Dental Assisting Program Application

City College of San Francisco - Dental Assisting Program

Update 7/10/2026: The Dental Assisting Program will remain on Ocean campus for the Fall 2026 semester and we will keep you updated with news of our relocation to John Adams.

Applications for Fall 2026 is open for waitlist 
1 seat remaining (updated 6/30/2026)
We are accepting students into the waitlist

* Remaining seats listed above is based on number of applications received so far. Acceptance/waitlist letters will be sent within 2 weeks of submission. The next acceptance wave will be on the week of August 3rd.

** If you are currently on the waitlist and have met all program requirements, please begin preparing for admission by gathering all required documents if they were not submitted with your application. Required documents include: TB test results, Hepatitis B vaccination records, Basic Life Support (BLS) certification, Official transcripts. 
We strongly encourage waitlisted students who have completed all prerequisites to attend the first day of instruction for all classes and labs (see schedule for details).

Students on the waitlist who have all of the required prerequisites, health documentations, BLS certification and attend the first day of classes, Wednesday, August 17, are highly likely to be admitted to the program if space becomes available.

* Initial letters or sent within 2 weeks of your application. If you did not receive the email, please check your junk mailbox. If you do not find it, please email skwan@ccsf.edu to check the status of your application. 

If you have questions regarding the program, feel free to contact the program manager, Shirlene, at skwan@ccsf.edu

If you are not a CCSF credit student, please go to ccsf.edu/apply to become a student prior to submitting this application.

If you have not taken classes for more than 2 semesters, you must reapply to be a CCSF student in the Spring semester to get a registration date for the Fall semester.

List your previous schools starting with the most recent. (include High School, CCSF, and any other colleges)

Please request official transcripts from previously attended schools and have them sent to the City College of San Francisco Admissions and Records Department and unofficial copies to Dental Assisting Office.

Upload your unofficial transcripts if you have them available.

Prerequisites Information

Students currently or planning to complete prerequisites in Fall 2025, Spring 2026 or Summer 2026 may apply before completing the courses. You must receive a passing grade of C or higher in prerequisites. You will be able to register for Fall 2026 once you've received your grade in the CCSF system.

Students planning to complete prerequisites in Fall 2026 concurrently, may apply now and complete the prerequisite challenge form (reason option 2). Students who plan to complete prerequisites concurrently can be accepted into the 2 year program.

Students who have completed the prerequisite outside of CCSF (equivalent course or bachelor's degree) will also need to complete the prerequisite challenge form (reason option 1) and attach your transcripts for proof of completion and equivalency. You will be able to register once the department chair reviews and approves the challenge form. 

Each applicant is required to complete and provide proof the following prior to the Fall Semester. Please upload the following documents

• Negative TB (turbuculosis) test results within the last year (within 1 year of Fall semester start date). If you had a TB vaccine, please submit blood work for negative TB results. If you have TB, please submit xray and/or blood work showing TB is not active. 
• Complete the first two Hepatistis B vaccines OR proof of Hep B immunity
• BLS for Healthcare Provider Certificate (As of 2025, the Dental Board of California regulations require all students to have an active BLS certificate prior to working in lab. This will be due the first week of instruction). All students must mantain active BLS cards for the duration of the program and when you work as a dental assistant.
  Please note: it is specifically the BLS for Healthcare provider certificate, not the typical CPR certificates for regular citizens. 
  Per accreditation guidelines: The course must have an in-person skills check or live skills check via Zoom with an instructor, it cannot be online only. Must be American Heart Association (AHA) or American Red Cross (ARC) certified. 
• Vaccinations:   Flu, COVID-19, & Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)
  is required by most of our internship offices. We highly recommend students to get the annual flu vaccine and booster shots for COVID-19. Most children receive their MMR vaccinations prior to entering into the school systems, please check if you have immunity. If not, get a MMR booster shot. Although not required by CCSF, these vaccinations are widely required for the internship offices and clinics. Dentistry is one of the highest risk occupations for transmission of disease due to aerosols, we encourage all students to vaccinate when possible. 

If you do not have these files available at the time of application, please obtain them ASAP and upload them at a later time or email the program manager at skwan@ccsf.edu

TO ALL APPLICANTS:
Given the limitations of routine health history information, it is not possible for dental practitioners to know the infectious disease status of patients. Since there may be some individuals you come into contact with during the program who may have an infectious disease, Universal Precautions are taught and used. For additional information, please read the Dental Assisting Program's Policies and Procedures on Bloodborne & Infectious Disease Policy

Since the CCSF Dental Assisting Program is approved by both credentialing available to California Dental Assisting Program - the American Dental Association and the California Board of Dental Examiners, we encourage all our graduates to sit for and successfully complete both the Dental Assisting National Board Examination and the Registered Dental Assistants Examination. All applicants for the Registered Dental Assistants Examination must complete a finger print card provided by the Committee on Dental Auxiliaries. This card is submitted to the California Department of Justice and will be checked for the applicant’s previous felony violations. Upon evaluation of past record(s) the applicant maybe refused their Registered Dental Assisting License by the Committee on Dental Examiners even though the applicant successfully completed both their written and practical examinations.