3 accredited schools across the Boston metro area trained 31 dental assistants in 2023–24. Here’s how they compare on cost, length and size, plus what the job pays locally.
Updated October 2026 · Data: IPEDS 2023–24, BLS May 2025
Sorted by number of 2023–24 graduates (IPEDS), a proxy for program size and stability.
Public two-year college in Haverhill that reported 17 Dental Assistant graduates in 2023–24, the most in the state. Annual in-district tuition (before fees): $600 ($6,384 out of state).
This public two-year college in Plymouth County graduated 8 Dental Assistant students in 2023–24, the 5th-most in the state. Annual in-district tuition (before fees): $576 ($5,520 out of state).
Public two-year college in Bedford that reported 6 Dental Assistant graduates in 2023–24. Annual in-district tuition (before fees): $576 ($5,520 out of state).
3 accredited schools in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area graduated 31 Dental Assistant students in 2023–24. The largest was Northern Essex Community College with 17.
Dental Assistants in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro earn a median $58,160 a year ($27.96/hour), per BLS May 2025 data. That compares with $57,980 statewide and $48,070 nationally.
CODA-accredited certificate programs commonly take about 9 to 11 months; associate degrees take about 2 years.