Radiography Program Accreditation: What to Look For
If you're exploring radiography programs, you've probably noticed that some mention "JRCERT-accredited" while others don't. Accreditation is an important quality and consumer-protection consideration, but students should separately verify programmatic accreditation, institutional accreditation, ARRT program verification, state authorization, and state licensure requirements.
For ARRT's primary eligibility pathway in radiography, candidates must complete an ARRT-verified educational program in radiography and earn an associate or higher degree from an institution accredited by an ARRT-recognized mechanism. Candidates must also satisfy ARRT's ethics and examination requirements. State licensing is separate: requirements vary by state, and ARRT certification is not itself a state license.
This guide covers everything you need to know about radiography program accreditation — what it is, why it matters, what to look for, and how to verify a program's credentials before you enroll. For a complete overview of the rad tech career path, see our guide on how to become a radiologic technologist.
What Is JRCERT Accreditation?
JRCERT stands for the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology. It's the organization recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) to accredit educational programs in radiography, radiation therapy, magnetic resonance, and medical dosimetry.
When a program is JRCERT-accredited, it means the program has been independently reviewed and found to meet rigorous quality standards. The JRCERT Standards — currently the 2021 Radiography Standards (with a 2031 revision in progress) — are designed to promote academic excellence, patient safety, and quality healthcare.
The accreditation process isn't a one-time event. It includes:
- Initial accreditation — awarded for up to 3 years for new programs
- Continuing accreditation — existing programs may receive up to 8 years; a program awarded 8 years submits an interim report during the fourth year
- Periodic site visits — JRCERT's process includes a tour of the sponsoring institution, classrooms and learning resources, visits to clinical settings, and interviews with administrators, faculty, clinical preceptors and students
How Accreditation Relates to ARRT Eligibility
This distinction is essential: JRCERT accreditation and ARRT program verification are not the same thing. JRCERT programmatic accreditation evaluates a radiography program against JRCERT standards. ARRT determines whether a program is ARRT-verified for its certification pathway.
The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) says primary-pathway candidates must complete an ARRT-approved/verified educational program in the same discipline and earn an associate or higher degree from an institution accredited by an ARRT-recognized mechanism. ARRT's recognized-mechanisms list includes JRCERT as well as several institutional accreditors. Therefore, JRCERT accreditation is not a universal ARRT prerequisite for every U.S. radiography program; verify the exact program in ARRT's educational-program directory.
ARRT certification and registration is widely used by employers and by many state licensing programs, but each state sets its own scope, licensing, and examination rules. Before enrolling, check the licensing agency in every state where you may practice.
6 Factors to Evaluate in a Radiography Program
When you're researching schools, here are the critical factors you need to check:
1. Accreditation Status
Start by checking whether the program holds JRCERT programmatic accreditation. JRCERT accreditation provides discipline-specific peer review and public outcomes, but do not treat JRCERT status as a substitute for checking ARRT verification, institutional accreditation, state authorization, or state licensure disclosures.
Don't just take the program's word for it. Verify their status directly on the JRCERT website using their Find a Program search tool. You can also check the Program Effectiveness Data page to see detailed outcomes.
Red flags to watch for:
- Claims that state approval or authorization is the same as accreditation
- Claims that institutional accreditation automatically means the radiography program is JRCERT-accredited
- A program missing from the accreditor or ARRT directory it claims to appear in
- Outdated status claims that conflict with JRCERT's current program record or accreditation decisions
2. Program Outcomes (Program Effectiveness Data)
JRCERT requires all accredited programs to publicly report their Program Effectiveness Data — three outcome measures to consider alongside cost, curriculum, clinical education, student support, and other evidence:
| Metric | JRCERT measure/threshold | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Credentialing exam pass rate | At least 75% (5-year average) | First-attempt ARRT or unrestricted state-licensing exam passes among graduates who test within 6 months |
| Job placement rate | At least 75% (5-year average) | Graduates employed in the radiologic sciences divided by graduates actively seeking such employment, within 12 months |
| Program completion rate | Annual rate; no universal JRCERT minimum stated | Students completing within the stated program length, using the program's disclosed entry point and permitted nonacademic exclusions |
3. Curriculum and Clinical Education
JRCERT requires a master plan of education that supports the program's mission and prepares students for professional practice. Separately, an ARRT-verified radiography program must document the didactic and clinical competencies ARRT requires. Ask the program director how the curriculum maps to the current ARRT professional-education and examination documents.
Questions to ask:
- How is clinical time scheduled, supervised, and distributed? JRCERT sets safeguards such as no more than 10 hours of clinical involvement per day; it does not state one universal minimum number of clinical hours.
- What types of clinical sites are used? (Hospital, outpatient, trauma center, urgent care)
- Do students rotate through multiple sites or stay at one?
- Is there access to modern equipment — digital radiography (DR), PACS, computed radiography?
- How does the program handle clinical competency evaluations?
JRCERT requires access to a sufficient variety and volume of procedures for competency achievement, including mobile, surgical, and trauma examinations. Ask how each site contributes to those competencies rather than assuming that the number of sites alone establishes quality.
4. Faculty Qualifications
Your instructors make a huge difference in your education quality. JRCERT standards require:
- The program director must hold at least a master's degree, specified experience, and current ARRT certification and registration (or the defined state-license equivalent) in radiography
- The clinical coordinator must hold at least a bachelor's degree (a master's for a master's-level program), specified experience, and current ARRT certification and registration (or equivalent) in radiography
- Full-time didactic faculty must hold at least a bachelor's degree, have the specified clinical experience, and hold current ARRT certification and registration (or equivalent) in radiography; adjunct qualifications depend on the subject assignment
- The institution and/or program must provide faculty opportunities for continued professional development
Ask about faculty workload and clinical supervision. JRCERT requires a full-time-equivalent clinical coordinator when more than 15 students are enrolled in the clinical component, at least one clinical preceptor at each recognized setting, one full-time-equivalent clinical preceptor per 10 students, and a 1:1 student-to-clinical-staff ratio at clinical settings (with a narrow exception for infrequently performed procedures).
5. Program Resources
Accredited programs must demonstrate they have adequate resources to support student learning:
- Equipment and access: What equipment can students use in the laboratory and at clinical settings?
- Lab facilities: Do you have access to a radiography lab for hands-on practice outside of clinical rotations?
- Learning resources: Is there a dedicated radiology library, online resources, or simulation software?
- Student support: Ask about tutoring, advising, disability services, counseling information, and financial-aid information; available services vary by institution
6. Programmatic vs. Institutional Accreditation
This is a common source of confusion. Here's the difference:
- Institutional accreditation — Review of an institution as a whole by an institutional accreditor. ARRT requires the associate or higher degree used for primary eligibility to come from an institution accredited by an ARRT-recognized mechanism.
- Programmatic accreditation — Review of a specific professional program. JRCERT is the USDE- and CHEA-recognized programmatic accreditor for radiography; CAAHEP does not accredit radiography programs.
- State authorization/approval — Permission or approval under state law to operate or offer education. It is not accreditation and does not by itself establish ARRT eligibility or professional licensure eligibility.
- ARRT program verification — ARRT's confirmation that an educational program meets its program-recognition requirements. This is separate from JRCERT accreditation.
Do not collapse these checks into one. For ARRT primary eligibility, verify the ARRT program listing and the degree-granting institution's accreditation. For program-specific quality review, verify JRCERT status. For legal operation and professional practice, verify the relevant state agencies. Also confirm that the program meets educational prerequisites for licensure in the state where you intend to work.
How to Verify a Program's Accreditation
Use this four-part process:
- Use JRCERT Find a Program to confirm current programmatic accreditation and review the program detail and outcomes.
- Use ARRT's educational-program directory to confirm that the exact radiography program is ARRT-verified.
- Confirm the degree-granting institution and accrediting mechanism against ARRT's recognized list and the USDE/CHEA directories.
- Check state authorization disclosures and contact the professional licensing agency for every state where you may practice.
JRCERT makes Program Effectiveness Data available annually for its accredited programs. The program detail includes credentialing-exam pass, job-placement, and completion measures. JRCERT states that programs self-report these data through the annual report, so ask the program about definitions, cohort sizes, and recent changes.
What If a Program Is Not JRCERT-Accredited?
Absence of JRCERT accreditation should prompt additional due diligence, but it does not automatically answer ARRT eligibility. Here's what to verify:
- Whether the exact program is currently ARRT-verified for radiography
- Whether the associate or higher degree comes from an institution accredited by an ARRT-recognized mechanism
- Whether the program's curriculum satisfies the educational rules of the state licensing agency where you intend to work
- Whether the program has independent, discipline-specific quality review and transparent outcomes comparable to JRCERT's requirements
The safest approach: verify each credential directly before you apply, not after you enroll. Obtain answers in writing and recheck official directories before starting because statuses and rules can change.
JRCERT-Accredited vs. Not JRCERT-Accredited
| Factor | JRCERT-Accredited Program | Program without JRCERT accreditation |
|---|---|---|
| ARRT exam eligibility | Not automatic; must also be ARRT-verified and meet all ARRT requirements | Possible if ARRT-verified and all other ARRT requirements are met; verify directly |
| Quality standards | Independent peer review | May have institutional or other oversight, but not JRCERT's radiography-specific review |
| Program outcomes | Publicly reported | May publish outcomes, but JRCERT does not collect/publish them |
| Curriculum | Evaluated against JRCERT's radiography curriculum standards | Not evaluated by JRCERT; review ARRT verification and curriculum details separately |
| Clinical education | JRCERT evaluates clinical education and safeguards; it does not state one universal hours minimum | Not evaluated under JRCERT standards; ask about hours, settings, supervision, and competencies |
| Financial aid eligibility | Federal student-aid eligibility depends on institutional/program eligibility and Title IV rules, not simply JRCERT status | |
| Employer recognition | Employer requirements vary; check actual postings and licensing rules in the intended location | |
| Transfer credits | The receiving institution decides whether credits transfer; accreditation does not guarantee acceptance | |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does JRCERT stand for?
JRCERT stands for the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology. It's the USDE-recognized accrediting body for radiography, radiation therapy, magnetic resonance, and medical dosimetry educational programs.
Can I take the ARRT exam if my program isn't JRCERT-accredited?
Not necessarily. For the ARRT primary pathway in radiography, you must complete an ARRT-verified radiography program, earn an associate or higher degree from an institution accredited by an ARRT-recognized mechanism, meet the ethics requirement, and pass the examination. JRCERT programmatic accreditation is a strong quality signal, but ARRT does not universally require the radiography program itself to hold JRCERT accreditation. Verify the exact program in ARRT's directory.
How long does JRCERT accreditation last?
JRCERT policy permits initial-program awards of up to three years and existing-program awards of up to eight years. A program awarded eight years submits an interim report during the fourth year. Check the individual program record and JRCERT accreditation decisions for its current status and next review.
Does CAAHEP accreditation replace JRCERT accreditation for radiography?
No. JRCERT accredits radiography programs. CAAHEP accredits programs in other allied-health disciplines and does not list a radiography Committee on Accreditation. ARRT recognizes multiple institutional and programmatic accreditation mechanisms, but candidates must complete an ARRT-verified program in the same discipline and satisfy ARRT's separate degree requirement.
Which JRCERT Radiography Standards are current?
The current 2021 Radiography Standards are in effect now. A 2031 Standards Revision is in progress, with Draft One published in January 2026. The revision process involves public comment periods and stakeholder input.
Where can I find a list of accredited radiography programs?
Use JRCERT's Find a Program tool for JRCERT-accredited radiography programs and ARRT's Find an Educational Program directory to confirm ARRT verification. JRCERT program records include annually submitted credentialing-exam pass, job-placement, and completion data; JRCERT identifies these data as self-reported by programs.
Start Your Journey
Choosing the right radiography program is one of the most important decisions you'll make in your rad tech career. Verify, don't assume — check JRCERT status, ARRT program verification, institutional accreditation, state authorization and licensure disclosures, costs, curriculum, clinical education, and outcomes.
Remember: official directories are more reliable than marketing language. JRCERT lists the programs it accredits and publishes their self-reported Program Effectiveness Data; ARRT separately lists verified educational programs.
For more guidance on the rad tech career path, check out our complete guide on how to become a radiologic technologist. Radiography is performed using general X-ray equipment, and the profession has a rich history — learn more on our history of radiology page.
Authoritative Sources
- JRCERT — 2021 Standards for an Accredited Educational Program in Radiography
- JRCERT — 2031 Standards revision
- JRCERT — award duration, interim reports, and annual reports policy
- JRCERT — Program Effectiveness Data definitions
- ARRT — primary eligibility pathway requirements
- ARRT — primary-pathway education requirements
- ARRT — recognized accreditation mechanisms
- ARRT — distinction between ARRT certification and state licensing
- U.S. Department of Education — Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs
- 34 C.F.R. § 600.9 — state authorization
- CHEA — accreditation directories
- CAAHEP — accredited-program directory