Be wary of pressure to sign up today, and of any mention of a "Colorado dental assistant license," since no such thing exists. A school that guarantees you a job or a specific wage is promising something it can't control.

When you're ready to compare, the Colorado programs table has every school side by side, with city guides for Denver and Colorado Springs.

Checked September 17, 2026.