How to become a radiology tech: program, ARRT exam and state license

To become a radiology tech, plan for a program, the $225 ARRT exam and, in 39 of the 50 states and DC, a state credential. Estimate yours below.

Career

The state rules apply where you take the images

Associate degree: 2 years; bachelor’s: 4

Example: radiography, 2 years in Texas· change any figure to see your own result

Radiography in Texas: tuition and exam

$8,913

$4,344 a year × 2 + ARRT primary $225

Median public in-state tuition and fees in Texas$4,344 a year (2023-24)
Years of study2
Exam fees$225
State licenseYes, a state certification

Tuition and required fees only: books, uniforms, housing and travel to clinical sites are not included. The figure is the median 2023-24 in-state charge reported to IPEDS by the public schools of the state that award this discipline; your school’s price governs.

How this is computed

Compiled by Radif Partners · How the rules were read

A radiologic technologist, or radiology tech, takes diagnostic x-ray images. The route is an accredited radiography program, mostly an associate degree, then the ARRT radiography exam, whose primary application costs $225 on the ARRT Application Fees page read on November 13, 2026, then a state credential where one exists. ARRT itself says that more than 75% of states have licensing laws; on the ASRT state table, 37 jurisdictions issue a license, certificate or permit for radiography and 2 more an accreditation or registration. In the IPEDS files for 2023-24, 482 radiography programs reported 11,531 awards: 7,835 associate degrees, 2,051 certificates and 1,497 bachelor’s degrees. ARRT certification is then renewed every year, by the last day of the birth month, with continuing education every two years (biennium).

How to become a radiology tech, from program to license

Program. An accredited radiography program; ARRT recognizes programs accredited by the agencies it lists. Schools are listed on each state page and in the radiology tech schools finder.

ARRT exam. $225 for the primary radiography application. The ARRT fee calculator adds postprimary disciplines such as CT or mammography.

State credential. In 37 jurisdictions a license, certificate or permit; in 2 an accreditation or registration; in 4 a training standard without a license; in 8 nothing. Check yours in the rad tech license by state tool.

Does your state license x-ray techs?

Example: Texas· change any figure to see your own result

Texas: state credential to take x-rays

Yes

Yes, a state certification

What the state issuesYes, a state certification
Issued byTexas Medical Board
Limited x-ray operatorYes: a limited certification
ARRT primary exam$225
Full calculator: Rad tech license by state →

Cheaper routes: limited x-ray permits

27 jurisdictions issue a limited credential for operators who take a restricted range of x-rays, often in clinics. It is a shorter route, not a full radiographer license; see the limited x-ray license by state.

Questions students and technologists ask

Tap a question to see the answer.

How long does it take to become a radiology tech?

Most graduates earn an associate degree, which IPEDS defines as at least two but less than four years of full-time study: 7,835 of the 11,531 radiography awards of 2023-24. Certificates and bachelor’s degrees make up the rest. Then comes the ARRT exam and, in most states, a state application.

Is the ARRT exam the same as the state license?

No. ARRT certification and registration is national and private; a state license is issued by a state agency. Many states use the ARRT exam result to grant their license, and ARRT also administers some state licensing exams (limited scope, bone densitometry, fluoroscopy), but you apply to each separately.

What does it cost to become an x-ray tech?

The calculator multiplies the median in-state tuition and fees of the public radiography schools of your state (2023-24) by your years of study and adds the $225 ARRT fee. Nationally, that median is $4,868 a year. Books, uniforms and state license fees come on top.

Next steps

ARRT exam cost

Primary $225, postprimary $225, through ARDMS or NMTCB $450: your total.

Rad tech license by state

39 jurisdictions issue a credential to radiographers; the word each uses, and the 12 that do not.

Radiology tech schools

482 radiography programs with graduates in 2023-24: find those of your state with tuition and fees.

Limited x-ray license

27 jurisdictions credential limited x-ray operators; the name each uses and the rules we read.

State tables, agency pages, fee pages and federal files behind this page (6)

Each form number, fee, length and signer list was read on these official documents on November 13, 2026.

Compiled by

Independent publisher of state-by-state licensing rules and exam cost calculators for sonographers and radiologic technologists. Paid by no one: no school lead, no affiliate link, no paid placement.

Checked on · Editorial policy · Contact

The answers apply the ASRT state table and the agency pages read on November 13, 2026, and the IPEDS files for 2023-24. Rules change: your state agency decides.