California · Verified November 2026
Best Sterile Processing Technician Programs in California
What Are the Best Sterile Processing Technician Programs in California?
Contra Costa Medical Career College in Antioch ranks first among 19 schools offering sterile processing technician programs in California, with a score of 87 of 100. 20 sterile processing technician programs in California run at 20 schools, with the most in Torrance, Salinas and Corona. 19 include clinical hours, and 9 state the 400 hands-on hours that HSPA's CRCST, the central service technician certification, requires. The lowest published price is $1,599 at Central Sterilization Solutions. Sterile processing technicians in California earn a median of $61,370 a year (BLS, May 2025, medical equipment preparers).
- schools in California
- 20
- programs
- 20
- include clinical hours
- 19
- median published cost
- $2,891
- median pay (BLS May 2025)
- $61,370
Top Picks in California
| Pick | Program | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Contra Costa Medical Career CollegeAntioch · Certificate · 28 weeks · 400 clinical hours | 87 |
| Best for the CRCST's 400 hours | Central Coast CollegeSalinas · Certificate · 32 weeks · 400 clinical hours | 83 |
| Lowest published cost | Central Sterilization SolutionsCorona · Non-credit course · 35 weeks · $1,599 | 55 |
| Fastest | Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied HealthLos Angeles · Non-credit course · 7 weeks | 25 |
| Best online or hybrid | High Desert Medical College-BakersfieldBakersfield · Certificate · 32 weeks · 400 clinical hours | 83 |
The 10 Best Sterile Processing Technician Programs in California, Ranked
How this list is ranked: highest score first. The score (out of 100) adds hands-on training (35), certification prep (25), published cost (25) and the school's federal track record in the field (15), each from the school's own pages or IPEDS; a part a program has no figure for is left out and the rest are rescaled. One program per school; programs not admitting students are left out.
Contra Costa Medical Career College: Sterile Processing TechnicianSterile Processing Technician
87scoreBest for covering the CRCST's 400 hands-on hours near Antioch
Contra Costa Medical Career College (Antioch, CA, private for-profit) runs this certificate (28 weeks). Clinical: 400-hour clinical externship. The school reported 104 sterile processing awards for 2022-23 (IPEDS).
- Weeks
- 2828 weeks
- Instruction
- 744 hr
- Clinical
- 400 hr
Includes- Clinicals
Prepares forContra Costa Medical Career College certificate on the school's site
Central Coast College: Sterile Processing TechnicianSterile Processing Technician
83scoreBest for finishing with full CRCST clinical hours done near Salinas
Central Coast College (Salinas, CA, private for-profit) runs this hybrid certificate (32 weeks). Clinical: 400-hour clinical externship.
- Weeks
- 3232 weeks
- Instruction
- 830 hr
- Clinical
- 400 hr
Includes- Clinicals
Prepares forHigh Desert Medical College-Bakersfield: Sterile Processing TechnicianSterile Processing Technician
83scoreBest for hospital clinicals long enough for full certification near Bakersfield
High Desert Medical College-Bakersfield (Bakersfield, CA) runs this hybrid certificate (32 weeks). Clinical: 400-hour clinical externship. Evening classes are offered.
- Weeks
- 3232 weeks
- Instruction
- 830 hr
- Clinical
- 400 hr
Includes- Clinicals
Prepares forApply or ask about the High Desert Medical College-Bakersfield certificate
High Desert Medical College-Lancaster: Sterile Processing TechnicianSterile Processing Technician
83scoreBest for logging every required hands-on hour inside the program near Lancaster
High Desert Medical College-Lancaster (Lancaster, CA) runs this hybrid certificate (32 weeks). Clinical: 400-hour clinical externship. Evening classes are offered.
- Weeks
- 3232 weeks
- Instruction
- 830 hr
- Clinical
- 400 hr
Includes- Clinicals
Prepares forHigh Desert Medical College-Lancaster's own page for this certificate
High Desert Medical College-Temecula: Sterile Processing TechnicianSterile Processing Technician
83scoreBest for covering the CRCST's 400 hands-on hours near Temecula
High Desert Medical College-Temecula (Temecula, CA) runs this hybrid certificate (32 weeks). Clinical: 400-hour clinical externship. Evening classes are offered.
- Weeks
- 3232 weeks
- Instruction
- 830 hr
- Clinical
- 400 hr
Includes- Clinicals
Prepares forAdmission details for the High Desert Medical College-Temecula certificate
Integrity College of Health: Sterile Processing TechnicianSterile Processing Technician
83scoreBest for finishing with full CRCST clinical hours done near Pasadena
Integrity College of Health (Pasadena, CA, private for-profit) runs this hybrid certificate (32 weeks). Clinical: 400-hour clinical externship.
- Weeks
- 3232 weeks
- Instruction
- 830 hr
- Clinical
- 400 hr
Includes- Clinicals
Prepares forIntegrity College of Health certificate on the school's site
Premiere Career College: Hospital Central Service TechnicianHospital Central Service Technician
64scoreBest for hospital clinicals long enough for full certification near Irwindale
Premiere Career College (Irwindale, CA, private for-profit) runs this on campus and hybrid diploma (30 weeks (day); maximum timeframe 45 weeks). The school publishes a price of $12,000 for the program (2026). Clinical: CST104 Hospital Central Service/Instrument Processing externship, 400 clock hours in a hospital central service department. The school reported 29 sterile processing awards for 2022-23 (IPEDS).
- Weeks
- 30
- Instruction
- 800 hr
- Clinical
- 400 hr
- Cost
- $12,000published total, 2026
Includes- Clinicals
Prepares forPrestige Career College: Sterile Processing TechnicianSterile Processing Technician
58scoreBest for logging every required hands-on hour inside the program near Huntington Park
Prestige Career College (Huntington Park, CA) runs this hybrid diploma (31 weeks). Clinical: 400-hour clinical externship in an approved facility.
- Weeks
- 3131 weeks
- Instruction
- 800 hr
- Clinical
- 400 hr
Includes- Clinicals
Glendale Career College: Central Service Instrument Technician (CSIT)Central Service Instrument Technician (CSIT)
57scoreBest for hybrid study near Glendale
Glendale Career College (Glendale, CA, private for-profit) runs this on campus and hybrid diploma (34 weeks). Clinical: Two clinical externships in hospital or outpatient central service/sterile processing departments: Clinical Experience I (40 hours) and Clinical Experience II (360 hours, 9 weeks). The school reported 27 sterile processing awards for 2022-23 (IPEDS).
- Weeks
- 3434 weeks
- Credits
- 30.5
- Clinical
- Included
Includes- Clinicals
Prepares forCentral Sterilization Solutions: In-Person CRCST Class (Sterile Processing Technician)In-Person CRCST Class (Sterile Processing Technician)
55scoreBest for training around a job near Corona
Central Sterilization Solutions (Corona, CA) runs this on campus non-credit course. The school publishes a price of $1,599 for the program (2026). Clinical: Hands-on training happens during the internship; internship placement is included with the Premium level only. Evening and weekend classes are offered.
- Weeks
- 35
- Clinical
- Included
- Cost
- $1,599published total, 2026
Includes- Clinicals
Prepares forAdmission details for the Central Sterilization Solutions course
More California Sterile Processing Schools: Ranks 11 to 19
How this list is ranked: the same score as the ranking above, continued.
| Rank | Program | Score | Length | Clinical | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Martinson College: Sterile Processing Technician (SPT) ProgramFullerton, CA | 50 | 8 weeks | Included | |
| 12 | Skyline College: Sterile Processing Technology with Clinical PracticeSan Bruno, CA | 50 | 32 weeks | Included | |
| 13 | Southern California Regional Occupational Center: Sterilization Processing Distribution TechnicianTorrance, CA | 50 | 16 weeks | Included | |
| 14 | Southwestern College: Central Service TechnologyChula Vista, CA | 50 | 27 weeks | Included | |
| 15 | Concorde Career College-Garden Grove: Sterile Processing TechnicianGarden Grove, CA | 46 | 22 weeks | 80 hours | $2,891 |
| 16 | Concorde Career College-North Hollywood: Sterile Processing TechnicianNorth Hollywood, CA | 46 | 22 weeks | 80 hours | $2,891 |
| 17 | SVSTI: Sterile Processing ProgramFremont, CA | 46 | 9 weeks | 240 hours | $5,250 |
| 18 | Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health: Central Service Technician Certification Training ProgramLos Angeles, CA | 25 | 7 weeks | Included | |
| 19 | El Camino College: Sterile Processing Technician Certificate of CompletionTorrance, CA | 0 | 72 hours |
Sterile Processing Schools in California, Compared
All 20 sterile processing schools in California, side by side: each school's best score, the credentials it offers, its longest stated clinical placement, its lowest published price and its federal award count.
From each school's own pages, reviewed November 2026. Best score: the school's highest-scoring program. Awards from IPEDS 2022-23 (CIP 51.1012) count credit certificates conferred, not graduates; non-credit courses aren't counted. Blank cells: the school's pages don't give that figure.
Sterile Processing Technician Training in California: Every Program
California has 15 for-credit programs (certificate, diploma or degree) and 5 non-credit courses; 9 offer evening or weekend classes, and 13 are hybrid. Each row links to the school's own program page.
From each school's own program page, reviewed November 2026. Cost is the school's published price or its stated rate. Blank cells: the school's pages don't give that figure.
Online Sterile Processing Technician Programs for California Residents
Online coursework still leads to hands-on hours in a real department: the CRCST requires 400 of them. Hybrid programs here hold labs or clinicals in California.
How the California Programs Are Scored
Every California program is scored out of 100 from figures on the school's own pages and federal data. A part a program has no figure for is left out and the others are rescaled, so a missing fact never counts against it.
| Part | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Hands-on training | 35 | Clinical hours the program states, measured against the 400 hands-on hours HSPA's CRCST requires. A program at 400 hours or more scores full marks; clinical time without stated hours scores 15 of 35. |
| Certification prep | 25 | 15 points when the program's page names the CRCST or CSPDT exam, and 10 more when the exam fee or a voucher is included. |
| Cost | 25 | The whole-program price the school publishes, ranked against every priced program. Per-credit rates are never multiplied out. |
| Track record | 15 | Awards in the field the school reported to the U.S. Department of Education for 2022-23 (IPEDS, CIP 51.1012), on a log scale that reaches full marks at 50. |
Sterile Processing Technician Certification in California
No California law in force requires sterile processing certification, so the requirement comes from employers. Many hospitals hire for, or ask new technicians to earn, HSPA's CRCST (the central service technician credential) or CBSPD's CSPDT. Full CRCST certification needs 400 hands-on hours in a hospital department; you can test first and hold provisional status while you log them.
How the CRCST and its 400 hours work · States that require certification by law
Sterile Processing Technician Salary in California
- bottom tenth
- $43,680
- median
- $61,370
- top tenth
- $85,240
- employed
- 8,720
California's median of $61,370 is above the national median of $47,700. Figures are annual wages for medical equipment preparers (SOC 31-9093), the BLS occupation for sterile processing technicians, OEWS May 2025.
Schools in States Near California
- East Valley Institute of TechnologyMesa, AZ · certificate
- GateWay Community CollegePhoenix, AZ · certificate
- Pima Medical Institute-PhoenixPhoenix, AZ · certificate
- College of Southern NevadaLas Vegas, NV · certificate
- Truckee Meadows Community CollegeReno, NV · certificate
- Concorde Career College-PortlandPortland, OR · diploma
- Portland Community CollegePortland, OR · non-credit course
Sterile Processing Classes Near California Cities
Each city page lists the classes you can attend in person within 50 miles, with the distance, plus online options. The number after a city is how many programs are that close; a city without one shows the closest schools instead.
- Alameda 3
- Alhambra 13
- Anaheim 13
- Antioch 3
- Arcata
- Auburn
- Bakersfield 1
- Baldwin Park 13
- Banning 3
- Benicia 3
- Burbank 13
- Carson 12
- Cathedral City 1
- Ceres
- Cerritos 12
- Chino Hills 13
- Chula Vista 1
- Citrus Heights
- Clovis
- Coachella
- Coalinga
- Colton 7
- Compton 12
- Concord 3
- Corona 12
- Coronado 1
- Costa Mesa 13
- Daly City 3
- Davis 1
- Diamond Bar 12
- Downey 12
- Dublin 3
- East Tulare Villa
- Eastern Goleta Valley
- El Paso De Robles
- Elk Grove 1
- Escondido 2
- Eureka
- Fairfield 2
- Fontana 10
- Fremont 3
- Fresno
- Fullerton 12
- Garden Grove 12
- Glendale 13
- Hacienda Heights 13
- Hanford
- Hawthorne 12
- Hayward 3
- Hemet 3
- Huntington Park 13
- Inglewood 12
- Irvine 13
- Irwindale 13
- Jurupa Valley 10
- Laguna Hills 12
- Lake Elsinore 6
- Lakewood 12
- Lancaster 7
- Lawndale 12
- Lodi 1
- Long Beach 12
- Los Alamitos 12
- Los Angeles 13
- Marysville
- Merced
- Modesto 1
- Moreno Valley 6
- National City 1
- Newark 3
- North Highlands
- North Hollywood 12
- Norwalk 12
- Oakley 3
- Ontario 13
- Orange 13
- Orangevale
- Orinda 3
- Oxnard 1
- Palm Springs 1
- Palmdale 8
- Paramount 12
- Pasadena 13
- Petaluma 2
- Rancho Cordova
- Rancho Cucamonga 12
- Redding
- Redlands 6
- Rialto 10
- Richmond 3
- Riverside 9
- Rocklin
- Rohnert Park
- Roseville
- Sacramento 1
- Salinas 1
- San Bernardino 7
- San Bruno 3
- San Diego 2
- San Diego Country Estates 2
- San Fernando 12
- San Francisco 1
- San Gabriel 13
- San Jacinto 3
- San Jose 4
- San Mateo 3
- San Rafael 3
- San Ramon 3
- Santa Ana 13
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Clarita 10
- Santa Fe Springs 12
- Santa Maria
- Santa Rosa
- South Gate 12
- South Whittier 12
- Stanford 3
- Stockton 2
- Temecula 4
- Torrance 12
- Tulare
- Turlock
- Vacaville 1
- Vallejo 3
- Valley Center 2
- Victorville 3
- Visalia
- Watsonville 2
- West Sacramento 1
- Wildomar 5
Questions About Sterile Processing Technician Programs in California
What Is the Best Sterile Processing Technician Program in California?
Sterile Processing Technician at Contra Costa Medical Career College ranks first with a score of 87 of 100, ahead of Central Coast College (83) and High Desert Medical College-Bakersfield (83). The score weighs hands-on hours, certification prep, published cost and the school's federal track record. How the score works.
How Many Sterile Processing Technician Programs Are in California?
20 at 20 schools, verified on each school's own site in November 2026. Torrance (2), Salinas (1), Corona (1) and Garden Grove (1) have the most.
How Do You Become a Sterile Processing Technician in California?
Finish a training program (20 run in California), log hands-on hours in a hospital, and pass a certification exam: HSPA's CRCST, which needs 400 hands-on hours for full certification, or CBSPD's CSPDT. California has no certification law in force, but many hospitals hire for the CRCST. Every step in order.
How Long Is Sterile Processing Training in California?
From 7 to 35 weeks among the 18 California programs that state a length, with a median of 30 weeks. Clinical hours can add time when they come after the classroom part.
Which California Programs Include Clinical Hours?
Central Coast College, Central Sterilization Solutions, Concorde Career College-Garden Grove, Concorde Career College-North Hollywood, Contra Costa Medical Career College and Glendale Career College and others include clinical or practicum time. HSPA's CRCST requires 400 hands-on hours for full certification. How the 400-hour requirement works.
How Much Does Training Cost in California?
Among the 6 California programs that publish a price for the whole program, cost runs from $1,599 to $12,000, with a median of $2,891.
Which California Programs Prepare You for the CRCST?
15 of the 20 name the CRCST on their own pages. The certification program ranking puts those first.
How Much Do Sterile Processing Technicians Make in California?
The median for medical equipment preparers in California is $61,370 a year, with the bottom tenth earning $43,680 and the top tenth $85,240, across 8,720 jobs (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $47,700. Pay in every state.
Can California Residents Train Online?
Partly. 3 programs put all coursework online, and 13 California programs are hybrid, but the CRCST's 400 hands-on hours happen in a real hospital department. Online program rankings.
More Rankings and Certification Guides
- Best Programs NationwideEvery verified program, scored on hands-on hours, certification prep, cost and track record
- Online and Hybrid RankingsOnline and hybrid programs, and how each one gets you hands-on hours
- Most Affordable RankingsPrograms ranked by the whole-program price each school publishes
- With Externships RankingsPrograms with clinical hours in a hospital sterile processing department
- CRCST CertificationThe 400-hour requirement and the exam
- Certification Requirements by StateWhich states require it by law
- Best Programs in Arizona3 schools
- Best Programs in Nevada2 schools
- Best Programs in Oregon2 schools
- Rankings by StateEvery state's ranking
Sources
- Official program pages of the 20 California schools listed, reviewed November 2026
- U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS completions 2022-23, CIP 51.1012
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Medical Equipment Preparers, state estimates