How much do Dental Assisting schools cost in Illinois?

The median annual net price (what students actually pay after aid) across 23 dental assisting schools in Illinois is $7,607. Individual schools range widely — the table above shows each school's real cost, not sticker price.

Can you get paid to train as a dental assisting in Illinois?

Yes — Illinois has 2 registered apprenticeship programs where you earn wages while you train instead of paying tuition. See the dental assisting apprenticeships page for the current list.

What does a dental assisting earn in Illinois?

Working dental assisting professionals in Illinois earn a median of $48,610 per year, ranging from about $37,360 to $59,910 (U.S. Department of Labor). This is what people in the job earn, which differs from a school's reported graduate-earnings figure.

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Dental Assisting Schools in Illinois

23 schools in Illinois offer dental assisting-related programs, compared below on official cost, completion, and earnings data. Prefer to earn while you learn? 2 registered apprenticeship programs in Illinois train dental assisting apprentices — see apprenticeships.

Schools in Illinois

Median net price / yr (Illinois)

$7,607

national: $11,621

Median earnings (Illinois)

$38,022

national: $38,005

Apprenticeship sponsors

earn while training

Dental Assisting pay in Illinois (all workers)

$48,610

range $37,360–$59,910 · U.S. DOL occupation wage

Occupation pay is what working dental assisting professionals in Illinois earn (all experience levels) — school "earnings" figures above are medians for each school's recent federally-aided students across all its programs, which read lower.

Dental Assisting licensing in Illinois: No license — certification expected

Illinois does not license or register dental assistants — IDFPR's dental professions list covers only dentists and hygienists — and it is one of the few states with no state radiography credential for dental assistants. Expanded functions like coronal polishing require completing an approved course, which itself requires 1,000 hours of chairside experience, a CODA-accredited program, or DANB CDA certification first. Most employers prefer or expect the voluntary DANB CDA.

Official source: Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Board of Dentistry · Exam: None required by the state; DANB CDA (voluntary) is the employer-preferred credential · Typical requirement: No state license, registration, or radiography credential required — IDFPR licenses dentists and hygienists only. Duty-specific training rules under the Illinois Dental Practice Act: coronal polishing requires an approved course preceded by 1,000 hours of clinical assisting experience, a CODA-accredited program, or DANB CDA; other expanded functions require completing approved courses with set didactic/clinical content.

Official license records related to dental assisting in Illinois

From the U.S. Department of Labor's License Finder — these may include contractor, specialty, or related licenses beyond entry-level requirements:

DENTAL HYGIENIST — Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation
DENTAL SPECIALIST — Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT — Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation
VETERINARIAN ASSISTANT — Illinois Racing Board
ASSISTANT TRAINER — Illinois Racing Board
DENTAL TRAINING LICENSE, TEMPORARY — Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation

Wage and license data provided by CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA) and Minnesota DEED.

Schools, ranked by earnings per tuition dollar

School	City	Type	Net price / yr	Completion	Earnings (10 yr)
Illinois Valley Community College	Oglesby	public	$2,232	37.2%	$40,810
Lake Land College	Mattoon	public	$2,254	55%	$38,877
Lewis and Clark Community College	Godfrey	public	$3,349	50%	$37,724
Carl Sandburg College	Galesburg	public	$3,662	51.5%	$35,274
Prairie State College	Chicago Heights	public	$4,738	20.4%	$36,696
Elgin Community College	Elgin	public	$6,026	32.5%	$45,516
Rock Valley College	Rockford	public	$5,242	32.4%	$39,158
College of DuPage	Glen Ellyn	public	$7,401	24.7%	$46,909
John A Logan College	Carterville	public	$5,541	31.7%	$34,096
Kaskaskia College	Centralia	public	$6,477	39.1%	$38,801
College of Lake County	Grayslake	public	$7,607	34.1%	$43,424
Parkland College	Champaign	public	$8,048	29.5%	$38,320
City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College	Chicago	public	$7,220	28.8%	$32,427
William Rainey Harper College	Palatine	public	$11,607	38.4%	$48,071
Heartland Community College	Normal	public	$12,013	26.5%	$40,768
Fox College	Tinley Park	private for-profit	$13,109	71.1%	$41,539
City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College	Chicago	public	$9,494	27.4%	$28,467
Illinois Central College	East Peoria	public	$12,961	36.3%	$37,366
Midwestern Career College	Chicago	private for-profit	$20,462	65.7%	$36,432
First Institute of Travel Inc.	Crystal Lake	private for-profit	$20,528	74.8%	$36,196
Stautzenberger College-Rockford Career College	Rockford	private for-profit	$21,601	51.6%	$34,104
Midwest Technical Institute-Illinois	Springfield	private for-profit	$27,793	71.9%	$33,601
State Career College	Gurnee	private for-profit	$26,376	66.2%	not reported

Ranking = median earnings 10 years after entry per $1,000 of average yearly net price (methodology). Figures are institution-wide federal medians for each school as a whole — not dental assisting graduates specifically. Schools without both figures sort last — "not reported" means the federal dataset lacks the value, not that the school is bad.

Common questions: Dental Assisting school in Illinois

How much do Dental Assisting schools cost in Illinois?: The median annual net price (what students actually pay after aid) across 23 dental assisting schools in Illinois is $7,607. Individual schools range widely — the table above shows each school's real cost, not sticker price.
Do you need a license to work as a dental assisting in Illinois?: Illinois does not license or register dental assistants — IDFPR's dental professions list covers only dentists and hygienists — and it is one of the few states with no state radiography credential for dental assistants. Expanded functions like coronal polishing require completing an approved course, which itself requires 1,000 hours of chairside experience, a CODA-accredited program, or DANB CDA certification first. Most employers prefer or expect the voluntary DANB CDA.
Can you get paid to train as a dental assisting in Illinois?: Yes — Illinois has 2 registered apprenticeship programs where you earn wages while you train instead of paying tuition. See the dental assisting apprenticeships page for the current list.
What does a dental assisting earn in Illinois?: Working dental assisting professionals in Illinois earn a median of $48,610 per year, ranging from about $37,360 to $59,910 (U.S. Department of Labor). This is what people in the job earn, which differs from a school's reported graduate-earnings figure.

Aid deadlines for dental assisting programs in Illinois

Federal and state aid programs have windows and deadlines. Get them for your trade and state, plus program matches.

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Dental Assisting schools in nearby states

See all states & the full dental assisting guide →

Data: U.S. Dept of Education College Scorecard (most recent release, pulled July 2026) + U.S. Dept of Labor apprenticeship.gov. Methodology & provenance. Independent site — not affiliated with any government agency.