6 accredited schools across the Philadelphia metro area trained 150 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.
63 Dental Assistant credentials awarded in 2023–24 at this private for-profit two-year college, the most in the state. Published tuition and fees plus books and supplies come to $21,778 for a program of about 12 months.
Public two-year college in Blackwood that reported 30 Dental Assistant graduates in 2023–24, the 5th-most in the state. Annual in-district tuition (before fees): $2,760 ($2,856 out of state).
Private for-profit two-year college in Cherry Hill that reported 29 Dental Assistant graduates in 2023–24. Published tuition and fees plus books and supplies come to $19,495 for a program of about 11 months.
Private nonprofit four-year institution in Jenkintown that reported 15 Dental Assistant graduates in 2023–24, the 4th-most in the state. Annual in-district tuition (before fees): $18,864.
Private nonprofit two-year college in Bryn Mawr that reported 8 Dental Assistant graduates in 2023–24. Annual in-district tuition (before fees): $29,500.
Public career school in Westampton that reported 5 Dental Assistant graduates in 2023–24.
6 accredited schools in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area graduated 150 Dental Assistant students in 2023–24. The largest was All-State Career School with 63.
Among schools that published a program price, American Institute-Cherry Hill in Cherry Hill listed the lowest total: $19,495 for tuition, books and supplies.
Dental Assistants in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro earn a median $49,570 a year ($23.83/hour), per BLS May 2025 data. That compares with $47,930 statewide and $48,070 nationally.
CODA-accredited certificate programs commonly take about 9 to 11 months; associate degrees take about 2 years.