Application Instructions

The ADEA DHCAS^® (ADEA Dental Hygiene Centralized Application Service) is the centralized application service for applicants to dental hygiene programs. Whether you wish to become a dental hygienist, or are a licensed hygienist and would like to continue your education, ADEA DHCAS is the place to research programs and apply. Save time and energy by completing one application for multiple programs. ADEA DHCAS is open from August through June each year. Applicants may only open one application per cycle.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to read, understand and follow all ADEA DHCAS and program-specific instructions.

General Instructions Printout

Create an Account

In order to begin the ADEA DHCAS application, applicants will need a DENTPIN^® and email address. Applicants must create a username and password and must identify the program type to which they are applying (e.g. entry level, graduate).

Applicant Information

This section includes biographic information, personal data and background information. These sections are required parts of the application:

• Biographic information: Collected information includes address and contact information.
• Personal data: Collected information includes citizenship status, ethnicity and race, gender, and other identifying information (answers about ethnicity and race are optional).
• Background information: Collected information includes disclosure of legal and disciplinary actions.

Education Information

Tests

Many dental hygiene programs require applicants to take an entrance or admissions exam. Test requirements vary by each program and information about test requirements can be found on the  ADEA DHCAS Search Engine.

All test information collected by ADEA DHCAS is self-reported. Official test scores should be sent directly to the program at the address provided in the Search Engine. Please provide information about all tests taken or planned, including:

• Accuplacer
• ACT
• GRE
• Hesi
• Hobet
• MAT
• SAT
• TEAS
• TOEFL

Collected information includes date the test was taken, an overall score, and sub-section scores.

If a program requires a test not listed here, applicants should report that information and send official test scores directly to the program.

Professional and Volunteer Experiences

In addition to academic background, many programs review applicants’ extracurricular activities. This section allows applicants to report their experiences within the online application in lieu of a physical resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV).  It is suggested applicants update their resume/CV before filling out an application. 

Collected information includes activities and accomplishments. The categories of information applicants can provide are:

• Heath Related Training (Entry Level Only)
• Health (Non-Dental) Related Experience
• Dental Related Experience
• Dental Shadowing Experience (Entry Level Only)
• Certifications/Registration
• Licensure
• Community Service/Volunteer Experience
• Honors & Awards
• Other Employment

For each section, please include supervisor or employer name, dates and hours worked/volunteered, and additional information pertinent to the experience.

Personal Statement

Personal statements can be used to identify motivation for pursuing a degree as well as writing ability. While this section is required for ADEA DHCAS, not all programs will use the personal statement in their decision-making process.

The statement should answer the prompt below and not exceed 4,000 characters inclusive of spaces, carriages, numbers, letters, etc. If copying a personal statement into the application, please use Notepad or a plain text editor (not Microsoft Word) to ensure no special characters create an error in the application. Applicants should not make the essay program-specific, as the essay will be provided to all programs through ADEA DHCAS.

Personal Statement Prompts:

Entry Level Applicants: Describe a dental hygienist. Why do you want to enter the dental hygiene profession?

Degree Completion/Graduate Applicants: Why do you want to continue your education to the baccalaureate or master's level? What are your career plans upon completion of this advanced degree?

References

ADEA DHCAS requires every applicant to submit two letters of reference and will accept an optional third letter.

Reference information, including a valid email address, is collected in the online application. ADEA DHCAS will send an automatic request by email to the reference on behalf of the applicant which will read "ADEA DHCAS Reference Request". Applicants should inform references to look for this email, including in the spam or junk mail folder. The email will outline the process the reference must take to submit the letter. References can upload a document with a size limit of 2MB. Plain text, Word 97-2010, and PDF documents are accepted. All letters must be submitted electronically.

ADEA DHCAS does not specify who should write letters on behalf of an applicant. Applicants should check with the programs to which they are applying in the event the program would like to see letters from specific individuals (e.g. supervisors during an observation experience).

Submitting and Application Status

ADEA DHCAS will not notify applicants if documents are missing or if the application is incomplete. It is the applicant’s responsibility to monitor the status of the application and follow up with ADEA DHCAS concerning any missing documents.

Applicants applying to the  Fee Assistance Program should refrain from submitting the ADEA DHCAS application while the FAP application is under review.

Applicants can check the status of the application online or on the mobile site. On the account homepage, the column to the right is the Status Menu. This menu is “read-only” and no section can be edited. Here, an applicant can view the application statuses, which are updated in real time.

On the status menu applicants can also view which transcripts, references, and payments have been received by ADEA DHCAS and which are still missing.

Once an application has been verified, applicants can view GPA calculations in this menu. Prior to verification, it will remain blank under “Program Designations.”

To the left of the application is the “MY MESSAGES” application inbox. ADEA DHCAS will notify the applicant if there is a problem with the coursework section of the application or if ADEA DHCAS has received incomplete or invalid transcripts. Automated e-mails are also sent when applications are e-submitted and when transcripts and GPAs are processed.

ADEA DHCAS sends notifications both via e-mail and to the “Messages” section of the online application. Because some e-mail notifications may be filtered as junk, applicants are responsible for monitoring the ADEA DHCAS “My Messages” inbox. ADEA DHCAS is not responsible for notifications applicants do not receive in their e-mail inbox.