How many speech pathology graduate programs are there?
322 U.S. institutions offered a master's degree in speech-language pathology in the 2024–25 academic year, ASHA's CSD Education Survey found; they enrolled 10,668 first-year students and 22,587 master's students in all, and granted 9,896 degrees.[asha_slp25] To lead to ASHA certification, the master's must come from a program accredited by ASHA's Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA), and at least 325 of the 400 required clinical hours must be earned in it.[asha_ccc]
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Institutions offering the SLP master’s | 322 |
| Applications received | 52,830 |
| Offers of admission | 24,413 (46.2%) |
| Offers that came with funding | 21.3% |
| Seats per program, mean / median | 40.6 / 32 |
| First-year students enrolled | 10,668 |
| Total master’s enrollment | 22,587 |
| Master’s degrees granted | 9,896 |
Response rate 92% (295 of 322) of programs; ASHA did not extrapolate. Applications are counted per program, not per person.
SLP grad school acceptance rate
Programs offered admission on 46.2% of the applications they received in 2024–25.[asha_slp25] That is a per-application rate, not your personal odds: most applicants apply to several programs, and in 2023–24 the average program received 178 applications and made 81 offers for a median of 32 seats.[asha_agg24] The mean GPA range of students offered admission was 3.08–3.99, and 21.3% of offers came with funding, mostly assistantships and scholarships.[asha_slp25]
SLP grad school requirements
Most programs expect a bachelor's in communication sciences and disorders or the prerequisite courses: in 2023–24, 88% of SLP master's programs had prerequisite requirements for applicants from other majors, and 68.7% offered those courses to students whether or not they were admitted.[asha_agg24] 30.6% required a capstone project and 16.2% a thesis. Graduates logged an average of 113 practicum hours on campus and 337 off campus, about 450 in all, against ASHA's 400-hour minimum that includes 25 observation hours.[asha_agg24][asha_ccc]
| Stage | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Admission | Bachelor’s; prerequisites at 88% of programs for non-CSD majors; offered GPA range 3.08–3.99 |
| Program | CAA-accredited master’s, usually about two years (54–60 credits at the public programs below) |
| Clinical hours | 400 supervised hours (25 observation), at least 325 at the graduate level |
| National exam | Praxis 5331 ($146) through Dec 26, 2026; PSI exam from Jan 11, 2027; pass score 162 |
| After graduating | Clinical Fellowship of at least 36 weeks and 1,260 hours, then the CCC-SLP and a state license |
How full programs are, by state
SLP master's programs filled 88.8% of their first-year seats nationally in 2023–24, but the share varies widely by state, from 62.2% in Delaware to 107.6% in Minnesota.[asha_agg24] A lower fill rate means programs in that state enrolled fewer students than they had room for.
| Most room (lowest fill) | Fill | Fullest | Fill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | 62.2% | Minnesota | 107.6% |
| Rhode Island | 66.7% | West Virginia | 100.0% |
| Alabama | 67.2% | Vermont | 100.0% |
| Wyoming | 75.0% | South Dakota | 100.0% |
| Maine | 76.0% | Hawaii | 100.0% |
| New Hampshire | 76.7% | Washington | 99.2% |
| Iowa | 81.0% | Oregon | 99.1% |
| North Dakota | 83.3% | Kentucky | 98.0% |
ASHA CSD Education Survey 2024 (academic year 2023–24), Table 8. Above 100% means programs enrolled more students than their stated capacity.
What SLP graduate school costs
Public tuition alone runs from about $19,587 for Kansas residents at Fort Hays State (54 credits) to about $51,540 at Idaho State's campus rate of $859 a credit for 60 credits, before fees and living costs.[s_fhsu_slp][s_isu_slp] SLP is not on the Education Department's professional-degree list, so federal Direct Unsubsidized loans are capped at $20,500 a year and $100,000 in total for loans from July 1, 2026, at 8.07% in 2026–27.[fr_therapy][fr_rates]
Borrowing Idaho State's campus tuition leaves about $57,779 owed when payments start, 0.74 times a new SLP's 25th-percentile salary of $77,730; adding $40,000 of living costs raises it to 1.32 times, on a 20-year standard plan of $863 a month or a first-year RAP payment of $453.[usc_1087e][onet_slp] Enter your own program in the calculator at the top.
What you earn after the program
Speech-language pathologists earn a median $97,870 a year, or $47.05 an hour (BLS, May 2025), from $62,900 at the 10th percentile to $134,160 at the 90th.[onet_slp] The Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact has been enacted by 37 jurisdictions, and practitioners licensed in Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia can already register for compact privileges.[aslp] Pay in every state is on speech pathologist salary, the full route from college to license on how to become a speech pathologist, and how SLP costs compare with a DPT on physical therapy school cost.
Frequently asked questions
How many speech pathology graduate programs are there?
322 institutions offered a master's in speech-language pathology in 2024–25, according to ASHA's CSD Education Survey.
What is the acceptance rate for SLP grad school?
Programs made offers on 46.2% of the 52,830 applications they received in 2024–25. Because most students apply to several programs, your own chance of at least one offer can differ.
What GPA do you need for SLP grad school?
ASHA reports a mean GPA range of 3.08–3.99 for students offered admission in 2024–25. Each program sets its own minimum.
Can I get into SLP grad school without a CSD degree?
Yes, but 88% of programs require prerequisite courses for applicants from other majors, and 68.7% offer those courses to students who are not yet admitted (2023–24).
Sources
- Data At-A-Glance for Speech-Language Pathology Master’s Programs, Academic Year 2024–2025 (2025 CSD Education Survey)
- CSD Education Survey National Aggregate Data Report, 2023–2024 academic year (prerequisites, capacity, practicum hours, fill rates by state)
- 2020 Standards for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology
- MS Speech-Language Pathology graduate tuition breakdown 2026-27 (54 credits, $19,587.42 resident)
- MS in SLP program costs ($859 per credit, about 60 credits)
- Federal Student Loan Program Final Regulations: professional degree list and preamble on PT, OT, SLP and audiology (91 FR 23768)
- Annual Notice of Interest Rates for Fixed-Rate Federal Student Loans (loans first disbursed July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027)
- 20 U.S.C. 1087e(d)(7) and (q): repayment plans for Direct Loans made on or after July 1, 2026 (tiered standard plan; Repayment Assistance Plan)
- Local Wages: 29-1127.00 Speech-Language Pathologists (state and metro percentiles)
- Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact: status and privilege registration