How much debt do Baker College dental hygiene and assisting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,879, which ranks 5th lowest of 7 dental hygiene and assisting associate's programs in Michigan. That works out to about $274 a month over 10 years.

Is a dental hygiene and assisting degree from Baker College worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 59% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 36%. Compare the cost with other Michigan programs before deciding.

Baker College Dental Hygiene and Assisting (Associate's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Baker College dental hygiene and assisting graduates stay in Michigan?

Most do. 100% (43 of 43) were working in Michigan one year after graduating.

Associate's in Dental Support Services and Allied Professions
Private nonprofit college
Owosso, MI

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Baker College dental hygiene and assisting graduates earn less than graduates of most dental hygiene and assisting programs nationally, $43,971 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $25,879 in federal loans, more than at 79% of dental hygiene and assisting programs in the country. Several Michigan programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$43,97118th percentile of 180 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$45,2833% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,8795th lowest of 7 Michigan programs

Debt-to-earnings59%Michigan median 48%, national 36%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Michigan and national columns are the medians across all dental hygiene and assisting associate's programs that report the figure.

	Baker College	Michigan	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$43,971	$45,788	$54,567
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$45,283	$45,738	$56,201
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,879	$17,800	$18,589
Debt as share of first-year pay	59%	48%	36%
Programs compared		8	180

Five years out, Baker College graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Michigan median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Michigan dental hygiene and assisting program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Michigan medians.

Baker CollegeOther Michigan programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 3% between the first and fifth year.

Baker College grads, year 1$43,971

Baker College grads, year 5$45,283

All Michigan dental hygiene and assisting grads, year 5$45,738

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $274 a month, or 7.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (64 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	60–79%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

100% of graduates (43 of 43) were working in Michigan one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Michigan outside metro areas are about 11% below the national average, so a $43,971 salary here buys what about $49,421 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to dental hygiene and assisting, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Dental Assistants

$48,820

Median pay in Michigan. 11,990 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 53,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: postsecondary nondegree award.

Bottom 10%: $37,110Top 10%: $58,900

Dental Hygienists

$83,790

Median pay in Michigan. 8,640 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 15,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.

Bottom 10%: $77,230Top 10%: $96,970

Dental Laboratory Technicians

$49,570

Median pay in Michigan. 1,180 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,600 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $37,560Top 10%: $77,420

About Baker College

Tuition and fees	$13,000 / year
Average net price after aid	$13,157 / year
Admission rate	82%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	36%
Undergraduate students	3,026

Dental Hygiene and Assisting ranks 4th of 13 associate's programs at Baker College by first-year earnings. The top three are Vehicle Maintenance and Repair ($48,705), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($46,984), and Criminal Justice ($44,354).

Other dental hygiene and assisting associate's programs near Owosso

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Baker CollegeOwosso, MI · private nonprofit		$43,971	$25,879
Mott Community CollegeFlint, MI · public	25 mi	$40,544	$25,926
Lansing Community CollegeLansing, MI · public	26 mi	$49,832	$14,136
Delta CollegeUniversity Center, MI · public	41 mi	$36,828	$17,800

Common questions

The median graduate earns $43,971 one year after graduating and $45,283 five years after. The median across dental hygiene and assisting associate's programs in Michigan is $45,788.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Michigan comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the dental hygiene and assisting program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Dental Hygiene and Assisting associate's programs in Michigan, ranked8 programs by pay and debt Dental Hygiene and Assisting associate's programs in the US, ranked180 programs by pay and debt All Baker College programs, ranked32 programs by pay and debt