Accredited surgical tech programs and the CST
An accredited program is the gate to certification: to be eligible for the Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) exam you must graduate from a surgical technology program accredited by CAAHEP or ABHES, with a separate route for military training.[nbstsa_elig] The ARC/STSA, the committee that reviews programs for CAAHEP, recognizes about 400 programs in surgical technology and surgical assisting combined.[arcstsa] BLS notes that accredited programs are offered by many community colleges and vocational schools, and by some universities and hospitals.[ooh_surg]
Check a program's status in the accreditor's own directory, not only on the school's website, and ask when its next review is due. The exam steps after graduation, the $340 CST fee and state laws are covered on how to become a surgical tech.[nbstsa_faq]
What CAAHEP requires of a surgical technology program
The CAAHEP standards for surgical technology, revised in 2023, set the minimum that every accredited program must meet.[arc_std] Four rules matter most to a student comparing programs:
| Rule | What the standard says |
|---|---|
| Award | The sponsor (college, hospital, armed forces branch or consortium) awards a minimum of an associate degree at completion |
| Clinical cases | Students demonstrate proficiency by completing a minimum of 120 surgical cases |
| Outcomes | Programs must meet ARC/STSA outcome thresholds, including national credentialing exam performance, retention and job placement |
| Public results | The sponsor must publish on its website a current summary of student achievement: exam results, retention or placement |
The published outcomes summary is the most useful number a school can give you. Look for the CST exam participation and pass results, how many students who start actually finish, and how many graduates are working in the field.[arc_std] A program that cannot point you to that page is missing a required disclosure.
Surgery technician program: certificate or associate degree?
A surgery technician program can end in a certificate, a diploma or an associate degree, and BLS describes the field's usual entry route as "a certificate or associate's degree from an accredited program".[ooh_surg] For CAAHEP-accredited programs the choice is already made: the 2023 standards require every sponsor to award at least an associate degree.[arc_std] ABHES accredits a second group of programs that also qualify graduates for the CST, so ask an ABHES-accredited school which award it grants and whether its credits transfer.[nbstsa_elig]
The degree level matters beyond the CST. Credits from an associate degree are easier to carry into a later bachelor's program or a surgical first assistant program than a non-credit certificate.
The 120-case clinical rotation
Every accredited program ends with a surgical rotation in a real operating room, and the core curriculum sets exactly how the 120 cases are counted.[arc_cc] In the first scrub role the student sets up the sterile field, performs the counts, passes instruments and maintains sterile technique for the whole procedure; in the second scrub role the student assists, for example by retracting, suctioning or holding the camera. Observation cases must be logged but do not count toward the 120.
| Area | Minimum cases | Of which first scrub | Other cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| General surgery | 30 | 20 | 10 first or second scrub |
| Surgical specialties (not general surgery) | 90 | 60, with at least 10 in each of 4 specialties | 30 first or second scrub |
| Total | 120 | 80 | 40 |
Diagnostic endoscopy can count for up to 10 cases and vaginal deliveries for up to 5, both in the second scrub role.[arc_cc] The specialties include cardiothoracic, genitourinary, neurologic, obstetric and gynecologic, orthopedic, ENT, ophthalmologic, oral and maxillofacial, peripheral vascular, plastics and procurement and transplant. Ask each program which hospitals host its students and whether every student reaches 120 cases on schedule.
Can a surgical tech program be online?
Only partly. Lectures can be delivered online, but the 120 cases must be performed in the scrub role in an operating room, and the curriculum also requires hands-on lab practice such as mock procedures in the first and second scrub roles before students reach patients.[arc_cc] An "online surgical tech program" that has no supervised clinical rotation cannot meet the accreditation standard and will not make you eligible for the CST.[arc_std][nbstsa_elig]
How to compare surgical tech programs
- Accreditation. Confirm CAAHEP or ABHES status in the accreditor's directory.[nbstsa_elig]
- Outcomes page. Read the published exam, retention and placement results the standards require.[arc_std]
- Clinical sites. Ask how many hospitals host students, how far they are, and how students reach 120 cases.[arc_cc]
- Award and credits. Associate degree, diploma or certificate, and whether credits transfer.
- Total cost. Tuition, fees, books, uniforms, background checks and the CST fee; then run the payback calculator below.
- State rules. If you plan to work in Texas, licensed facilities may employ only accredited-program graduates who hold national certification, with listed exceptions.[tx_259]
Surgical tech program cost and payback
Program prices differ widely between public community colleges, hospital programs and private schools, so use each school's published cost of attendance rather than an average. The calculator adds tuition, the pay you give up during the program and any loan interest, then divides by the after-tax raise of a first surgical tech job. Its default new salary is the national 25th percentile, $54,690 ($26.29), which leaves about $46,123 after 2026 federal tax and FICA for a single filer.[onet_surg][irs][ssa]
Enter the program's published cost and length. Defaults are an example, not a quote.
School payback · 2026 tax on the raise
3.0 years after graduation
Break-even about 56 months after the first class · 10-year gain after costs $128,131
| Tuition, fees, books, exams | $12,000 |
|---|---|
| Pay given up while in school | $40,000 |
| Loan interest | $2,183 |
| Total cost | $54,183 |
| Raise after tax, per year | $18,231 |
| Loan payment | $68/mo (1.5% of gross) |
After-tax share of the raise: 80.3% (single filer, federal + FICA). Nominal dollars, no discounting.
Estimate, not a pay offer. Arithmetic on your inputs. Raise is taxed with 2026 federal income tax and FICA for a single filer.
The default loan rate is the 6.52% fixed rate on federal Direct loans for undergraduates first disbursed from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027.[fsa]
What graduates earn
Surgical techs earn a $64,650 national median, with the 10th percentile at $45,940 and the 90th at $96,940, across 117,460 jobs (BLS, May 2025).[onet_surg][oews_api] State and metro pay are on surgical tech salary, and California's detail is on surgical tech salary in California. Graduates who want shorter training into the same department can compare sterile processing technician salary.
Common mistakes
- Trusting the word "accredited" alone. A school can be institutionally accredited without its surgical technology program holding CAAHEP or ABHES accreditation, and only the program accreditation opens the CST.[nbstsa_elig]
- Ignoring the outcomes page. Accredited programs must publish exam, retention or placement results; compare them before you compare prices.[arc_std]
- Underestimating clinicals. 120 cases is a full-time commitment in the final terms; plan for reduced work hours in the payback calculator.[arc_cc]
Frequently asked questions
Do surgical tech programs have to be accredited?
To sit for the CST exam, yes: you must graduate from a CAAHEP- or ABHES-accredited surgical technology program (a separate military route exists).
How many cases do surgical tech students need?
At least 120 surgical cases: 30 in general surgery and 90 in other specialties, with at least 80 in the first scrub role. Observation cases do not count.
Is a surgical tech program an associate degree?
CAAHEP-accredited programs must award at least an associate degree under the 2023 standards. Ask ABHES-accredited schools which award they grant.
Are there online surgical tech programs?
Some programs teach theory online, but the clinical rotation of 120 operating room cases has to be completed in person.
Sources
- CST Eligibility
- Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (ARC/STSA)
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Surgical Assistants and Technologists
- CST and CSFA FAQs (exam price $340; AST members $230; $100 processing fee)
- Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Educational Programs in Surgical Technology (effective June 15, 2023)
- Core Curriculum for Surgical Technology, 7th edition (surgical rotation case requirements)
- Health and Safety Code chapter 259, Surgical Technologists at Health Care Facilities (§259.002)
- Local Wages: 29-2055.00 Surgical Technologists (state and metro percentiles)
- OEWS national employment and wage series, May 2025 (BLS Public Data API, series OEUN0000000000000
01 and 13) - IRS releases tax inflation adjustments for tax year 2026 (Rev. Proc. 2025-32)
- Contribution and Benefit Base ($184,500 for 2026)
- Interest Rates for Federal Direct Loans First Disbursed Between July 1, 2026 and June 30, 2027 (undergraduate 6.52%)