19 Best Online Vet Tech Programs – 2026

October 17, 2025

Working as a veterinary technician is an exciting career prospect. You get to work with animals, care for them, save their lives, and send pet owners home with a sense that their four-legged friends are in good hands. Becoming a full veterinarian might not be your dream. Maybe it seems like too much schooling, or you’d like to get your feet wet in the career field first before considering moving up the ranks. Online vet tech programs can be a great way to get started on this rewarding career path. If you can’t get to a campus every day to take classes, why not take your vet tech classes online?

Of course, you don’t want to get scammed by some cheap online program. How do you find the best online vet tech programs?

We’ve got your back.

How to Find the Best Online Vet Tech Programs

If you want to actually get hired for your credentials to work as a veterinary technician, you need to be sure that you’re following a program that will actually teach you what you need to know to get the job.

Vet techs need to graduate from a training program that is usually 2–4 years in length after they get their high school diploma. Additionally, many vet techs have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in veterinary technology.

All vet techs:

Work under licensed veterinarians.
Need to pass a credentialing exam.
Must keep up-to-date with continuing education to maintain their license, registration, or certification (depending on the state in which they live).

Essentially, you’re the nurse to the veterinarian’s doctor status. You need to be able to complete tasks specific to the job, and you need to be able to do them well, because animals’ lives depend on you. Given the reality that vet techs need to maintain this high level of training, it’s super important to get your degree from a credible program that is verified or approved by an association that does just that: accredits and verifies vet tech programs.

Vet Tech Accrediting Organizations

There are two main organizations that accredit vet tech and veterinary programs:

The National Association of Veterinary Technicians (NAVTA)
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AMVA)

The programs included on our list of the best online vet tech programs are accredited by either NAVTA or AMVA. We’ve broken the list into two sections based on those accreditations. There is some overlap between the two lists, but we’ve laid them all out completely so you can see the differences—and if a program is accredited by both organizations. Their standards are similar and both represent the best in industry standards. We suggest also doing more research on the individual programs that appeal to you as the individual accreditations don’t change that much from one association to the other.

Do I Have to Get Licensed to Be a Vet Tech?

You sure do—becoming a vet tech means you need to pass a licensure exam. There are two such exams:

The Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE)
The Approved Veterinary Assistant examination (AVA)

Many states require vet techs to take the VTNE through AMVA. Both AMVA and NAVTA work closely together, so it’s worth verifying what exam you need to pass in order to work in your state. Accordingly, you can find state-by-state regulatory board information here, through the American Association of Veterinary State Boards.

Additionally, NAVTA and the AVA Committee have issued a statement about the presence of “several online testing review courses and practice tests” that are self-identified as review for the AVA Exam. However, NAVTA says that it “has neither approved of, nor endorses, any of these courses, practice tests, and online review questions purporting to prepare the test taker” for the NAVTA AVA. Your best bet is to pursue one of the online options below. Lastly, don’t waste your money on courses that aren’t approved by the associations that administer these exams.

Are Online Vet Tech Training Programs Worth It?

The one thing that makes an accredited online vet tech program difficult is the fact that your work will be hands-on. For that reason, many programs do require some type of in-person component that lets you get the hands-on training you need to pass your credentialing exams. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to do the vast majority of learning online. It’s just worth keeping that in mind when you’re researching programs.

NAVTA-Accredited Online Vet Tech Programs

NAVTA ensures that, when you graduate from one of the programs below, you’ll be eligible to take the Approved Veterinary Assistant examination through NAVTA.

1) Animal Behavior College, Veterinary Assistant Program

This vet tech program combines online learning with real-world experience to prepare you for the AVA exam.

Cost: $1,199.00 to $5,630.00, depending on your payment plan.

2) Career Step Online, Veterinary Assistant Program

Get access to this course for 8 months and be prepared to take the AVA with training in vet tech procedures, large and small animal nursing, and radiology and pharmacology.

Cost: $3,799 for the full program. Special funding available for military spouses.

3) Penn Foster, Veterinary Assistant Program

This program is cross-listed with NAVTA and AMVA. You’ll be ready to sit for the AVA and the VTNE. Penn Foster has partnerships with major veterinary hospitals, including Banfield, VCA, and BluePearl.

Cost: $1,499 to $1,999, depending on sales and the payment plan you choose.

4) Ross College, Hybrid Vet Tech Program

Ross College offers a hybrid vet tech program at its Michigan campuses. You’ll take courses online and complete hands-on training at the location closest to you. In total, the program takes just 36 weeks to complete.

Cost: Use Ross’ Net Price Calculator to determine your tuition.

5) VetBloom, Veterinary Assistant Program

This NAVTA-approved online vet tech program requires the completion of 5 modules and an in-person externship that will prepare you for the AVA exam.

Cost: $899.

6) VetBloom, via Purdue University, Vet Tech Associate’s Degree

VetBloom’s associate degree for veterinary technicians is offered through Purdue University.

Cost: Contact VetBloom for more information.

7) VetMedTeam, Veterinary Assistant Program

Proof of high school graduation isn’t required for VetMedTeam’s program. And their AVA exam pass rate is 100%. Seems like a great option if you’re looking for an online program and you’re still finishing your high school degree. You’ll complete 12 courses, and you’ll need to complete 100 hours at an approved veterinary office.

Cost: $875 to $994, depending on your payment plan.

AMVA-Accredited Programs

The following programs have been accredited by the AMVA and will prepare you to sit for the VTNE.

8) Appalachian State University, Bachelor’s Degree in Veterinary Technology

This four-year, 120-credit B.A. created in partnership with Banfield Pet Hospital will grant you a degree and prepare you to sit for your VTNE licensure. Altogether, the program requires 400 hours of clinical experience

Cost: $204 per credit hour for N.C. residents. $24,480 for 120 credits.

9) Dallas College, Veterinary Technician Program

At Dallas College, you’ll be linked with a preceptor who will mentor you through the entire process. Additionally, this program has been accredited since 1978 and has been a distance program since 1998.

Cost: Calculate your estimated costs here.

10) Colby Community College, Associate of Applied Science in Veterinary Technology

You’re not required to visit the campus for this program, but Colby does offer weekend mentorships for their large animal, lab/exotic animal, and microbiology courses. You’ll take a total of 82 credit hours to earn this associate’s degree.

Cost: Determine your cost, based on residency.

11) Jefferson State Community College

Jefferson State’s program is for students who live in Alabama. Moreover, you’ll have to work or volunteer in a veterinary facility located in the state in order to complete the program. There is an expressed need for vet techs in Alabama: there are currently 239 vet techs in the state and 848 veterinary clinics that all need at least one technician.

Cost: Determine your specific cost of attendance here.

12) Northern Virginia Community College, Hybrid Program

This “Hyflex” program allows you to choose from week to week if you want to attend classes online or in person. Also, on-campus labs meet weekly. Students should plan for three visits per semester to the Loudon campus or another field trip location.

Cost: Determine your cost, based on residency and veteran status, here.

13) Penn Foster College, Online Associate’s Degree

Penn Foster’s program is also accredited through NAVTA (we’ve cross-linked it above). You can’t go wrong with an associate’s degree that will tick the boxes of two different accrediting agencies!

Cost: $1,499 to $1,999, depending on sales and the payment plan you choose.

14) Ashworth College

Heads up: AMVA still lists Ashworth College on its list of schools, but Ashworth is not currently accepting applicants as the program is currently under an acceptance moratorium. It’s unclear if they will resume programming again in the future. For the time being, Ashworth is referring prospective students to Penn Foster, which we’ve linked above.

15) Purdue University, Associate’s Degree in Applied Science, Veterinary Nursing

Purdue’s veterinary nursing program maintains an 89% VTNE pass rate. Additionally, this associate’s degree comes with the brand name of a well-known university, which could boost your status on the job market, too.

Cost: Determine your specific tuition and fees, including a potential Partner Tuition Rate, here.

16) Petersburg College, Online Associate’s in Veterinary Technology

Take your clinical practicum courses online, and then complete a 280-hour clinical experience where you live to complete this convenient associate’s degree program. Also, you can start at three different points throughout the year, making it easy to get started on the next phase of your career.

Cost: Estimate your personal cost with St. Petersburg’s Net Price Calculator.

17) Petersburg College, Online Bachelor’s of Applied Science in Veterinary Technology

This is the B.A.S. version of the St. Petersburg offering above. This 4-year program will equip you with a degree that will prepare you for advanced clinical preparations as well as veterinary hospital and clinic management.

Cost: Estimate your personal cost with St. Petersburg’s Net Price Calculator.

18) San Juan College, Associate of Applied Science

San Juan College boasts that its graduates pass the VTNE at rates 15–20% higher than the national average. That’s nothing to shake a stick at. San Juan’s program can truly be completed from anywhere. Additionally, you’ll gain clinical experience at an Off-Campus Clinical Instruction Site, meaning you’ll get hands-on training without having to move to a new city to get started.

Cost: Estimate your cost of tuition with San Juan College’s Net Price Calculator, here.

19) YTI Career Institute, Associate’s Degree in Specialized Technology

Take your courses online from anywhere with YTI, then complete your two separate hands-on clinical training experiences at an approved site near your home. Moreover, the program includes test prep for the VTNE and your first test fee is included in the price of your tuition. YTI also has financial aid available for those who qualify, including the High School Graduate Scholarship Grant.

Cost: Contact YTI for more information to determine your individual estimated tuition.

More Resources to Help Your Search for the Best Online Vet Tech Programs

If you’re in the process of considering online education, you might also be interested in other programs that can jumpstart your career while you work your current job and take care of your family. College Transitions has a number of resources that can help. Check out our other lists and start working toward your goals today:

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Brittany Borghi

After earning a BA in Journalism and an MFA in Nonfiction Writing from the University of Iowa, Brittany spent five years as a full-time lecturer in the Rhetoric Department at the University of Iowa. Additionally, she’s held previous roles as a researcher, full-time daily journalist, and book editor. Brittany’s work has been featured in The Iowa Review, The Hopkins Review, and the Pittsburgh City Paper, among others, and she was also a 2021 Pushcart Prize nominee.