3 accredited schools across the Grand Rapids metro area trained 59 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.
28 Dental Assistant credentials awarded in 2023–24 at this public two-year college, the 3rd-most in the state. Annual in-district tuition (before fees): $3,600 ($11,400 out of state).
Private for-profit career school in Kentwood that reported 17 Dental Assistant graduates in 2023–24. Published tuition and fees plus books and supplies come to $16,297 for a program of about 9 months.
This private for-profit two-year college in Kent County graduated 14 Dental Assistant students in 2023–24. Published tuition and fees plus books and supplies come to $16,297 for a program of about 9 months.
3 accredited schools in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metro area graduated 59 Dental Assistant students in 2023–24. The largest was Grand Rapids Community College with 28.
Among schools that published a program price, Ross Medical Education Center-Kentwood in Kentwood listed the lowest total: $16,297 for tuition, books and supplies.
Dental Assistants in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metro earn a median $50,490 a year ($24.27/hour), per BLS May 2025 data. That compares with $48,820 statewide and $48,070 nationally.
CODA-accredited certificate programs commonly take about 9 to 11 months; associate degrees take about 2 years.