3 accredited schools across the McAllen metro area trained 195 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 McAllen that reported 67 Dental Assistant graduates in 2023–24. Published tuition and fees plus books and supplies come to $24,520 for a program of about 15 months.
Private for-profit two-year college in McAllen that reported 66 Dental Assistant graduates in 2023–24. Published tuition and fees plus books and supplies come to $17,400 for a program of about 9 months.
This private for-profit career school in Hidalgo County graduated 62 Dental Assistant students in 2023–24. Published tuition and fees plus books and supplies come to $24,520 for a program of about 15 months.
3 accredited schools in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX metro area graduated 195 Dental Assistant students in 2023–24. The largest was Miller-Motte College-STVT-McAllen with 67.
Among schools that published a program price, The College of Health Care Professions-McAllen Campus in McAllen listed the lowest total: $17,400 for tuition, books and supplies.
Dental Assistants in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX metro earn a median $37,230 a year ($17.90/hour), per BLS May 2025 data. That compares with $45,430 statewide and $48,070 nationally.
CODA-accredited certificate programs commonly take about 9 to 11 months; associate degrees take about 2 years.