Dental Assisting Program Admissions

They might. Have official transcripts for courses taken at all colleges or universities sent to Anoka-Ramsey for official evaluation of course equivalency, include transcripts for International Baccalaureate (IB) or Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Admission credit cannot be awarded without official transcripts. All courses used for the DNTA program must have a C grader or higher (C- and P/S grades are not accepted).

Connect with an advisor or use transferology.com to verify course equivalencies. 

The Dental Assisting program does not accept courses taken from non-degree-granting sources such as StraighterLine, Study.com, Sophia, etc.

Prior to applying to the Dental Assisting program, you are encouraged to work with an academic advisor to prepare for application to the competitive program. Academic advisors help ensure that students register for the correct general education courses.

Connect with your advisor

There are four basic sections to the Holistic Admissions Application:

1. Student Data
   • Demographic information: Legal name, Star ID, ARCC Tech ID, email address, phone number, birthdate, ethnicity, gender  
   • Veteran or military status (y/n)
   • Previous enrollment in another DNTA program (y/n) (for advising purposes)
   • Veterans’ status
2. Metrics
   • List of colleges or universities enrolled or attended that are not part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System.
   • Provide month and year HSRT was taken at ARCC and the score
   • Provide course status (completed or in progress, enrolled, or plan to enroll) for the recommended general education courses for the DNTA program. Include name of college and year for courses completed with a C or higher grade (C- and P/S grades are not accepted).
3. Experiences
   • Education: If applicable, list any previous college degrees earned. This does not include diplomas or certifications.  
   • Work Experience (Paid): Any job in or out of the United States
   • Community Service (Unpaid): Any service involvement in or out of the United States may be included. Consider new volunteer opportunities such as nursing homes, church, food shelf, Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), or any non-profit volunteer experience if you feel you have nothing to list.
   • Credit is awarded based on the combined length of experience in each section. Example: three CNA jobs worked one year each is credited as three years of work experience. You may list up to five in each section: Name of Organization, Primary Duties, Month/Year Start and End Date for work or frequency for volunteer and Organization phone number.
4. Attributes (Two essays and Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling)
   • Each essay should be no more than 250 words.
   • Do not include your name in essays. Essays with student names will receive no credit.
   • Grammar, punctuation, and spelling are part of the essay evaluations. Consider using Grammarly, the same platform holistic reviewers use to evaluate grammar, punctuation, and spelling in essays.
   • Remember DO NOT USE AI to write, generate, rewrite, or paraphrase content for application essays. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to generate, rewrite, or paraphrase content for application essays is strictly prohibited. Submissions identified as AI generated or AI assisted will be considered a violation of academic integrity and may result in the requirement to come to campus and rewrite your essays in a proctored environment and resubmit for review. These standards align with the professional and ethical responsibilities required of Dental Assisting students and practitioners.

There are two essay questions on the application.

1. Teamwork, Collaboration and Accountability: Up to 250 words (do not include your name in your essay)
   • Describe a SPECIFIC project or example in your life that demonstrates your experience with Teamwork, Collaboration and Accountability. What was your specific role, what was the communication and decision-making process, and what was the outcome of this experience? This is not a leadership question.
   • This can be any experience; it does not have to be healthcare related. Think of groups or teams you have been on academically, team projects, military etc.
2. Challenges and/or Obstacles
   • Describe your personal experiences that demonstrate your commitment to your continued education, and your ability to access and utilize academic or personal support services.
   • What obstacles or challenges have you faced in your academic journey (i.e., parenting as a student, financial barriers, cultural issues, academic struggles, career change, transportation, housing, disability? What hurdles have you/are you conquering for your education? What personal & academic supports (family, counselors, advisors, tutors, etc.) have you accessed, and explain how you have personally utilized them.

Notification emails of acceptance, waitlist or denial are sent to the email verified on your application. Check your Spam/Junk folder if you do not receive a decision notification on the scheduled date.

Program orientation and bootcamp attendance are required as noted in the acceptance letters. Registration for DNTA courses will open after orientation. Additional requirements covered at orientation:

1. You MUST verify your acceptance via the link in your acceptance email
2. Complete all assigned onboarding tasks by respective due dates.
3. Complete Minnesota Department of Human Services background study processed through Anoka-Ramsey
4. Provide health and immunization records and healthcare form signed by a healthcare provider

A confirmation email is sent to the email address you provided on your DNTA application. Check Spam/Junk folders if you do not receive an email confirmation the same day you apply.

If you are not accepted in the current admission cycle you may be placed on a waitlist or have a denied applications

1. Not Accepted, but placed on Waitlist for this admission cycle: 
   This means you met admission criteria, but your scoring was not as high as other eligible students. The waitlist is comprised of 5-10 students with the next highest admission credit.
   • Students are informed in admission notification letters if they qualify for the waitlist.
   • Students who agree to be waitlisted are advised about early onboarding tasks they should start to prepare should seats be offered later.
   • Waitlisted students are contacted if a seat opens.
   • The waitlist is for the current application cycle only; waitlisted students must apply for the next admission application cycle to be considered for the next admission cycle.
2. If Denied, the notification email will indicate the reason:
   • Student met admission criteria, but scoring was not high enough for acceptance or waitlist, or
   • Student missing minimum criteria to apply (HSRT score, CMST grade, Proof of CPR, or incomplete general college admission).

Expect to supply immunization documentation for Seasonal Influenza, Mumps, Measles/Rubeola (MMR), Varicella, Hepatitis B, Tuberculosis (TB) and TDAP (Adult Tetanus). To date clinical sites no longer require the COVID-19 vaccination or boosters. Students will be contacted if clinical sites reinstate the COVID vaccination or booster requirement.