ARRT ISSUED · $225 APPLICATION · $65/YR RENEWAL · 24 CE / 2 YRS · STATE-LICENCE GATE

ARRT Certification Guide 2026

Complete guide to ARRT certification and registration: the education, ethics and examination requirements, which disciplines you can certify in, what it costs to earn and to keep, and how it connects to state licensure for radiologic technologists.

Updated July 2026

By GlobalCybers Editorial Team · Reviewed by our clinical recruitment lead · Published Jul 2026

Direct Answer

What is ARRT certification and do you need it?

ARRT (American Registry of Radiologic Technologists) is the credentialing body for medical imaging, and its certification and registration is what most employers and most state licensing boards require of radiologic technologists. Earning it takes three things: education, ethics and examination. Primary disciplines include radiography, nuclear medicine technology, radiation therapy, MRI and sonography. The application fee is $225. Registration is renewed annually for $65, and registrants must report 24 approved CE credits every two years.

American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) Certification and Registration — ARRT ISSUED · $225 APPLICATION · $65/YR RENEWAL · 24 CE / 2 YRS · STATE-LICENCE GATE

Key takeaways

ARRT certification rests on three requirements: education (an ARRT-recognized programme), ethics (application questions plus review) and a discipline examination.
The application fee is $225; registration renews annually for $65, and a failed exam costs $200 to re-apply.
Most registrants must report 24 approved CE credits every two-year biennium, with the annual renewal deadline on the last day of their birth month.
Most states that licence radiologic technologists accept or require ARRT, and BLS puts the radiologic technologist median at $80,110 (SOC 29-2034).

ARRT at a glance

Cost	$225 application; $65 annual renewal; $200 exam re-application after a failed attempt
Duration	Typically a 2-year accredited imaging programme, then the exam
Issued by	American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT)
Format	Computer-based discipline exam, after education and ethics requirements are met
Exam length	One discipline exam (radiography, nuclear medicine, radiation therapy, MRI or sonography)
Expiry	Registration renews annually; 24 CE credits due every 2-year biennium
Who needs it	Radiologic technologists, MRI and CT techs, nuclear medicine techs and radiation therapists
State licensure	Most states that licence radiologic technologists accept or require ARRT certification

Sources: ARRT, Initial Requirements for Earning ARRT Credentials · ARRT, Fees · ARRT, Continuing Education · BLS OEWS 29-2034, Radiologic Technologists · ARRT initial requirements, fees and continuing-education policies. Reviewed July 2026 by the GlobalCybers team.

Application fee

$225

Annual renewal

$65

CE per biennium

24 credits

ARRT Exam Format, The Three Requirements

Education, ethics, examination

ARRT builds certification on three requirements: education, ethics and examination. Education means completing an ARRT-recognized programme in your discipline. Ethics means answering the ethics questions on the application, with an ethics review for issues such as criminal charges, academic violations or discipline by another regulator. Examination is the final step: a computer-based exam in your discipline, taken after the other two are satisfied.

Fees and attempts

Primary application: $225 (radiography, nuclear medicine, radiation therapy, MRI, sonography)

Postprimary application: $225 (e.g. CT, mammography, bone densitometry)

Re-application: $200 if you do not pass on the first or second attempt

Annual renewal: $65, regardless of how many ARRT credentials you hold

Renewal deadline: The last day of your birth month, every year

Does ARRT certification increase your pay as an imaging tech?

ARRT is the entry gate rather than a bonus: most employers and most state boards require it before you can work at all. BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the radiologic technologist median (SOC 29-2034) at $80,110 across 230,490 employed:

$80,110

BLS OEWS May 2025 national median for radiologic technologists and technicians (SOC 29-2034), the occupation ARRT certifies

$118,660

90th-percentile pay, where postprimary credentials (CT, MRI, mammography, interventional) and senior imaging roles concentrate

Licence gate

Most states that licence radiologic technologists accept or require ARRT certification, so without it you often cannot be licensed, let alone hired

GlobalCybers reimburses ARRT application fees after a successful permanent placement through our network.

What ARRT Certification Covers, Core Areas

🩻

Radiography (R)

The largest primary discipline: general X-ray imaging, positioning, exposure factors and image evaluation. This is the entry route for most imaging technologists.

☢️

Radiation Protection

ALARA, shielding, dose limits and monitoring for the patient, the technologist and the public. Consistently a heavily weighted content area.

🧲

MRI & Postprimary Credentials

MRI is available as both a primary and a postprimary route; CT, mammography, bone densitometry and interventional are earned as postprimary credentials once you hold a primary one.

💉

Nuclear Medicine & Radiation Therapy

Two further primary disciplines: nuclear medicine technology (radiopharmaceuticals and gamma imaging) and radiation therapy (treatment delivery for oncology patients).

🫂

Patient Care & Safety

Positioning, immobilisation, contrast administration, infection control and communication with patients who are frightened, in pain or unable to cooperate.

⚖️

Ethics & Standards

The ARRT Standards of Ethics govern the credential. The application's ethics questions and the ethics-review process (criminal charges, academic violations, regulator discipline) sit here.

How do you get ARRT certified, step by step?

Complete an ARRT-recognized education programme

Finish an educational programme recognized by ARRT in your chosen discipline, typically a two-year associate degree in radiography, nuclear medicine technology, radiation therapy, MRI or sonography. The programme documents your clinical competencies to ARRT as part of your application.

Meet the ethics requirement

Answer the ethics questions on the ARRT application. If you have a criminal charge, an academic-integrity violation or discipline from another regulator, ARRT reviews it; you can file an Ethics Review Preapplication before you invest in the programme if you want a decision in advance rather than at the end.

Apply and pay the $225 fee

Submit the primary application with the $225 fee. ARRT then issues your examination window. If you do not pass on the first or second attempt, re-application costs $200, so most candidates use their programme's exam-prep materials and practice exams before booking.

Pass the exam, then renew every year

Pass the computer-based exam in your discipline to become certified and registered. Renew your registration annually for $65, with a deadline on the last day of your birth month, and report 24 approved continuing education credits every two-year biennium regardless of how many ARRT credentials you hold.

State Licensure Link

Why ARRT is Effectively Required to Work

ARRT is a private credential, not a government licence, but the two are tied together. Most states that regulate radiologic technologists accept or require ARRT certification as the basis for their state licence or permit, and hospitals and imaging centers screen for an active ARRT registration before an interview. The practical consequence is that in most of the country you cannot be licensed, and therefore cannot be hired, without it, and letting the registration lapse can put a state licence at risk too.

Hospital & imaging employers

Active registration screened

Most state boards

Accept or require ARRT

Issued & governed by

ARRT

ARRT, Frequently Asked Questions

How much does ARRT certification cost in 2026?

The primary application fee is $225, and it is the same $225 for a standard postprimary credential such as CT or mammography. If you do not pass on your first or second attempt, re-application is $200. Once certified, you renew your registration annually for $65 regardless of how many ARRT credentials you hold. Budget the cost of your education programme separately, since that is by far the larger expense.

What are the three ARRT requirements?

Education, ethics and examination. Education means completing an ARRT-recognized educational programme in your discipline, typically a two-year associate degree. Ethics means answering the ethics questions on your application and clearing ARRT's ethics review if you have a criminal charge, academic violation or regulatory discipline in your history. Examination is the final step, a computer-based exam in the discipline you are certifying in.

How do you keep ARRT certification active?

Two things: renew your registration every year and keep your continuing education current. Renewal costs $65 and is due on the last day of your birth month annually. Separately, most registrants must earn and report 24 approved CE credits each two-year biennium, no matter how many ARRT credentials they hold. Failing to report CE puts you on CE probation, which carries its own $100 fee.

Do you need ARRT certification to get a state licence?

In most states, yes in practice. States that regulate radiologic technologists generally accept or require ARRT certification as the basis for licensure, which is why imaging employers screen for an active registration before they interview. A few states run their own permits for limited-scope work, so check your state board, but for a full radiologic technologist role ARRT is the standard route.

Does GlobalCybers pay for ARRT after placement?

Yes. After a successful permanent placement through GlobalCybers, we reimburse outstanding certification costs, including the $225 ARRT application fee and postprimary applications where a hospital needs a technologist to add CT or MRI. Imaging technologists placed into hospital systems and outpatient imaging centers are the most common beneficiaries of this programme.

Intent Network

ARRT registered? Find a job.

Registered imaging technologists are among the fastest clinical placements in our network. Set your career intent and let employers come to you.

Join Network with ARRT →

Quick Reference

Issued byARRT

Application fee$225

Annual renewal$65

Re-application$200

CE24 credits / 2 yrs

Renewal deadlineLast day of birth month

Related Certifications

Roles that need ARRT

More about ARRT

What ARRT disciplines can you certify in?

The primary routes are radiography, nuclear medicine technology, radiation therapy, MRI and sonography, each earned through an ARRT-recognized programme and its own exam. Once you hold a primary credential, postprimary credentials such as computed tomography, mammography and bone densitometry can be added, and they carry the same $225 application fee.

What happens if you fail the ARRT exam?

You can re-apply, and ARRT charges a $200 re-application fee for candidates who do not pass on the first or second attempt. Because a failed attempt costs both time and money, most candidates work through their programme's practice exams and content-specification review before booking, especially on radiation protection and image production, which carry heavy weight.

How many CE credits does ARRT require?

Most registrants must earn 24 approved continuing education credits every two years (the biennium), regardless of how many ARRT credentials they hold, and report them to ARRT. That sits alongside the separate annual registration renewal. ARRT publishes a CE search tool, and hospital in-service and facility training credits can count where they meet ARRT's rules.

Is ARRT the same as ARDMS or NMTCB?

No. ARRT certifies radiologic technologists across radiography, nuclear medicine, radiation therapy, MRI and sonography. ARDMS is the separate registry for diagnostic medical sonographers, and NMTCB for nuclear medicine technologists. ARRT recognises some ARDMS and NMTCB credentials as supporting categories on certain postprimary pathways, though those combinations carry a higher application fee.

Your career research journey

Do your homework, then let the network do the rest.

💰

1. Know your salary

Salary guides →

🪪

2. Know your licences & certifications

Certifications →Licences →

🧭

3. Career guide

Career guides →

🎤

4. Interview preparation

Interview Q&As →

Get the job, then keep rising

Free

Get Job — Join Network →

🚀

Step 5

Get matching jobs

Set your intent, matching jobs come to you. No applying.

📈

Step 6

Career advancement plan

A roadmap to your next licence tier and higher pay band.

🎓

Step 7

We fund your fees

Once placed, we cover all certification, licence & career-guide fees.

⚡

Hiring trade workers?

Get a verified shortlist of 3–5 qualified candidates in 48 hours

GlobalCybers verifies active state licenses, trade certifications, Intent and right-to-work status before any candidate reaches your portal. Flat $2,999/mo RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing), up to 3 concurrent roles, or a free trial (pay on hire). 90-day written guarantee.

✓ Licenses verified✓ Intent & availability verified⚡ 48-hr shortlist🛡 90-day guarantee

Hire Talent →See how staffing works →