I was a past student in 2015-2016 in the Dental Assisting Program. I loved Carrington from the environment to the staff. My Instructor was amazing and very understanding of things. She took extra time to help if needed but the only thing I wasn't to happy about was I was almost dropped for my attendance in my last term considering I was pregnant and in labor that whole week I was out. I literally was discharged on a Friday evening with my new born and went back to school that following Monday because I was told if I didn't attend I was going to be dropped. I was a first time mother for only being 20 years old and having to figure things out so quickly so I could finish, I felt Carrington did not care if I was giving birth and in the hospital, they wanted me there. But besides all that, the skills i've learned from the school and everything I needed to know for my career was very useful. I actually started working right after my externship with a job that had great pay with great benefits. The college advisors were soo helpful and kept in touch until I found a job. I felt attending Carrington for the dental assisting program was probably the best decision I made. I'm a single parent and can now provide for my family and have been for 3+ years. It was such a great experience my instructor Mrs.Zitek had actually recommended to gain experience in dental and then come back for Hygiene. I have actually decided to go back to Carrington for the Dental Hygiene Program and look forward to succeeding in a higher degree! I recommend this school to my friends and family and actually had 4 of my friends graduate from here as well. Thanks Carrington! read more

Had an appointment on January 4, 2018 that I could not keep. I called the school during their holiday break to cancel. Was confused by their message. Said do not leave a message for new appointments. At 63, a TBI survivor from a near fatal car accident in 94, I thought it meant don't leave any messages so I did not. I called right away on Jan. 2nd to cancel. The school has banned me for life since I didn't give 3 days notice. I wrote a letter to the director (not even sure he read it). A woman calls back. Cold as ice. Refuses to back down. I say I've been there before, always kept my appointments on time. OK, the service is free, but I think they are being unreasonable. We are all human. So are they. So is the clinic manager. I made an honest mistake. read more

I had an appointment for a free dental cleaning. If you cannot make the appointment, you are supposed to call 3 days in advance to cancel. Due to a conflict, I could not make the appointment. I called the school to cancel the week before, but they were closed for the Christmas holiday. I was confused by the voice mail that said don't leave a message for new appointments. I didn't realize you could leave a message to cancel. I'm 63 years old. I called the day before (soon as they re-opened) and now I am banned for life from Carrington for not giving 3 days. I wrote a letter to the regional manager to see if they would re-consider. They will not. Not too pleased by their unyielding and unwillingness to realize that people are human. read more

The purpose of this is to give u the TRUE PICTURE.I have graduated from CC (Mesa AZ) Dental Assisting program with honors, and must say it is a good program, with a few things that needs to be fixed. CC does have good and bad things, like being very expensive tuition-wise......As far as the actual DA Program, I do think that lab time should be more than half of the entire class time, because in the real world what we really need is hands on training that the lab teaches...and a lot less lecture time. Lecture is informative, ONLY if you are lucky to get a good instructor, since some of our occasional subs were just reading off the PowerPoint. Mine instructor was amazing, she had 20+ experience in the field and gave a lot of real life examples, that I can definitely use at work. She teaches the Evening class. I've learned a lot about dentistry, true fact, only thanks to actually caring about what I was studying; there are some students who claim the school isn't that good, when the truth is, they just not interested in what they are studying, or don't care much, or lazy, whatever the reason... and then they just blame it on the school, that explains why they say what they say. I have learned a lot, graduated w/ 4.0 gpa, felt like I had enough knowledge to go out in the real world and start my career. The program goes over everything you need to know to become good dental assistant, just make sure you spend extra time in the lab, and you will do great. Lab facility is good, has everything you will see at a dental office. If you slack in the lab, you will regret it. Please USE lab time wisely. I recall one negative experience as far as practicing procedures in the lab; they were out of some supplies, like Alginate for impressions. It is not the students fault that they didn't restock, after all the program cost was 15 000, and it is their responsibility to get all the supplies in time, and not make the students feel like they are being ripped off! We ended up not having enough material to practice impressions. So, this was just an example of what can happen there. Also, if your class becomes a little too big, like 16+ students, it becomes little difficult to practice lab since every one needs a turn, in this case it is beneficial to come in outside of class and practice more on your own. It is nice that now the DA program includes the fee for Arizona X-ray Certification test with DANB, a lot of people don't get it done and over with because they know they have to find money to go take the test, but here, since it is already included it is much easier. Dental Radiology & Dental Specailties are the hardest sections of the program by the way. So please try and give those 2 sections a little extra study time. I passed x-ray certification on the first try, thanks to the instructor's help and a little studying. It is your responsibility to read the textbook, and take it seriously. Often students do not pass on the first time, then it is harder to find money to retake the test. Another thing, I must say I was not happy with their Career Services, and I was not the only one. Students complain A LOT how career services do not do what they are suppose to do, assist in job search. I have gotten e-mails from career services with lists of job postings.......um...I can do that in 2 min myself by getting on Career Builder....or Monster......So NO, they are not that great at assisting you to find a job. I ended up getting a job on my own, as ortho dental assistant....with out any Career Services help. Also students with MILITARY benefits - watch it! When I was working things out with Financial Aid person they certified me wrong for the VA Benefits, nearly 2 months later I have noticed that I wasn't getting all the $ from the VA I was suppose to receive, and went to Financial Aid services again, after reviewing it, they had to contact VA and figure out what they did wrong, turns out they screwed up my credits and certified me for part-time instead of full time, because apparently for students with Military Benefits it was suppose to be done a little different. I made them fix it, and was upset with how they weren't familiar with their responsibilities, unprofessional. So military beneficiaries - keep your eyes open ;) With that being said, I must give it a 3-star due to: 1. Tuition cost too high 2. Bad Career Services and issues with Financial Aid Services. 3. Occasional issues with practices in lab. The rest of it, was very good, with minor exceptions that I have described above. Bottom line, I DO NOT regret going to this school, it gave me the knowledge I needed and using today. P.S. theGraduation was worth going to, even though I think they shouldn't collect the $ for participation with such high tuition...and even then they screwed up a little...I was suppose to receive 2 cord for my achievements received only 1 in my graduation packet,noticed too late to fix, no big deal but still read more

Carrington College was a great place to get dental care. But due to my car breaking down just as I was headed to my appointment I had to call and cancel at the last minute with no way to get there. The Dental clinic manager was very uncooperative with this situation. Telling me I could no longer come there for dental care because I could not make the appointment after I explained to her my car had broke down and caught fire. The dental manager needs to understand things happen a patient has no control over. They gave the student a F for my failure to show. That is really unreasonable on their part even as they are a college. Things happen in life..... read more

Carrington College was able to give me really good dental care including a free x-ray and a free cleaning the one time I was there I highly recommend them despite some of the negative reviews on Yelp! read more

I am a student who just graduated with an associate's degree in Dental Hygiene. I am happy with the education and experience and would definitely recommend the program. The Pros: -The clinical faculty and staff are EXCELLENT! And good at what they do - they genuinely care about the success of their students. -The teachers for the general education classes are EXCELLENT! -The clinic is free to patients. ACTUALLY FREE This is important because in most programs the patients have to pay and you are responsible for finding your own patients. If the patient's can't pay a fee and you still need a patient YOU end up paying that fee. Not at Carrington. You will never pay a fee for your patients to receive treatment. -They schedule your patients for you! You are ultimately responsible to have a patient and your grade can be penalized if you don't have one, but in my two years in the program I had to find my own patient twice. That's it. Mrs. Lakefield is amazing. -The total for your program is all inclusive. It will likely even be less than they quote you if you are smart about it and plan ahead and/or don't need gen-ed classes. (see the "books" part under cons) -They are actually the same price as other programs despite seeming like more when you get the initial number. Remember: everything is included so you don't rack up all the extras like you will in other programs. You don't pay your patients to get treatment if they can't afford it - your supplies are provided by the school (gowns, anesthesia, gloves, etc.) -They push you to success and prepare you VERY WELL. 100% of our class passed our clinical boards and I think 100% passed the written National boards. -The clinic and campus is on one building. It's awesome. No driving around to sixteen buildings to get where you're going. -There are excellent resources to help you if you are having trouble. The older classes will guide you and they will help you set up tutoring (free) if you need it. -The prerequisite classes you need are available as part of the program -You go through the whole program with the same people (about 30) so your class becomes a little family. It's nice. -And seriously, The staff: AMAZING. I have learned so much from them. It's so apparent that they love what they do. -They follow up to get you working! Once you graduate they help you get a job. I think everyone in out class is working already. (Most before I'm writing this, which is 1-2 months after graduation) The Cons: -They put serious pressure on you to buy the most current edition of a book and/or to buy books you don't need. When I say serious pressure I mean they all but say you are not allowed to buy books elsewhere. At orientation they have a stack of books and they make you sign for them, about 1/3 of them you never use. I know of three students in my class and two in other classes that had to pester people for WEEKS in order to get a book list before orientation, they make it really hard to get it. They bought books off the list, then at orientation they were told those editions were no longer approved because they changed the editions since giving them the list. For the most recent class the book gal wouldn't even let students take a picture of the book list - a document they had to SIGN! (though she's no longer with the school) Most students don't want to rock the boat, especially at the start of a program, so they just let themselves be bullied by this policy. AND it's not even an actual policy. There is nothing ANYWHERE in any of the handbooks or policies that says you have to buy the books from the school or have specific editions. In fact it's illegal for a program to make students buy books only from them. They also up-charge for books. Most of the current editions are on amazon brand new for about 80% of the school price, way less if you bought them used! I did not want to buy most of my books through the school and they made it such a big deal that in order to avoid a problem I finally just borrowed a friend's "approved" books to show them I had them so they would leave me alone about it. I saved over $3,000. I used previous editions (1-3 editions behind the newest editions) for ALL but my first semester classes; I graduated with a 3.75 GPA. The books thing really really bothered me. It still does. This was my only real issue with the program - and it's not even about the actual program! Do your research and be ready to feel uncomfortable if you want to get your books elsewhere. This is the ONLY reason for 4 out of 5 stars. -It's not a traditional college so there is some bureaucratic runaround in the administrative side of the school. You need to be organized and ready to haunt someone to get things done. Once you know who you need they are pretty good at getting back to you, though you do sometimes have to be persistent as they are a bit understaffed in my opinion. The takeaway: It's a great school and is definitely worth the investment. read more

Free dental? Yessirrr. I paid over $500 the last time I saw a dentist elsewhere, and I take very good care of my teeth... so I had to check this place out. I see people writing negative comments, and well, here's the deal. If you haven't been brushing and flossing then you were probably going to spend 3 hours at the regular dentist Anyway, so to think a student inside a hands on lesson where their instructor checks their work is going to be able to do it in less than that for Free.... is not very practical. I didn't really know what to expect going in, because I've just always gone to the ol' dentist on an insurance plan, but I don't have insurance at the moment so I thought I'd give it a shot. Scheduling was super easy, I got an appointment within a week. You really want to stick to your appointment, or give them 3 full business days notice if you need to cancel, or I'm pretty sure you get turned down for appointments in the future. Apparently the student gets a 0 if you don't show up... which I don't believe... that would be harsh.... but still it's a big hassle for them so show some respect for freeeeee dental yeahhhh! Appointment started on time, very clean facilities with what appears to be the latest equipment. Which was surprising because the college is in perhaps the roughest part of town. I was very glad to see the students consisted of 99% female. If someone is going to be hovering over me like that I would rather it be a feminine energy, just personal preference. She was perfect. Cared about her performance, thorough, gentle, just a really cool person. There were 2 instructors checking her work and floating around to the different stations where others are being worked on. They were very competent and thorough in checking her work. I brush at least twice a day, and usually floss once a day so even though I hadn't been to the dentist in a couple years my mouth was in really good shape. You really should only need someone to go in there with a spike every couple years or so to get those almost impossible to reach places. So my appointment only lasted like 2-3 hours, if that. They did x-rays, checked a bunch of other stuff, and said that I could get copies of my x-rays at any time. From what I understand, future visits take even less time. You can opt out of the fluoride treatment, too... which you should because it's a neurotoxin :0 read more

They do not help and lie to you and take your money not worth it I do not suggest this school at all

I called to find out when the next start date(s) are and they will not tell me. The only way I can find out is if I attend a 1 hour meeting. Really? I can find the "start date" at NAU, U of A, and Gateway...I think something is very wrong with that. Moving on to a real college. read more

I love this Carrington College!! I have been there 5 or 6 times now. Each experience has been wonderful. This is a teaching college so all appointments are made for 3-4 hours however very few take that long. My last visit was 1.5 hours and included X-rays, a compete examination, and a thorough cleaning with a fluoride treatment. The excellent staff included my favorite hygienist (Kelley), her kind instructor Ms. Moraca and a wonderful, good-natured dentist, Dr. Hoyner. ALL services are FREE and patients are allowed one visit every 3-6 months. Thank you Carrington College for making this such a wonderful and valuable service! read more

The comment about students wasting money at this college is slightly biased. First of all yes you are paying more for the same degree that a community college can get you. HOWEVER when you go to community college you dont realize that getting this degree may take DOUBLE the time to get it . So in the long run getting paid a measily 11k-20k being a highschool graduate/some college student in community college for four years to get your dental hygien degree vs getting paid that out of highschool income in two and then jumping up to almost 68k to 93k after that two years you make up that money you spent on a expensive college and you save the time. People can make money but they cannot take back time. read more

I have gone there 4 times, it's very thorough and the cleanest my teeth have ever been. Once you do the first 2 appointments, which I am pretty sure they told me it would take two visits, the follow-up appointments are much faster (under 2 hours), The only downside is, it may be difficult to get an appointment. I wasn't able to get in for a 6 month cleaning, so then I went to the dental school for my cleaning (I think it was only $35) so definitely not bad. But not as good as free. ;) read more

Love the school! It's my second term, and it's been awesome. My advisor, my financial advisor, and my teachers. The Lab comps, lectures, and homework is very helpful. Learning so much. The best decision I ever made was coming here! read more

To the last post "susan",,,,, Hello it is a school, they are learning. If you go to any college, it most likely will take that long and yes it could also take a couple appointments, How else do you expect them to learn and learn right at that. So be thankful that this is the only college in the phoenix area where you can go and get your cleanings for FREE and also contribute to a student being able to learn. Any cleaning you would get at a dental office you get here only at carrington college for free. So a Deep cleaning that cost well around $1000 dollars, and the other colleges like MCC and phoenix college, it will also take just as long but you have to pay, not the full price but at least half. So people if you have patients and are willing to invest some time in a cleaning thats gonna save u money, and be just as good as a cleaning in a dental office, then take advantage and let these students learn. read more

I think this place is just "ok". Everyone seems very nice but I feel as though they only care in the beginning. I had went in for an orientation for the dental hygiene program. I was sold... At the time. This is by far the most expensive dental hygiene program you can get into. It runs about $60,000, while others run about $40,000 or less depending on where you look. The facility for hygiene looks wonderful and is very huge. The only thing that made me not go here is the getting through the process of getting admitted part. The advisor for hygiene did not really help much. Hard to get a hold of and honestly seemed like he can care less if you get in or not. Reason I say this is because I have contacted him numerous times on admission and stated that the woman to get a hold of to take the exam did not and does not respond back. I think this whole experience was just a sign not to attend this school. By all means, I feel that they have done a lot for most people but I feel that they can brush up a bit on admitting students and making the application more better than this. read more

HORRIBLE!!! The receptionist is so RUDE in the Mesa location, she likes to purposely schedule patients on a different date then the one she provides to you on the phone so that she can either kick the patients out of the program or fail students. (Students get a failing score if you don't show up to the appointment) I was trying to go for my second appointment but I got kicked out of the program. The receptionist gave me a different appointment (different date and time.) I was trying to explain to her what went wrong and completely ignore me and said "You can't participate in our program anymore" and she disconnected the call. She is rude on every call. I feel sorry for the people that works around her. I SHOULD HAVE NEVER LEFT RIO SALADO. I only went to Carrington College b/c it's fee but...YOU GET WHAT U PAY FOR! Rio Salado charges $25 for the cleaning but they treat you soooo much better!...GOOD LUCK IF U GO HERE! read more