Best Dental Assistant Programs in Arkansas (2026)

Quick answer: Dental assistants in Arkansas earn a median of $42,830 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This page lists accredited dental assistant schools in Arkansas with local wage data and median graduate earnings for each school.

Several training options serve dental assistant students in Arkansas, from short certificates to longer hands-on programs. For context, the state median annual wage for this occupation is approximately $42,830 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Arkansas Quick Facts

MetricValueSource
State median annual wage$42,830BLS OEWS, May 2025
Arkansas pay range (10th to 90th percentile)$35,060 to $48,330BLS OEWS, May 2025
Top-paying Arkansas metro for this fieldFayetteville, AR, $47,050BLS OEWS, May 2025
National job outlook (2024 to 2034)+6.4% growth, about 52,900 openings per yearBLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
State employment2,950 workersBLS OEWS, May 2025
Arkansas location quotient0.91BLS 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 Arkansas figures above as a reference point when comparing program length, schedule, and tuition.

How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention. Advertising plays no part.

This page lists 12 schools within 150 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 12 of them carry a score.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%

Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.

#1

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Little Rock, AR 15.6 miles away BOC Score 90.5
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 8
  • Annual completions: 506
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $77,262 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Memphis, TN 132.9 miles away BOC Score 89.5
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 11
  • Annual completions: 214
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $78,597 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

University of Arkansas-Fort Smith

Fort Smith, AR 116.7 miles away BOC Score 63.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 37.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 34
  • Annual completions: 914
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $49,998 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

NorthWest Arkansas Community College

Bentonville, AR 139.2 miles away BOC Score 52.6
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 29.2% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 47
  • Annual completions: 554
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $48,056 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

Northwest Mississippi Community College

Senatobia, MS 138.5 miles away BOC Score 47.6
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 54
  • Annual completions: 1875
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $42,368 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

Delta Technical College-Mississippi

Horn Lake, MS 134.0 miles away BOC Score 44.4
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 69.0%
  • Programs offered: 20
  • Annual completions: 4658
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $36,025 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Concorde Career College-Southaven

Southaven, MS 135.0 miles away BOC Score 44.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 66.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 7
  • Annual completions: 330
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $34,501 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

Mississippi Delta Community College

Moorhead, MS 150.3 miles away BOC Score 41.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 36
  • Annual completions: 381
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $37,960 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#9

University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College

North Little Rock, AR 13.4 miles away BOC Score 41.7
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 34.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 67
  • Annual completions: 1028
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $41,807 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#10

Concorde Career College-Memphis

Memphis, TN 140.7 miles away BOC Score 36.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Admission rate: 95.1%
  • Graduation rate: 53.1%
  • Programs offered: 21
  • Annual completions: 997
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $34,501 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#11

Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Memphis

Memphis, TN 132.6 miles away BOC Score 34.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 47.2% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 39
  • Annual completions: 926
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $40,340 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#12

Remington College-Memphis Campus

Memphis, TN 134.4 miles away BOC Score 21.8
Tuition $17,083 - $32,443
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 35.2%
  • Programs offered: 16
  • Annual completions: 353
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $33,677 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

Dental Assistant Pay and Job Outlook

Annual Wage by Percentile, United States - 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, United States, 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 Arkansas?

Dental assistant certificate programs in Arkansas 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 Arkansas?

According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), dental assistants in Arkansas earned a median annual wage of approximately $42,830. Pay varies with experience, certification, and employer; the 10th to 90th percentile range was approximately $35,060 to $48,330 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

How many dental assistant schools are in Arkansas?

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)