3 accredited schools across the Knoxville metro area trained 53 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.
Private for-profit career school in Knoxville that reported 31 Dental Assistant graduates in 2023–24, the 3rd-most in the state. Published tuition and fees plus books and supplies come to $16,297 for a program of about 9 months.
Private for-profit four-year institution in Knoxville that reported 15 Dental Assistant graduates in 2023–24. Annual in-district tuition (before fees): $16,450.
Public two-year college in Knoxville that reported 7 Dental Assistant graduates in 2023–24.
3 accredited schools in the Knoxville, TN metro area graduated 53 Dental Assistant students in 2023–24. The largest was Ross Medical Education Center-Knoxville with 31.
Among schools that published a program price, Ross Medical Education Center-Knoxville in Knoxville listed the lowest total: $16,297 for tuition, books and supplies.
Dental Assistants in the Knoxville, TN metro earn a median $46,790 a year ($22.49/hour), per BLS May 2025 data. That compares with $46,720 statewide and $48,070 nationally.
CODA-accredited certificate programs commonly take about 9 to 11 months; associate degrees take about 2 years.