Dental hygienists in BC are licensed by BCCOHP after an accredited program and the national certification exam.
Steps from source.
| Detail | Source | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulator | BCCOHP | source |
| Exam | NDHCE (National Dental Hygiene Certification Examination) required for initial licence; local anaesthesia course (e.g. UBC course listed) | source |
| Pay | WorkBC median $55.00/h ($88,598/yr) | source |
| Program cost | Varies by school; whole-program prices published by 3 schools range from $19,396 (Camosun College) to $49,050 (Vancouver College of Dental Hygiene). 2 other school(s) publish per-credit, per-term or per-year rates only; listed separately | source |
| Intakes | Varies by school (3 of 6 listed schools publish this). See each school’s row for dates checked in the last 45 days. | source |
| Funding | B.C. Access Grant (public institutions, full-time, low/middle income): up to $4,000 per 8-month year for programs under 2 years; up to $1,000 for 2+ year programs; assessed automatically with StudentAid BC application | source |
| Licence steps 1 | Varies by school (3 of 6 listed schools publish this). Examples: Camosun College: September; College of New Caledonia: Fall 2027; Vancouver Community College: September | source |
| Licence steps 2 | NDHCE (National Dental Hygiene Certification Examination) required for initial licence; local anaesthesia course (e.g. UBC course listed) | source |
| Licence steps 3 | BCCOHP | source |
| Program cost | Whole-program prices published by 3 schools range from $19,396 (Camosun College) to $49,050 (Vancouver College of Dental Hygiene). See the school rows for each school's published price. | source, checked Nov 1, 2026 |
| School and city | Program and approval | Length | Intakes | Cost | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camosun College Victoria · Public | Dental Hygiene CDAC accredited source | 2 years (Sept to early May), Lansdowne campus | Start: September | $19,396 domestic; $66,329 international (whole program, 2026-27) | Program page |
| College of New Caledonia Prince George · Public | Dental Hygiene CDAC accredited source | 2 years | Start: Fall 2027 | est. $24,719.03 tuition; $27,138.47 with fees | Program page |
| University of British Columbia Vancouver · Public | Dental Hygiene CDAC accredited source | 4 years (BDSc entry-to-practice) | Listed on official registry: CDAC accredited programs list | not published source | Program page |
| Vancouver College of Dental Hygiene New Westminster · Private (PTIB) | Dental Hygiene CDAC accredited source | 18 months | Not published | $49,050 tuition; $57,925 total | Program page |
| Vancouver Community College Vancouver · Public | Dental Hygiene CDAC accredited source | 2 years full-time | Start: September | $26,780 domestic (Year 1 $13,560; Year 2 $13,221) | Program page |
| Vancouver Island University Nanaimo · Public | Dental Hygiene CDAC accredited source | 2 years | Not published | $260.02 per credit domestic (39 credits Year 1, 37.5 Year 2) | Program page |
The NDHCE. We could not confirm its fee.
BCCOHP’s initial licence page lists a local anaesthesia course, for example UBC’s.
WorkBC lists a median of $55.00 an hour, or $88,598 a year.
BCCOHP, which also licenses dentists, dental assistants and denturists.
This page relies on the official pages below. Rules, fees and processes change, so check the authority before you apply or spend money.
Links checked November 1, 2026. Found an error or a broken link? Report it.