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

  • Associate's in Dental Support Services and Allied Professions
  • Public college
  • Blackwood, NJ
  • About 22 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Camden County College dental hygiene and assisting graduates earn about what dental hygiene and assisting graduates earn nationally, $47,009 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $15,922 in federal loans, close to the national median of $18,589. Several New Jersey programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$47,00926th percentile of 180 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$47,3531% more than year one
Median federal debt$15,9222nd lowest of 5 New Jersey programs
Debt-to-earnings34%New Jersey median 36%, national 36%

How it compares

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

Five years out, Camden County College graduates earn less than the national figure and about $10,017 less than the New Jersey median. Several New Jersey programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

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

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

Camden County CollegeOther New Jersey 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 1% between the first and fifth year.

Camden County College grads, year 1$47,009
Camden County College grads, year 5$47,353
All New Jersey dental hygiene and assisting grads, year 5$57,370

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 $169 a month, or 4.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

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 (27 of 27) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating. Prices in the Philadelphia area are about 3% above the national average, so a $47,009 salary here buys what about $45,838 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

$49,390

Median pay in New Jersey. 9,990 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $38,660Top 10%: $64,200

Dental Hygienists

$107,040

Median pay in New Jersey. 7,230 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $94,260Top 10%: $117,730

Dental Laboratory Technicians

$47,270

Median pay in New Jersey. 780 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $37,340Top 10%: $99,240

About Camden County College

Dental Hygiene and Assisting ranks 2nd of 8 associate's programs at Camden County College by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($76,681), Dental Hygiene and Assisting ($47,009), and Veterinary Technology ($37,346).

Other dental hygiene and assisting associate's programs near Blackwood

Common questions

The median graduate earns $47,009 one year after graduating and $47,353 five years after. The median across dental hygiene and assisting associate's programs in New Jersey is $59,451.

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 New Jersey 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

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

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