Vet Tech Programs in Washington
AVMA lists 5 CVTEA-accredited veterinary technology programs in Washington, and all 5 award an associate degree — the state's list carries no bachelor's.
One entry asks for a closer read before you apply: Bellingham Technical College is on probationary accreditation, with deficiencies in Standard 10.
Washington licenses veterinary technicians through its Veterinary Board of Governors; graduation from an AVMA- or CVMA-accredited program is the standard route into the license, and the Department of Health lists routes built on other qualifications too.
Accredited programs
5
Offer an associate degree
5
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 Washington
AVMA lists 5 accredited veterinary technology programs in Washington, alphabetically below, with each degree, date and status line exactly as AVMA prints it. A struck-through degree is one AVMA marks as discontinued.
Bellingham, WA
- Associate of Applied Science
Initial accreditation: October 6, 2010 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2025
PROBATIONARY ACCREDITATION (w/ deficiencies in Standard 10)
Veterinary Technology Program · Lakewood, WA
- Associate in Veterinary Technology
Initial accreditation: May, 1974 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2030
FULL ACCREDITATION
Renton, WA
- Associate of Applied Science
Initial accreditation: March 20, 2009 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2031
FULL ACCREDITATION
Veterinary Technology Program · Seattle, WA
- Associate of Applied Science
Initial accreditation: October 2, 2007 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2029
FULL ACCREDITATION
Veterinary Technology Program · Yakima, WA
- Associate of Applied Science
Initial accreditation: March, 1999 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2025
FULL ACCREDITATION
From AVMA’s CVTEA program list, retrieved 2026-09-23.
What AVMA's status lines mean
Probationary accreditation. “Programs on PROBATIONARY accreditation are still officially accredited, though they may have deficiencies in one or more Standards. Those deficiencies are listed after their status. Graduates from programs on Probationary accreditation are considered to be graduates of an AVMA CVTEA accredited program.” — AVMA
5 programs, every one an associate degree
All 5 Washington entries award an associate degree, and no entry lists a bachelor's. 4 of them print an Associate of Applied Science — Bellingham Technical College, Pima Medical Institute-Renton, Pima Medical Institute-Seattle and Yakima Valley College — while Pierce College at Fort Steilacoom prints an Associate in Veterinary Technology.
Two of the 5 belong to the same system, each listed separately: Pima Medical Institute-Renton in Renton and Pima Medical Institute-Seattle in Seattle.
The remaining cities are Bellingham, Lakewood and Yakima, and Pierce College at Fort Steilacoom carries the earliest initial accreditation on the list, which AVMA dates to May, 1974.
AVMA prints no former name for any Washington entry, and what no entry carries — admissions requirements, schedules, what a program charges — is a question for the school.
One status line to read: Bellingham Technical College
Bellingham Technical College is the one Washington program AVMA lists with a status line other than plain FULL ACCREDITATION: probationary accreditation, with deficiencies in Standard 10, and a next evaluation AVMA prints as 2025.
AVMA's own definition says a probationary program is still officially accredited and that its graduates count as graduates of an accredited program.
Standard 10 is CVTEA's curriculum standard, the one that sets a program's required coursework and its supervised clinical experience.
That pairing is the concrete question to put to Bellingham Technical College: what the deficiencies cover and what they mean for someone enrolling now.
The other 4 Washington entries carry plain FULL ACCREDITATION lines.
No distance program is based in Washington
None of the 5 appears on AVMA's distance-education list.
AVMA names 13 distance programs in all, each listed under the state where it is based, and this page lists them lower down with their home states.
Washington's rule is accreditation, not location: the standard route into the license asks for graduation from an AVMA- or CVMA-accredited program, and the distance programs on AVMA's list meet that description.
For any of the 13, a Washington resident needs two answers from the school first: whether it admits students living in Washington, and how it arranges the supervised clinical hours every accredited program requires at a practice near where the student lives.
What Washington's license asks of a program
The Washington Veterinary Board of Governors, part of the Department of Health, licenses veterinary technicians.
The Department of Health's licensing-requirements page lists 5 education routes, and only the first is a program like the ones on this list: graduation from an AVMA- or CVMA-accredited program.
The others are a non-accredited animal-health or veterinary technology curriculum plus 36 months of supervised experience under one or more licensed veterinarians; licensure in another state plus 36 months of supervised experience; a DVM or VMD degree from an AVMA-accredited college; or military veterinary-technician training plus a tour of active duty.
No route runs on experience alone.
Licensing also requires passing the VTNE, and the state jurisprudence exam left the initial licensing requirements on July 28, 2025 — it is now a continuing-education requirement during the first year of licensure.
Whether the license is mandatory is not settled on the sources read: the chapter's penalty sections are written around unlicensed practice of veterinary medicine, surgery, or dentistry rather than the technician title, so confirm your situation with the board.
Washington Veterinary Board of Governors (Department of Health)
The statute calls the credential a veterinary technician license — the term is defined by reference to licensure, and Washington's own statute and Department of Health pages write the title out in full; the LVT letters on job postings are professional custom, not wording the state's materials use.
Five routes on the Department of Health's licensing-requirements page: an AVMA- or CVMA-accredited program; a non-accredited two-year animal-health or veterinary technology curriculum plus 36 months of full-time supervised experience; licensure in another state plus 36 months of full-time experience; a DVM or VMD degree from an AVMA-accredited college; or military veterinary-technician training plus a tour of active duty.
The VTNE. The Washington State Jurisprudence Examination was removed from initial licensing requirements effective July 28, 2025 and is now a continuing-education requirement during the first year of licensure.
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 Washington, 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 Washington?
AVMA's CVTEA list, retrieved September 23, 2026, names 5 accredited veterinary technology programs in Washington, and every one awards an associate degree.
There is no bachelor's program on the state's list.
Bellingham Technical College is the one entry with a status line other than plain FULL ACCREDITATION, and the other 4 carry plain FULL ACCREDITATION.
Accreditation status changes, so check AVMA's own list for the current entry before you apply.
Is there a bachelor's degree vet tech program in Washington?
No. All 5 programs on AVMA's Washington list award associate degrees: an Associate of Applied Science at Bellingham Technical College, Pima Medical Institute-Renton, Pima Medical Institute-Seattle and Yakima Valley College, and an Associate in Veterinary Technology at Pierce College at Fort Steilacoom.
None of the 5 lists a bachelor's, and AVMA's page is where any new Washington entry would appear first, so re-check it before you apply.
Is Bellingham Technical College's vet tech program still accredited?
Yes.
AVMA lists it on probationary accreditation, with deficiencies in Standard 10, and AVMA's definition says a probationary program is still officially accredited — its graduates count as graduates of an AVMA CVTEA accredited program.
Standard 10 is CVTEA's curriculum standard, which sets a program's coursework and its supervised clinical experience.
AVMA prints the program's next evaluation as 2025.
Ask Bellingham Technical College directly what the deficiencies cover and how they affect an applicant enrolling now.
Can I qualify for Washington's vet tech license without an accredited program?
Yes — beyond the standard AVMA- or CVMA-accredited route, the Department of Health's licensing-requirements page lists routes built on other qualifications: a non-accredited animal-health or veterinary technology curriculum plus 36 months of supervised experience under one or more licensed veterinarians, licensure in another state plus 36 months of supervised experience, or military veterinary-technician training plus a tour of active duty.
There is also a route for holders of a DVM or VMD degree.
No route runs on experience alone, so confirm the paperwork for your situation with the Department of Health.
Is there a distance-education vet tech program online for Washington residents?
None is based in Washington — AVMA's distance-education list names no program based in the state.
The 13 distance programs AVMA accredits are based elsewhere and are listed under their home states lower on this page.
A Washington resident can still study with one, because the license route asks for an AVMA- or CVMA-accredited program and the distance programs on AVMA's list meet that description.
Ask each school whether it admits students living in Washington and how it arranges the supervised clinical hours.
More Washington Veterinary Technician Resources
Sources
- AVMA CVTEA — Veterinary technology programs accredited by the AVMA CVTEA (Washington 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)
- Washington State Department of Health, Veterinary Technician — Licensing Requirements (the education routes), as summarised on the Washington requirements page (retrieved 2026-09-16)
- Washington State Department of Health, Veterinary Technician — Licensing Information (Board of Governors credential, exams, renewal), as summarised on the Washington requirements page (retrieved 2026-09-16)
Program list: AVMA CVTEA, retrieved 2026-09-23. Page last updated 2026-09-23.