What Will a Sterile Processing Course Cost You in Total?
The published course fee is only part of it. Unless the program includes it, add $140 for HSPA's CRCST exam or $135 for CBSPD's CSPDT, plus books and any scrubs or background check the school asks for. The middle published price among 85 programs here is $2,095. Pick a program to see its full cost next to what technicians earn in your state.
It starts from the price the school publishes. For a non-credit course that is usually one fee for the whole course; for a credit certificate it is often per-credit tuition, which the calculator leaves for you to total from the school's own figures. It then adds the certification exam fee unless the program's page says the fee or a voucher is included: $140 for HSPA's CRCST, with a $140 retake, or $135 for CBSPD's CSPDT. Books, scrubs and the background check come from the school's own list of costs, so you enter them.
85 of the 212 programs on this site publish a whole-program price, 14 include the exam fee or a voucher, and 19 include the textbook.
Sterile Processing Pay by State
BLS counts sterile processing technicians as medical equipment preparers. Nationally they earn a median of $47,700 a year ($22.93 an hour), and the middle half earn $39,800 to $58,570 (May 2025). The calculator divides your total by a week of median pay in the state you pick. The careers and salary guide lists every state.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Does a Sterile Processing Course Cost?
Among the 85 programs on this site that publish a whole-program price, the middle figure is $2,095, from $180 to $23,000. 49 of them are non-credit workforce courses priced as one fee; credit certificates usually publish per-credit tuition instead. Sterile processing course cost and aid.
Is the Certification Exam Included in the Price?
Sometimes. 14 programs say the exam fee or a voucher is part of the price. Otherwise you pay the certifying body: $140 for HSPA's CRCST or $135 for CBSPD's CSPDT, at the fees each body lists.
How Long Does It Take to Earn Back the Cost?
Medical equipment preparers, the BLS occupation that covers sterile processing technicians, earn a national median of $47,700 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), about $917 a week before tax. The middle published course price equals about 2.3 weeks of median pay.
Can Financial Aid Pay for a Non-Credit Course?
Non-credit workforce courses are often outside federal student aid, and several course pages here say so. 2 programs on this site say their course is approved for WIOA workforce funding, which a local American Job Center awards.
Every program on this site was checked on the school's own website in November 2026. Clinical hours, exam prep and fees are shown as each school states them. Certification rules come from HSPA and CBSPD's own pages, and school completions from U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS) data. Sponsored listings are labeled as ads and never change which programs we list or how we rank them. How we verify programs
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