3 accredited schools across the Providence metro area trained 54 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.
This private for-profit two-year college in Providence County graduated 29 Dental Assistant students in 2023–24. Published tuition and fees plus books and supplies come to $21,441 for a program of about 10 months.
Public career school in South Easton that reported 13 Dental Assistant graduates in 2023–24, the 3rd-most in the state.
This public two-year college in Kent County graduated 12 Dental Assistant students in 2023–24. Annual in-district tuition (before fees): $4,856 ($13,740 out of state).
3 accredited schools in the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area graduated 54 Dental Assistant students in 2023–24. The largest was Lincoln Technical Institute-Lincoln with 29.
Among schools that published a program price, Lincoln Technical Institute-Lincoln in Lincoln listed the lowest total: $21,441 for tuition, books and supplies.
Dental Assistants in the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro earn a median $49,460 a year ($23.78/hour), per BLS May 2025 data. That compares with $50,150 statewide and $48,070 nationally.
CODA-accredited certificate programs commonly take about 9 to 11 months; associate degrees take about 2 years.