Vet Tech Programs in South Carolina
AVMA lists 3 CVTEA-accredited veterinary technology programs in South Carolina, and all 3 sit at technical colleges awarding associate degrees.
One entry carries a status line worth reading first: Trident Technical College is listed as FULL ACCREDITATION, ADMINISTRATIVE PROBATION — an annotation AVMA's list does not define.
None of the 3 is on AVMA's distance-education list.
South Carolina's LVT license asks for a degree from an AVMA-accredited school — not necessarily one based in South Carolina — so every program on this list and any other AVMA-accredited program meets the education requirement.
Accredited programs
3
Offer an associate degree
3
Offer a bachelor's
0
Status to check
1
Source: AVMA Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA), “Veterinary technology programs accredited by the AVMA CVTEA” and “Distance education programs in veterinary technology accredited by the AVMA CVTEA”, retrieved 2026-09-23. “Status to check” counts programs whose AVMA status line reads anything other than plain full accreditation.
Check the list and the board before you enroll
AVMA-accredited programs in South Carolina
AVMA lists 3 accredited veterinary technology programs in South Carolina, alphabetically below, with each degree, date and status line exactly as AVMA prints it. A struck-through degree is one AVMA marks as discontinued.
Newberry, SC
- Associate of Applied Science
Initial accreditation: December 5, 2008 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2030
FULL ACCREDITATION
Veterinary Technology Program · Pendleton, SC
- Associate of Applied Science
Initial accreditation: April, 1979 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2028
FULL ACCREDITATION
Veterinary Technology Program · Moncks Corner, SC
- Associate in Allied Health Sciences
Initial accreditation: March, 2002 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2031
FULL ACCREDITATION, ADMINISTRATIVE PROBATION
From AVMA’s CVTEA program list, retrieved 2026-09-23.
What AVMA's status lines mean
Administrative probation. AVMA’s program list does not define this term. Its classifications are set out in the CVTEA accreditation policies.
Three programs, all associate degrees, all technical colleges
The 3 entries are Piedmont Technical College in Newberry, Tri-County Technical College in Pendleton and Trident Technical College in Moncks Corner, each in a different city.
Each awards an associate degree, though the wording differs on AVMA's list: an Associate of Applied Science at Piedmont Technical College and Tri-County Technical College, an Associate in Allied Health Sciences at Trident Technical College.
Tri-County Technical College's initial accreditation, dated April, 1979, is the earliest on the list.
AVMA's list gives each program's city, degree, dates and status; anything else, from schedules to clinical placements, is a question for the school.
Trident Technical College's status line, quoted as AVMA prints it
Two of the 3 programs show plain FULL ACCREDITATION: Piedmont Technical College and Tri-County Technical College.
The one status line to check belongs to Trident Technical College in Moncks Corner, which AVMA prints as FULL ACCREDITATION, ADMINISTRATIVE PROBATION, with the next evaluation listed as 2031.
AVMA's list defines initial, probationary and terminal accreditation but does not define administrative probation, so this page quotes the line rather than paraphrasing it.
The concrete step for an applicant: ask Trident Technical College's program what the annotation means for its current students, and ask AVMA's CVTEA what classification it applies before you rely on the entry.
South Carolina's LVT license: an AVMA-accredited degree, then two exams
South Carolina licenses veterinary technicians as Licensed Veterinary Technicians through the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, and the statute defines the credential around a degree in animal health technology from an American Veterinary Medical Association accredited school.
The sources read found no on-the-job or alternate route, so an accredited program is the one education path into the license — and the definition names no location requirement, so an AVMA-accredited program based outside South Carolina, including a distance program, meets the same education requirement.
After graduating, an applicant passes the VTNE and the Board's own examination on the Veterinary Medical Practice Rules and Regulations, South Carolina's jurisprudence layer, scoring no less than 70% on the state exam.
Practicing veterinary technology in violation of the chapter is a misdemeanor, so the credential is mandatory to practice.
All 3 programs above appear on AVMA's CVTEA list of accredited programs.
State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation)
A Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) — the statute defines the title as a person with a degree in animal health technology from an American Veterinary Medical Association accredited school who has been licensed to practice in this State.
A degree in animal health technology from an American Veterinary Medical Association accredited school offering a program in animal health technology; the sources read found no on-the-job or alternate route.
Both the VTNE — certified results achieving the criterion-referenced passing score in effect at the time of examination — and the Board's own online examination on the Veterinary Medical Practice Rules and Regulations; the South Carolina examination requires a score of no less than 70% and may be retaken after 24 hours.
AVMA’s distance-education list
AVMA names 13 programs on a separate distance-education list. Each is listed under the state where it is based. Whether a program admits students living in South Carolina, and how it arranges clinical placements there, is a question for the program.
From AVMA’s distance-education program list, retrieved 2026-09-23.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited vet tech programs are in South Carolina?
AVMA's CVTEA list, retrieved September 23, 2026, names 3 accredited veterinary technology programs in South Carolina: Piedmont Technical College in Newberry, Tri-County Technical College in Pendleton and Trident Technical College in Moncks Corner.
Each awards an associate degree, and none of the 3 appears on AVMA's separate distance-education list.
Accreditation statuses change, so check AVMA's own list for the current entry before you apply to any of them.
Is there a bachelor's degree vet tech program in South Carolina?
Not on AVMA's current list.
All 3 South Carolina programs award associate degrees: an Associate of Applied Science at Piedmont Technical College and Tri-County Technical College, and an Associate in Allied Health Sciences at Trident Technical College.
The state's license definition asks for a degree in animal health technology from an AVMA accredited school without naming a degree level, so any of the 3 satisfies the education requirement.
Is Trident Technical College's vet tech program still accredited?
AVMA's entry for Trident Technical College reads FULL ACCREDITATION, ADMINISTRATIVE PROBATION, with initial accreditation dated March, 2002 and the next evaluation listed as 2031.
AVMA's list defines initial, probationary and terminal accreditation but does not define administrative probation, so ask the program and AVMA's CVTEA directly what the annotation means for a new applicant.
The state's other 2 programs show plain FULL ACCREDITATION.
Can I become a vet tech in South Carolina without an accredited program?
Not through any route in the sources read.
South Carolina's statute defines a Licensed Veterinary Technician as a person holding a degree in animal health technology from an AVMA-accredited school, and no on-the-job or alternate route appears in the sources read.
Unlicensed staff can still work in a practice — the statute's definitions place them in the veterinary-aide slot rather than the LVT one — but practicing veterinary technology in violation of the chapter is a misdemeanor.
If you are hoping your in-practice hours count toward the license, ask the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners before planning around it.
Are there distance-education vet tech programs South Carolina residents can take online?
None of South Carolina's 3 programs appears on AVMA's separate distance-education list, which names 13 programs nationwide, each listed under the state where it is based; this page renders all 13 lower down.
The license's education requirement is a degree from an AVMA-accredited school, and any AVMA-accredited program satisfies it wherever it is based, so an accredited distance program meets the education requirement just as an in-state one does.
If you consider one of them, ask the school whether it admits students living in South Carolina and how it arranges the supervised clinical hours an accredited program requires.
More South Carolina Veterinary Technician Resources
Sources
- AVMA CVTEA — Veterinary technology programs accredited by the AVMA CVTEA (South Carolina section and status definitions) (retrieved 2026-09-23)
- AVMA CVTEA — Distance education programs in veterinary technology accredited by the AVMA CVTEA (retrieved 2026-09-23)
- South Carolina Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, License Requirements for Licensed Veterinary Technician, as summarised on the South Carolina requirements page (retrieved 2026-09-16)
Program list: AVMA CVTEA, retrieved 2026-09-23. Page last updated 2026-09-23.