Castleport Test Prep

ARRT Continuing Education Requirements

These are ARRT's current rules for keeping your credential, checked against ARRT's governing Education Requirements document (revised March 31, 2026). Find your credential, then your deadline.

How many CE credits you need

CE credits per two-year biennium by ARRT credential, with extra rules
Your ARRT credential(s) Credits every 2-year biennium Extra rule
R.T., any primary or postprimary, any number of credentials 24 Category A or A+ Holding more credentials doesn't raise the number. An R.T.(R)(CT)(M) still needs 24.
R.T.(S), Sonography 24 Category A or A+ At least 16 of the 24 must be sonography-specific.
R.R.A., Registered Radiologist Assistant 50 At least 25 must be Category A+, and at least 35 must be specific to R.R.A. practice. The 50 also covers your R.T. requirement.
L.T., Limited Technician 3 patient care + 3 radiation safety + 2 per procedure module you hold Every credit needs an ARRT-assigned credit distribution. Example: Chest, Extremities and Spine = 3 + 3 + 6 = 12.
I.A.(MR), Imaging Assistant, MR 10 4 patient care, 4 MRI safety, 2 positioning and anatomical landmarking, each with an assigned credit distribution.

Source: ARRT Education Requirements, §4.3.1–4.3.5 (pp. 24–26).

Your deadlines, in one line: finish your CE by the last day of the month before your birth month, then report it during renewal by 11:59 p.m. Central Time on the last day of your birth month. Credits only count in the biennium you earn them. Extras don't carry forward. Your exact biennium dates are on your ARRT dashboard.

If you earned an ARRT credential on or after January 1, 2011, or you're an R.R.A., you also have a separate 10-year requirement called CQR. It doesn't replace your biennial CE. Limited Technicians and Imaging Assistants are excluded; see the CQR section for other credential-specific exceptions.

Your deadlines by birth month

Your biennium ends the month before your birth month. You report and renew at the end of your birth month. If you're short on credits, a six-month CE probation window starts on the first day of your birth month.

Your dashboard tells you which year your biennium ends. This table gives the month and day.

Deadlines by birth month: finish CE by, report CE and renew by, and when CE probation would end
Birth month Finish CE by Report CE + renew by (11:59 p.m. CT) CE probation would end
January December 31 (previous calendar year) January 31 June 30
February January 31 last day of February July 31
March last day of February March 31 August 31
April March 31 April 30 September 30
May April 30 May 31 October 31
June May 31 June 30 November 30
July June 30 July 31 December 31
August July 31 August 31 January 31 (next year)
September August 31 September 30 last day of February (next year)
October September 30 October 31 March 31 (next year)
November October 31 November 30 April 30 (next year)
December November 30 December 31 May 31 (next year)

These dates are calculated from three ARRT rules:

Worked example: you were born in March and your biennium ends in 2028.

  • Finish CE by February 29, 2028 (2028 is a leap year).
  • Report and renew by 11:59 p.m. CT on March 31, 2028.
  • If you're short, probation runs March 1 through August 31, 2028.

Two timing traps:

  • The completion date is the sponsor's, not yours. ARRT uses the time zone where the CE sponsor is located. If you finish a course late at night on deadline day, the certificate may show the next day's date (§4.8).
  • You renew every year, but you report CE every other year. Your renewal is due by the end of your birth month every year, including years with no CE report.

What counts toward ARRT CE

Every credit must be Category A or A+, or an activity ARRT treats as Category A:

  • Category A means an ARRT-recognized CE approver approved the activity.
  • Category A+ means the activity has content relevant to radiologist assistants and was approved by an approver ARRT authorizes for that content. R.T.s can use any mix of A and A+.

Find approved activities: Search ARRT-approved CE activities.

Counts

Activities that count toward ARRT CE: how much and conditions
Activity How much Conditions
Category A or A+ courses, webinars, conferences, directed readings As printed on the certificate The sponsor gets the activity approved by an ARRT-recognized CE approver. Check the certificate shows a CE reference number and the A or A+ designation.
College course relevant to imaging, radiation therapy or patient care 16 credits per semester credit, 12 per quarter credit Must be instructor-led, from an institution accredited by a body ARRT recognizes, and passed or graded C or better (a C− doesn't count). Some subjects never count, such as history, music, fine arts and independent study.
ACLS, PALS or other advanced-level life support Up to 6 credits Once per biennium, from an ARRT-recognized provider: American Heart Association; American Red Cross (certifications earned January 1, 2022 or later); HSI for ALS/ACLS only. Credit is dated to your certification or recertification.
Approved education you completed while earning another credential As printed The activities must be Category A, A+ or approved academic courses. This includes structured education (ARRT R.T. Update).
Peer-reviewed journal article you authored 4 credits (single author) or 2 each (multiple authors) Must be published in a PubMed-listed or ARRT-accepted journal, then approved by a CE approver so you receive a certificate.
CE completed for a state license As approved Only if you hold that license when you earn the credit and the state agency is legally required to evaluate CE. ARRT's CE page names Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts and Oregon as the states where this applies.
CE prescribed by your CQR As printed Can also count toward your biennial total.

Sources: Education Requirements §4.2.3, §4.7, §4.9; ARRT Biennial CE Requirements.

Counts, with a limit

  • Applications training at your facility: capped at 8 Category A credits per biennium. Training delivered at a corporate site, or online while you're away from your facility, isn't capped (§4.4).
  • In-services: count only when the content is general and approved for Category A before the presentation. A session on your own facility's procedures doesn't count (§4.6).

Does not count

  • Basic Life Support (BLS) or basic CPR. It may be required for your job or clinical work, but it isn't biennial CE.
  • Teaching or presenting. This includes preparing a course, an in-service, a lecture or a college class.
  • Clinical instructorship.
  • Credit from other bodies. AMA PRA, ANA or ANCC credits don't count unless an ARRT-recognized approver has also approved the activity.
  • Workplace compliance training. Joint Commission or OSHA courses, such as fire safety or lifting, don't count.
  • A new credential by itself. Passing another ARRT, NMTCB, ARDMS or ABII exam doesn't satisfy your CE. The approved education you completed to earn it can.
  • The same activity twice in one biennium. Two activities with the same reference number count once. Two different radiation protection courses both count, and you can repeat a course in a later biennium.

Sources: Education Requirements §4.3, §4.6, §4.7, §4.10; ARRT-recognized CPR providers; ARRT R.T. Update.

Outdated advice still circulating

Outdated CE advice and the current ARRT rule
You may have heard Current ARRT rule
Earning a new credential satisfies your 24 credits Not by itself. Only the approved education you completed to earn it can count (R.T. Update).
The CE probation fee is $50 It's $100 (ARRT Fees).
Keep your certificates for one year ARRT's governing document requires five years (§2.7).
Renewal costs $30 plus $15 per extra credential Renewal is a flat $65 no matter how many credentials you hold, starting with renewals due January 2026 (ARRT Fees).

Your six-step CE checklist

  1. Confirm your biennium end date on your ARRT dashboard.
  2. Find your credit total in the table at the top of this page. Track any sub-requirements separately: sonography-specific, Category A+, or L.T. and I.A. content areas.
  3. Check every activity before you take it. Look for Category A or A+ approval, or use ARRT's CE search.
  4. Finish by the last day of the month before your birth month. Leave margin for the sponsor's time zone.
  5. Report during renewal. Open the Report CE page first. ARRT automatically adds credits sent by recognized trackers, your CQR prescription, and structured education. Add anything missing, because once you submit the renewal the CE report can't be changed.
  6. Keep your certificates for five years. ARRT can't look up your past CE for you. A tracker's mistake isn't accepted as an excuse.

A valid certificate shows:

  • your name and the activity title
  • a pre-printed completion date and pre-printed credits
  • the CE reference number, the approver, and the Category A or A+ designation
  • the activity's expiration date
  • the sponsor's name and an authorized signature

ARRT rejects certificates with handwritten dates, white-out, or any alteration. If something is wrong, ask the sponsor for a new certificate.

Sources: ARRT Biennial CE Requirements; Education Requirements §2.6.3, §2.6.4, §2.7–2.7.1.

Short on credits? CE probation, step by step

If you haven't finished by your biennium end date, renew on time anyway and accept CE probation during renewal. Probation is a window to fix the shortfall, not a lapse. You stay certified and registered during it, as long as you meet ARRT's other requirements.

  1. Work out what's missing. For an R.T., you need 24 minus the credits you completed in the biennium. If you completed 15, you need 9 more. Sonographers need 24 total with 16 sonography-specific. R.R.A.s need 50 total with 25 Category A+.
  2. Complete them within six months. Probation runs from the first day of your birth month to the last day of the sixth month (see the deadline table above). Probation credits must be Category A or A+.
  3. Report them on ARRT's online CE probation form and pay the $100 probation fee.

Two consequences people miss:

  • Probation credits don't count toward your new biennium. That biennium started on the first day of your birth month, and you'll need a full new set of credits by its end.
  • If you miss the probation deadline, ARRT discontinues your credential. To get it back, you'd have to retake and pass the exam. For a postprimary credential, you must pass the supporting-category exam first.

Probation is visible to anyone who checks your ARRT status, including employers and state agencies.

Missed renewal itself? ARRT allows online reinstatement ($150) in two situations:

  • You're still within your CE biennium.
  • You're less than six months past the biennium end. If you haven't finished your credits, ARRT reinstates you onto CE probation.

Outside those windows, reinstatement requires re-examination.

Sources: ARRT CE Probation; Education Requirements §2.8–2.8.9; ARRT Reinstatement; ARRT Fees.

If ARRT audits your CE

ARRT audits two groups: a random monthly sample of people who've recently reported CE, and anyone whose documentation was incomplete. Being audited doesn't mean your coworkers will be.

  • You have 30 days to send documentation for every activity you reported.
  • Mail copies, not originals, with a copy of your audit letter. ARRT doesn't accept audit documents by fax or email.
  • Review takes about two weeks.
  • If your documentation falls short, ARRT places you on CE probation, backdated to the end of your biennium.
  • If you don't respond, ARRT discontinues your credential and you'll need to reinstate.

Sources: ARRT CE Audits; Education Requirements §2.6.4.

Your first biennium after passing

New graduates don't start CE the day they pass. When it starts depends on when you pass compared with your birth month.

Your first biennium after passing: first renewal due and CE biennium start
You pass your first ARRT exam… First renewal due CE biennium starts
More than two months before your birth month End of your next birth month First day of your next birth month
Within the two months before your birth month End of your birth month, one year later First day of your birth month, this year
During your birth month End of your birth month, one year later First day of your birth month, one year later
After your birth month End of your next birth month First day of your next birth month

Source: Education Requirements, deadline table p. 10 and §2.6.

From the start date, you have the full two years. Credentials you earn later stay on the biennium set by your first one. Confirm your exact dates on your ARRT dashboard.

CQR and structured education are separate requirements

Continuing Qualifications Requirements (CQR) apply to:

  • every R.R.A.
  • R.T. credentials earned on or after January 1, 2011

They don't apply to credentials earned before 2011, or to Limited Technicians or Imaging Assistants. If you hold several post-2011 credentials, each one has its own 10-year clock.

Credential-specific exceptions: ARRT excludes discontinued disciplines, including Quality Management (QM), from CQR. Some pre-2011 R.T. credentials become subject to CQR after reinstatement or return from a recognition designation; R.R.A. credentials are subject to CQR regardless of award date. Confirm your assigned requirements in your ARRT account. (ARRT Education Requirements §§3.2.1–3.2.4.)

  • Your CQR window is the last three years of each 10-year period. ARRT notifies you through your account when it opens.
  • There are three steps: a Professional Profile, a Structured Self-Assessment (at a test center or online at home), and any CE ARRT prescribes from your results. You can skip the self-assessment and accept the maximum CE prescription instead.
  • Prescribed CQR CE must be completed after ARRT assigns it. The same activity can also count toward your biennial total.
  • Biennial CE and annual renewal continue as normal during the 10 years.
  • If you don't finish CQR in your window, ARRT discontinues that credential.

Sources: ARRT CQR; Education Requirements §3.2–3.10.

Structured education is an eligibility requirement for earning certain additional credentials, such as postprimary ones like CT or MR. It isn't the same thing as biennial CE. Qualifying structured-education activities can also be reported toward your biennial CE in the same biennium. One activity can count toward biennial CE, structured education and CQR, but only once toward the biennial requirement (§1.4.3, §4.7).

ARRT CE vs. your state license and MQSA

ARRT certification and a state license are separate systems. Most states license imaging professionals, and each state sets its own renewal rules. Meeting ARRT's CE doesn't automatically satisfy your state, and meeting your state's CE doesn't automatically satisfy ARRT. Two examples from state rules:

  • Texas lets medical radiologic technologists use qualifying CE from a current ARRT renewal toward the state requirement, but the separately required human trafficking prevention course still applies (Texas Medical Board, Rule 186.19).
  • West Virginia now treats proof of active national certification—including current ARRT certification—as satisfying the Board's 24-credit continuing education requirement. The former standalone Series 2 CE rule was repealed effective March 14, 2026 (WV Rule 18-01 §7).

Check your state board's current rule before your license renewal.

Mammographers: the FDA's MQSA rule is a separate requirement for performing mammography. You need at least 15 mammography CE units in the applicable 36-month lookback period used for your facility's annual inspection, with at least 6 related to each mammography modality you use (21 CFR 900.12(a)(2)(iii)). MQSA inspectors don't accept ARRT's CE report as proof. Keep the certificates themselves or an ASRT CE report (Education Requirements §2.6.2).

Quick answers

I hold radiography and CT. Do I need 48 credits? No. An R.T. needs 24 per biennium no matter how many ARRT credentials you hold. The credits must relate to medical imaging, radiation therapy, or patient care in those fields. They don't have to match each credential.

Can extra credits roll into my next biennium? No. Credits count only in the biennium you complete them in. You can't move them forward or backdate them.

Can I move my biennium to match my state license? Yes, once. Request it during the first year of your current biennium. ARRT changes the year, not the month, and you must be currently certified and not on probation.

What does keeping my ARRT credential cost? Annual renewal is $65, no matter how many ARRT credentials you hold. CE probation is $100. Online reinstatement is $150.

Do I need CE if I'm not working? Yes. ARRT's CE requirements apply whether or not you're practicing, at any age and for any number of hours worked. ARRT has separate Retired and Disabled designations with their own rules.

Sources

Last verified October 26, 2026. We checked everything on this page against the sources below:

  • credit counts and deadlines
  • accepted and excluded activities
  • probation, audit and reinstatement rules
  • CQR
  • fees
  • the MQSA rule
  • the two state rules

ARRT sources:

Federal and state rules:

For your own dates and status, log in to your ARRT account or call ARRT at 651.687.0048.

Researching radiography programs? See ARRT Radiography Exam Pass Rates by Program.

Castleport Test Prep is an independent publisher. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT), the ASRT, the FDA, or any state licensing agency. Exam and credential names are used to identify their subjects, and trademarks belong to their respective owners.

Written by the Castleport Test Prep Editorial Team.