2026 Best Value Dental Hygiene/Hygienist Schools in Kentucky
[Dental Hygiene/Hygienist](/majors/health-care-professions/dental-support-services/dental-hygiene-hygienist/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 6 schools to find the best return on investment for dental hygiene/hygienist students.
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2026 Best Value Dental Hygiene/Hygienist Schools in Kentucky
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in dental hygiene/hygienist, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Dental Hygiene/Hygienist Schools
Big Sandy Community And Technical College earned the #1 spot for value among dental hygiene/hygienist schools in Kentucky. Big Sandy Community And Technical College is a mid-sized public school located in the town of Prestonsburg. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $4,728, with out-of-state students paying around $6,432. Typical student debt for dental hygiene/hygienist graduates is $11,588. Soon after graduation, dental hygiene/hygienist degree recipients from Big Sandy Community And Technical College generally make around $45,951. That is a strong return on a $11,588 median debt.
Bluegrass Community And Technical College came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value dental hygiene/hygienist schools. Located in the city of Lexington, Bluegrass Community And Technical College is a large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $4,808, with out-of-state students paying around $6,512. Typical student debt for dental hygiene/hygienist graduates is $13,378. Soon after graduation, dental hygiene/hygienist degree recipients from Bluegrass Community And Technical College generally make around $50,045. That is a strong return on a $13,378 median debt.
A rank of #3 makes Western Kentucky University one of the best values for dental hygiene/hygienist. Western Kentucky University is a large public school located in the city of Bowling Green. Students from in state pay about $11,652 in tuition and fees, compared with $27,000 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for dental hygiene/hygienist graduates is $23,199. Early-career dental hygiene/hygienist graduates make about $47,974. Set against $23,199 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Western Kentucky University admits about 94% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in dental hygiene/hygienist will find it at University Of Louisville, which ranked #4. Set in the city of Louisville, University Of Louisville is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $13,136, while out-of-state students pay about $29,482. Dental Hygiene/hygienist graduates carry a median of $26,380 in student loans. Soon after graduation, dental hygiene/hygienist degree recipients from University Of Louisville generally make around $57,464. That is a strong return on a $26,380 median debt. University Of Louisville admits about 79% of applicants.
Medquest College came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best value dental hygiene/hygienist schools. Located in the suburb of Louisville, Medquest College is a small private for-profit university. Dental Hygiene/hygienist graduates carry a median of $9,476 in student loans. Soon after graduation, dental hygiene/hygienist degree recipients from Medquest College generally make around $24,798.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 6 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 4 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
