Compare MA community colleges and training centers by hours, cost and exam prep
Massachusetts phlebotomy training is short by design, but the format you pick changes the timeline more than the curriculum does. Community colleges, private career schools and some hospitals or blood centers all offer certificates that run weeks rather than semesters, typically 4 to 16 weeks and 40 to 200 hours.
The state does not license phlebotomists. Employers still expect a national credential such as the NHA CPT or ASCP PBT, and most programs here are designed to prepare you for one.
That gap between no legal requirement and a credential most employers prefer is where many new students lose time and money.
The ten programs below are the Massachusetts schools in our catalog that offer a phlebotomy certificate, ordered by a mix of cost, student outcomes and how the program is delivered. Each card gives the city, the format, the institution-wide net price after aid and a short read on what makes the program worth a look. Graduation rates, where shown, describe the whole institution rather than the phlebotomy certificate alone.
| Rank | School | Location | Net price | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | North Shore Community College | Danvers, MA | ~$9,000/yr (est.) | North Shore residents adding EKG skills | |
North Shore Community College runs its phlebotomy and EKG technician training through Corporate and Professional Education at the Danvers campus, so students leave with blood draw skills plus electrocardiogram training in one sitting. Instruction pairs classroom work with hands-on practice taught by licensed healthcare professionals, and the coursework is built around national certification exams. A CORI check and health documentation, including immunizations and a TB test, are required before healthcare courses. | |||||
| #2 | Middlesex Community College | Bedford, MA | $6,000 – $12,000/yr (est.) | Evening and weekend learners in Lowell | |
Middlesex Community College offers a for-credit phlebotomy certificate taught at the Lowell Campus in the Health, Science and Technology Center, with accelerated evening and weekend formats for working students. The curriculum covers venipuncture, capillary puncture, infection control and OSHA safety, then sends students into a 100-hour externship. Graduates finish with the draw counts and coursework needed to sit for national certification. | |||||
| #3 | Massachusetts Bay Community College | Wellesley Hills, MA | $7,000/yr (est. net price) | Hybrid learners wanting small cohorts | |
MassBay's phlebotomy technician certificate is a two-semester hybrid program: asynchronous online lectures plus weekly evening labs on the Framingham campus, capped at a small class size. Students finish with a 160-hour clinical capstone at a hospital or clinic and prepare for the NHA national certification exam. Admission is selective and rolling, and applicants need a high school diploma, placement into English Composition and Intermediate Algebra, a qualifying reading score and CPR certification. | |||||
| #4 | Bristol Community College | Fall River, MA | $5,000 – $10,000/yr (est.) | ||
Bristol Community College's phlebotomy certificate covers routine and special blood collection plus specimen processing, built on two courses in clinical laboratory science and phlebotomy methods. Students complete a 100-hour clinical practicum at affiliate sites, which may require up to an hour of travel. The program offers both a traditional two-semester track and a hybrid accelerated one-semester option, and graduates are eligible for the ASCP-BOC exam. | |||||
| #5 | Quinsigamond Community College | Worcester, MA | $6,000 – $11,000/yr (est.) | ||
Quinsigamond Community College lists a Phlebotomy and EKG Technician certificate among its healthcare programs of study in Worcester, with coursework under the ALH prefix and a direct-entry variant available. The program carries a per-semester program fee on top of tuition. The college also runs medical assisting, pharmacy technician and nursing assistant certificates for students weighing nearby healthcare paths. | |||||
| #6 | Quincy College | Quincy, MA | ~$17,000/yr (est.) | ||
Quincy College's phlebotomy career training certificate is a 10-week hybrid program that pairs synchronous online theory with hands-on labs at a dedicated training center, plus a 3-week internship. Classes meet over Zoom and on campus in Quincy, Plymouth or Boston, and the program prepares students for the national certification exam. Qualified students may receive full funding through MassHire, and the college partners with JVS Boston. | |||||
| #7 | Bunker Hill Community College | Boston, MA | $8,000/yr (est. net price) | ||
Bunker Hill Community College in Boston runs a hybrid phlebotomy technician certification program that combines self-paced online study with instructor-led Zoom sessions and optional in-person labs at the Chelsea campus. Most students finish in 8 to 16 weeks, and a 40-hour clinical externship or job placement support follows completion. Tuition includes an e-book and an exam voucher, and the program prepares students for the NWCA Certified Phlebotomy Technician exam as well as the NHA CPT. | |||||
| #8 | Berkshire Community College | Pittsfield, MA | $5,000 – $10,000/yr (est.) | ||
Berkshire Community College's phlebotomy technician certificate is taught face to face in Pittsfield over roughly 12.5 weeks, with 40 hours of clinical training at Berkshire Medical Center outpatient labs. Students learn blood collection, handling and processing for patients of all ages, along with job search strategies, and prepare for a nationally recognized PTC certification. A CORI check is required before fieldwork. | |||||
| #9 | Massasoit Community College | Brockton, MA | ~$8,000/yr (est.) | ||
Massasoit Community College's non-credit phlebotomy technician certificate packs 197 hours into a single semester: 77 classroom hours plus a 120-hour unpaid full-time practicum at a local facility. Classes meet Tuesday and Thursday evenings at the Middleborough location, with clinical placement following the classroom portion. Admission is selective and requires an intake session, a CORI check, a health form and proof of immunization. | |||||
| #10 | Regis College | Weston, MA | $25,000 – $30,000/yr (est.) | ||
Regis College in Weston offers a fully online phlebotomy technician certificate that can be finished in two to four months at roughly 20 hours of study per week. The curriculum covers venipuncture, capillary puncture, safety protocols and patient interaction, aimed at entry-level roles in hospitals, clinics and labs. It is the most flexible format on this list and the most expensive per credit of the group. | |||||
These schools are ordered by average net price after aid, a school-wide figure from federal data that reflects what students pay across all programs, not the phlebotomy certificate alone. Where a college publishes its own phlebotomy price, it appears in a separate column (Quincy College, not ranked here, lists $2,500), and in each case that price comes before textbooks, scrubs, liability insurance, a CORI background check, immunizations and the national exam fee, which runs $134 for the NHA CPT or $155 for the ASCP PBT. Workforce sources put standalone Massachusetts training at roughly $700 to $3,000 depending on the provider. No program here is free, but eligible students can lower the bill through community college aid, including the state's Free Community College program (which can add up to $1,200 a year for books and supplies based on income) or Pell grants for credit-bearing certificates, or through WIOA training funds arranged with a MassHire career center, which may cover tuition, books, scrubs, background checks and the exam fee once your training plan is approved.
| School | City | Program | Clinical Hours | Average Net Price After Aid (School-Wide) | Published Program Tuition | Notes From the Program |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesex Community College | Bedford | Phlebotomy Certificate | 100 | $2,624 | N/A | 16 credit hours; 100 venipunctures required; classes at Lowell campus; CORI/SORI check may be required |
| Bristol Community College | Fall River | Phlebotomy Certificate | 100 | $5,547 | N/A | 7 credit hours; prepares for ASCP exam; extra costs for uniforms and drug screening; health and liability insurance required |
| Massachusetts Bay Community College | Wellesley Hills | Phlebotomy Certificate | 160 | $7,169 | N/A | 2-semester hybrid program; prepares for NHA exam; evening labs in Framingham; limited to 20 students per class |
| Bunker Hill Community College | Boston | Phlebotomy Technician Certification Program | 40 | $7,818 | $2,109 | 8 to 16 weeks; e-book included with tuition; in-person labs at Chelsea campus; eligible for R3 grant funding |
| Massasoit Community College | Brockton | Phlebotomy Technician Certificate (Noncredit) | 120 | $8,460 | $1,759 (textbook extra) | 197 total hours; evening classes in Middleborough; CORI check and proof of immunization required |
Quincy College's Phlebotomy Career Training Certificate runs 14 weeks and includes 120 practical hours, while MassBay's version stretches across two semesters. Format alone can shift your timeline, cost and schedule.
Community colleges give you the most verifiable details in Massachusetts.
For STCC and North Shore Community College, confirm length, hours and cost directly with the program before you plan around them.
General 2026 guidance puts private programs at roughly 4 to 8 weeks and $1,500 to $4,000. Treat that as a national ballpark, not a Massachusetts quote. Ask any center for its exact clinical hours, whether externship placement is guaranteed, and what the exam fee covers. Shorter courses suit people who need to start working quickly, but check that the clinical component is included in the price.
The one named sponsor is the American Red Cross in Dedham, which lists paid training and requires no prior experience. No Massachusetts hospital-sponsored program is confirmed. General guidance says some hospitals offer training in exchange for a 12 to 24 month work commitment at about $16 to $19 an hour, but treat that as unverified for Massachusetts until a hospital's HR office puts it in writing.
Pick the format that matches your schedule and budget, then confirm that the clinical hours will qualify you to sit a national exam.
Massachusetts does not license phlebotomists at the state level, so your path runs through training and a national certification exam that employers expect. Most people finish 4 to 16 weeks of training (about 40 to 200 hours), then add time to schedule and sit the exam. The steps below show the usual order.
Baystate Health's Holyoke campus listed six phlebotomy openings at once: three full-time patient service center roles, one per diem patient service center role, and two inpatient positions. That single cluster shows how the Massachusetts market works. Hospital systems hire in batches, not one role at a time.
Baystate also posted part-time and full-time inpatient phlebotomy roles at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, with day and night shifts running 20 to 36 hours a week. Baystate Holyoke's day shifts typically run 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM or 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Beth Israel Lahey Health also posts phlebotomy jobs across several sites. Its postings include a full-time day patient service center role in Chestnut Hill, a 40-hour emergency department position at Winchester Hospital from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM Monday through Friday, a 32-hour day role in Burlington, and a Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM lab specialist and phlebotomist job at Arlington Primary Care. Winchester's evening shift, 2:30 PM to 11:00 PM, carried a posted range of $21.00 to $28.26 an hour.
Commercial labs are a separate hiring channel from hospitals. LabCorp has patient service centers in Westford and Boston; both postings were indexed but are now inactive, which is normal for high-turnover lab roles. Nonprofit blood centers such as the American Red Cross, hospital donor centers, outpatient clinics and community health centers also hire phlebotomists, though current 2026 postings in those settings were not confirmed.
Certification is usually preferred rather than mandatory. Baystate Holyoke, the Chestnut Hill site and Winchester all list it as preferred, and Winchester asks for experience or certification. Arlington prefers completion of a phlebotomy certification program with an externship and ASCP board registry certification, but lists neither as required. Burlington does not require a national phlebotomy credential at all, but wants six months of experience and BLS within a year. Entry-level candidates will find per diem and part-time openings, plus day, evening and inpatient night shifts. Expect 20 to 40 hours a week depending on the role.
Massachusetts does not license phlebotomists at the state level, but most hospitals, labs and draw sites in the state will not hire you without a national certification such as the NHA CPT or ASCP PBT.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics put the Massachusetts phlebotomist median at $50,170 a year across 2,580 jobs, about $4,940 above the national median of $45,230 (national figures from the May 2025 release), with the state's middle half of earners falling between $47,260 and $57,960. The 10th and 90th percentiles mark the bottom and top tenth of earners: nationally, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn under $35,780 a year, a range that usually reflects new graduates in their first draw-site or clinic jobs, while the top 10 percent earn more than $58,780, a level typically reached by experienced, certified phlebotomists in hospital or specialty roles. BLS does not report 10th or 90th percentile pay for Massachusetts specifically, so the state's 25th and 75th percentiles are the best local guide: plan on starting near the lower figure and moving toward the upper one as you gain certification, experience and difficult-draw skills.
| Measure | Massachusetts | National |
|---|---|---|
| Employment | 2,580 | 143,540 |
| 10th percentile (annual) | N/A | $35,780 |
| 25th percentile (annual) | $47,260 | N/A |
| Median (annual) | $50,170 | $45,230 |
| Mean (annual) | $52,540 | $45,520 |
| 75th percentile (annual) | $57,960 | N/A |
| 90th percentile (annual) | N/A | $58,780 |
Location is the tradeoff that decides more Massachusetts phlebotomy enrollments than tuition does. Drive time to clinical rotations and whether evening sections exist matter more, week to week, than a few hundred dollars of price difference.
Start with the city page closest to you. Each one covers local programs, class formats and the commute:
Ask two questions of any program within reach: where the supervised draws happen, and whether you can finish classroom hours after a workday. If the clinical site is 45 minutes away at 6 a.m., that is part of the cost.
If your city is not listed, browse the program listing or widen your search to the nearest metro area.
12 schools in the state offer this course through an education partner, with open enrollment and a national certification exam voucher. Request information to hear from the school directly.
Certified Phlebotomy Technician course (vouchers and lab included)
Certified Phlebotomy Technician course (vouchers and lab included)
Certified Phlebotomy Technician course (vouchers and lab included)
Certified Phlebotomy Technician course (vouchers and lab included)
Certified Phlebotomy Technician course (vouchers and lab included)
Certified Phlebotomy Technician course (vouchers and lab included)
Certified Phlebotomy Technician course (vouchers and lab included)
Certified Phlebotomy Technician course (vouchers and lab included)
Certified Phlebotomy Technician course (vouchers and lab included)
Certified Phlebotomy Technician course (vouchers and lab included)
Certified Phlebotomy Technician course (vouchers and lab included)
Certified Phlebotomy Technician course (vouchers and lab included)
Sponsored listings. These schools offer the course through an education partner and may compensate us when you request information. Compensation does not affect the rankings or the directory on this page.
11 schools, grouped by city. Select a program to see its highlights, and use the Website link for the school's own program page.
Program data from the schools and the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS).
These are the questions Massachusetts students ask most often before they enroll. Details vary by school and by funding office, so confirm specifics with the program and the certifying organization before you pay.
