Best Dental Assistant Programs in Alabama (2026)

Quick answer: Dental assistants in Alabama earn a median of $39,080 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This page lists accredited dental assistant schools in Alabama with local wage data and median graduate earnings for each school.

Several training options serve dental assistant students in Alabama, from short certificates to longer hands-on programs. For context, the state median annual wage for this occupation is approximately $39,080 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Alabama Quick Facts

MetricValueSource
State median annual wage$39,080BLS OEWS, May 2025
Alabama pay range (10th to 90th percentile)$30,840 to $51,400BLS OEWS, May 2025
Top-paying Alabama metro for this fieldHuntsville, AL, $43,930BLS OEWS, May 2025
National job outlook (2024 to 2034)+6.4% growth, about 52,900 openings per yearBLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
State employment3,740 workersBLS OEWS, May 2025
Alabama location quotient0.71BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the Dental assistant Career

What You’ll Find Below

The school listings below are sorted by proximity to Programs. Each entry includes the school name, address, and the credentials offered. Use the Alabama figures above as a reference point when comparing program length, schedule, and tuition.

How We Rank Schools

We first gather the schools closest to the city or state page you are viewing, then rank that local group by BOC Score, with the highest at the top. The BOC Score is computed from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data; schools without enough data to score appear last.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
25%
Average net price (lower is better)
20%
Retention rate
15%
Fully online availability
10%

Schools without enough federal outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Birmingham, AL 48.0 miles away BOC Score 58.6
Tuition $9,098 - $28,145
Contact
  • Administration Bldg Suite 1070 Birmingham, AL 35294-0110
  • (205) 934-4011
Key stats
  • Admission rate: 88.2%
  • Graduation rate: 63.4%
  • Programs offered: 19
  • Annual completions: 746
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $64,969 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

East Mississippi Community College

Scooba, MS 98.3 miles away BOC Score 57.7
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 44.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 43
  • Annual completions: 770
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $42,022 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

George C Wallace State Community College-Hanceville

Hanceville, AL 87.5 miles away BOC Score 52.6
Tuition $5,220 - $19,008
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 49.7%
  • Programs offered: 46
  • Annual completions: 2010
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $50,276 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

West Georgia Technical College

Waco, GA 111.0 miles away BOC Score 51.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 33.0% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 95
  • Annual completions: 4107
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $43,835 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

John C Calhoun State Community College

Tanner, AL 127.7 miles away BOC Score 50.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 41.1% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 22
  • Annual completions: 1988
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $53,980 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

Meridian Community College

Meridian, MS 117.0 miles away BOC Score 50.6
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 60
  • Annual completions: 893
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $50,810 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Gadsden State Community College

Gadsden, AL 94.3 miles away BOC Score 47.7
Tuition $4,272 - $10,189
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 35.2%
  • Programs offered: 42
  • Annual completions: 1817
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $46,678 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

Columbus Technical College

Columbus, GA 109.6 miles away BOC Score 47.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 23.6% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 109
  • Annual completions: 2527
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $43,818 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#9

H Councill Trenholm State Community College

Montgomery, AL 41.0 miles away BOC Score 45.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 16.3% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 28
  • Annual completions: 476
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $34,122 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#10

Lawson State Community College

Birmingham, AL 44.8 miles away BOC Score 38.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 26.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 43
  • Annual completions: 463
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $44,506 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#11

Fortis Institute-Birmingham

Birmingham, AL 43.9 miles away BOC Score 27.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 35.1% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 14
  • Annual completions: 370
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $39,556 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#12

Fortis College-Montgomery

Montgomery, AL 42.9 miles away BOC Score 20.1
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 42.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 7
  • Annual completions: 349
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $33,893 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

Dental Assistant Pay and Job Outlook

Annual Wage by Percentile - Dental Assistants
Dental Assistants annual wage percentiles, BLS OEWS May 2025P10 $37130, P25 $44340, P50 $48070, P75 $58090, P90 $62250.10th$37,13025th$44,34050th (median)$48,07075th$58,09090th$62,250
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Dental Assistants annual wage percentiles
PercentileAnnual wage
10th$37,130
25th$44,340
50th (median)$48,070
75th$58,090
90th$62,250
Projected employment growth, Dental Assistants, 2024-2034
Dental Assistants employment 2024 vs 2034 projection, BLS Employment Projections2024 employment 381900; 2034 projected employment 406300; percent change +6.4%.2024381,900 jobs2034 (proj.)406,300 jobsChange: +6.4%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
Dental Assistants employment projection 2024 to 2034
YearEmployment
2024381,900
2034 projected406,300
Percent change+6.4%

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does dental assistant training take in Alabama?

Dental assistant certificate programs in Alabama typically take 6 to 12 months of full-time study, while associate degree programs generally run about 2 years. Actual completion time depends on schedule (full-time vs. part-time) and any prerequisite coursework.

How much do dental assistants earn in Alabama?

According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), dental assistants in Alabama earned a median annual wage of approximately $39,080. Pay varies with experience, certification, and employer; the 10th to 90th percentile range was approximately $30,840 to $51,400 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

How many dental assistant schools are in Alabama?

The schools listed above are within about 800 miles of Programs. Compare them by tuition, program length, and the credential each one awards.


About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.

Data sources

Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.

DataProviderVintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMay 2025
Employment ProjectionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics2024-2034
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data SystemNational Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)2024
College Scorecard (school-level outcomes)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release
College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release (updated 2026-06-12)
Occupational licensing requirementsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2026-02-22)
Registered apprenticeship programsCareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2025-10-25)