UEI College-Huntington Park Dental Hygiene and Assisting (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

  • Certificate in Dental Support Services and Allied Professions
  • Private for-profit college
  • Huntington Park, CA
  • About 121 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UEI College-Huntington Park dental hygiene and assisting graduates earn less than graduates of most dental hygiene and assisting programs nationally, $19,904 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $9,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $9,500. Several California programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$19,9048th percentile of 198 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$25,87230% more than year one
Median federal debt$9,50013th lowest of 23 California programs
Debt-to-earnings48%California median 40%, national 38%

How it compares

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

Five years out, UEI College-Huntington Park graduates earn less than the national figure and about $3,781 less than the California median.

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

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

UEI College-Huntington ParkOther California 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 30% between the first and fifth year.

UEI College-Huntington Park grads, year 1$19,904
UEI College-Huntington Park grads, year 5$25,872
All California dental hygiene and assisting grads, year 5$29,653

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

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $9,380 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$19,671Median debt $9,500
Other graduates, year 1 earnings$29,051Median debt $5,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $101 a month, or 6.1% 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. Separately, 183 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $8,077.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

93% of graduates (1,027 of 1,105) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Los Angeles area are about 14% above the national average, so a $19,904 salary here buys what about $17,526 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

$50,110

Median pay in California. 56,220 people work in this job in California. 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%: $38,790Top 10%: $73,700

Dental Hygienists

$124,930

Median pay in California. 24,500 people work in this job in California. 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%: $102,090Top 10%: $151,920

Dental Laboratory Technicians

$47,410

Median pay in California. 4,480 people work in this job in California. 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%: $36,660Top 10%: $74,200

About UEI College-Huntington Park

Dental Hygiene and Assisting ranks 8th of 8 certificate programs at UEI College-Huntington Park by first-year earnings. The top three are HVAC ($33,444), Vehicle Maintenance and Repair ($30,636), and Criminal Justice ($29,663).

Other dental hygiene and assisting certificate programs near Huntington Park

Common questions

The median graduate earns $19,904 one year after graduating and $25,872 five years after. The median across dental hygiene and assisting certificate programs in California is $24,783.

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 California 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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