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

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 19% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 36%.

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

Q: How much debt do Middlesex College dental hygiene and assisting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $11,250, which ranks the lowest of 5 dental hygiene and assisting associate's programs in New Jersey. That works out to about $119 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Middlesex College dental hygiene and assisting graduates stay in New Jersey?

Most do. 94% (30 of 32) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating.

Associate's in Dental Support Services and Allied Professions
Public college
Edison, NJ
About 24 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Middlesex College dental hygiene and assisting graduates earn about what dental hygiene and assisting graduates earn nationally, $59,451 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $11,250 in federal loans, less than at 88% of dental hygiene and assisting programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying dental hygiene and assisting degrees in New Jersey.

First-year earnings$59,45172nd percentile of 180 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$69,79817% more than year one

Median federal debt$11,250The lowest of 5 New Jersey programs

Debt-to-earnings19%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.

	Middlesex College	New Jersey	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$59,451	$59,451	$54,567
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$69,798	$57,370	$56,201
Median federal debt at graduation	$11,250	$22,382	$18,589
Debt as share of first-year pay	19%	36%	36%
Programs compared		5	180

Five years out, Middlesex College graduates earn more than the national figure and about $12,428 more than the New Jersey median.

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.

Middlesex 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 17% between the first and fifth year.

Middlesex College grads, year 1$59,451

Middlesex College grads, year 5$69,798

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 $119 a month, or 2.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

94% of graduates (30 of 32) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating. Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $59,451 salary here buys what about $52,816 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 Middlesex College

In-district tuition and fees	$4,764 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$7,356 / year
Average net price after aid	$2,288 / year
Graduation rate (within 1.5 times the normal program length)	33%
Undergraduate students	8,469

Dental Hygiene and Assisting ranks 3rd of 10 associate's programs at Middlesex College by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($69,896), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($64,174), and Dental Hygiene and Assisting ($59,451).

Other dental hygiene and assisting associate's programs near Edison

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Middlesex CollegeEdison, NJ · public		$59,451	$11,250
Eastern International College-Jersey CityJersey City, NJ · private for-profit	23 mi	$56,287	$30,750
City TechBrooklyn, NY · public	24 mi	$55,457	$15,527
NYUNew York, NY · private nonprofit	25 mi	$57,035	$21,241
Fortis Institute-WayneWayne, NJ · private for-profit	27 mi	$70,276	$32,500
Plaza CollegeForest Hills, NY · private for-profit	32 mi	$57,819	$25,250
Hostos Community CollegeBronx, NY · public	32 mi	$62,426	$14,400
Bergen Community CollegeParamus, NJ · public	34 mi	$62,663	$22,382
Manor CollegeJenkintown, PA · private nonprofit	48 mi	$42,819	$23,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $59,451 one year after graduating and $69,798 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

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 New Jersey, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Dental Hygiene and Assisting associate's programs in the US, ranked180 programs by pay and debt All Middlesex College programs, ranked10 programs by pay and debt