Career Training Path › Phlebotomy classes
Phlebotomy classes
If you finish a phlebotomy program and work as a phlebotomist, expect to start around $35,780–$38,190 a year and reach the trade's median of $45,230 with experience; the top quarter earn $48,930 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025). There are 321 accredited campuses offering it; their graduates' actual first-year median, counting every graduate whatever job they took, was $24,832, with median debt of $6,298.
What you'd earn working as a phlebotomist
Annual wages for the 143,540 people employed as phlebotomists nationally — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. This is the figure to plan around if you intend to work in the trade.
How pay grows in this trade
Getting in: A short course (a few weeks to a semester); national certification (ASCP, NHA, AMT) is required in a few states and preferred everywhere.
- Hospital and reference-lab positions pay more than clinic draw stations.
- Phlebotomy is often a stepping stone into medical laboratory technician or nursing programs.
Typical time to mid-career pay: 2–3, or bridge years. Licensing and apprenticeship rules vary by state and employer — verify with your state board before enrolling.
What graduates of these programs actually earned
Federal College Scorecard medians for every federally aided graduate of these programs, whatever job they took after finishing — including part-time work, apprentice wages and work outside the trade. That is why they sit below the trade's wage ladder above. Use them to compare schools against each other, not to judge what the career pays.
Find phlebotomy programs by state
36 campuses Florida
33 campuses · $25,253 yr-1 pay Illinois
20 campuses · $27,984 yr-1 pay California
17 campuses · $29,152 yr-1 pay Georgia
17 campuses · $21,361 yr-1 pay Arizona
14 campuses · $26,937 yr-1 pay Arkansas
13 campuses Washington
13 campuses · $29,538 yr-1 pay Louisiana
11 campuses · $19,533 yr-1 pay Minnesota
11 campuses Colorado
10 campuses · $20,401 yr-1 pay Pennsylvania
10 campuses · $22,773 yr-1 pay Kansas
8 campuses Massachusetts
8 campuses Michigan
8 campuses · $21,253 yr-1 pay New Mexico
8 campuses · $23,472 yr-1 pay Utah
8 campuses North Carolina
7 campuses Texas
7 campuses · $26,937 yr-1 pay Wisconsin
6 campuses · $24,622 yr-1 pay West Virginia
6 campuses South Carolina
5 campuses Nevada
4 campuses New York
4 campuses Tennessee
4 campuses Alaska
3 campuses Oklahoma
3 campuses South Dakota
3 campuses Iowa
2 campuses Maine
2 campuses Missouri
2 campuses Mississippi
2 campuses Montana
2 campuses New Hampshire
2 campuses New Jersey
2 campuses Virginia
2 campuses Connecticut
1 campuses Delaware
1 campuses Indiana
1 campuses · $24,673 yr-1 pay North Dakota
1 campuses Nebraska
1 campuses Oregon
1 campuses Rhode Island
1 campuses · $24,990 yr-1 pay Wyoming
1 campuses
Where phlebotomy graduates earn the most
Median program-level earnings one year after completion, states with 3+ reporting programs. Source: College Scorecard field-of-study data.
Public vs. non-profit vs. for-profit phlebotomy schools
| School type | Campuses | Median earnings, yr 1 | Median debt | Avg completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public | 265 | $23,368 | $7,500 | 48% |
| Private non-profit | 7 | not reported | not reported | 71% |
| Private for-profit | 49 | $26,937 | $3,166 | 70% |
How to choose a phlebotomy program
- Check accreditation first. Every campus listed here is accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, or awarded federally reported credentials. Each profile names the accreditor and links to the federal record.
- Compare completion, not just tuition. A cheap program that half the class never finishes costs more than it looks. Profiles show each campus's completion rate against its state average.
- Look at earnings a year out, by program. The Scorecard reports median earnings for graduates of this specific program at this specific campus where cohorts are large enough. That is the number to compare, not national averages.
- Ask about federal aid. "Title IV eligible: Yes" means FAFSA, Pell Grants and federal loans apply. Many also accept GI Bill and WIOA funding — ask.
- Verify state licensing where it applies. Trades like phlebotomy may need a state license or certification after the program; the school should say which exam its graduates sit.
Earnings are median wages and self-employment income reported to the IRS (W-2 and Schedule SE) for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled, measured in the calendar year after finishing. They are pay only: health insurance, retirement contributions and other benefits are not included.
"What the trade pays" is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025): annual wages for everyone employed in the occupation nationally, at the 10th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th and 90th percentiles. The 10th–25th percentile band is a fair guide to entry-level pay; the 75th–90th to experienced workers. Program earnings (above) are lower because they count every graduate of the program in their first year, including part-time work, apprentice wages and jobs outside the trade.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey; College Scorecard June 2026; Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), September 2026), the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Completions survey, and the Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP). Figures are federal medians and means for campuses in this program group; "not reported" means the federal file suppresses the value for privacy (small cohorts) — never an estimate.