Sonographer and rad tech license by state: the rules in all 50 states and DC

ARRT certifies and registers radiologic technologists in radiography and in other disciplines, sonography among them. Its application fees, read on its Application Fees page: $225 for a primary discipline, $225 for a postprimary one, $450 for a postprimary discipline earned through an ARDMS or NMTCB credential. Certification is renewed every year, by the last day of the birth month, with continuing education every two years (biennium) and Continuing Qualifications Requirements every 10 years for R.T.s certified since January 1, 2011 (ARRT ongoing requirements). ARRT also administers state licensing exams for many states, and developed three exams specifically for them: limited scope radiography, bone densitometry equipment operator and fluoroscopy (ARRT state licensing).

ARDMS, run by Inteleos, credentials sonographers: RDMS (abdomen, obstetrics and gynecology and other specialties), RDCS (echocardiography) and RVT (vascular technology). Each needs the SPI exam ($275) and a specialty exam ($300), passed within 5 years of each other. Renewal is every year, fees due by December 31 (renewal opens in September) (Inteleos renewal page).

The IPEDS completions file counts, for every college that takes federal student aid, the awards of each program. For July 2023 to June 2024, 482 radiography programs reported 11,531 awards and 311 sonography programs 7,049 (IPEDS C2024_A). The states that trained the most imaging graduates were California (2,842), Texas (2,537), Florida (2,033), New York (952), Illinois (629). District of Columbia, Hawaii reported none. Median in-state tuition and fees at public schools were $4,868 a year in radiography and $4,916 in sonography (IPEDS IC2023_AY).

14 agency sites refused our reader or did not answer; their states rely on the ASRT table alone, and each of those pages says so. The site does not show license fees that a state page did not print, the annual renewal amounts of ARRT and ARDMS (not on a page we could read), salaries, or anything medical. Hospital programs outside federal student aid are missing from the school counts. Read more on the method page.