MRI Technologist Training

MRI Tech Programs in Virginia

6 in-person or regional programs plus Tesla MR's hybrid option, compared side by side below. One local program and Tesla MR admit you without a prior X-ray credential.

Comparing programs nationally? See MRI tech school formats, costs, and certification paths. Checking accreditation? See every accredited MRI tech certification program.

View Program Details Compare every program near you
MRI technologist student training at a clinical site
$99K Avg. Salary
0 Affiliated Sites
12-18 mo Program Length
Starting at $11,500 Tuition
Already in imaging?

Already working in an imaging department in Virginia?

X-ray, CT, and nuclear medicine techs, MRI aides, transporters, schedulers, and nurses who work around a scanner do not need a second degree or an X-ray license to move into MRI. The coursework is online, so you keep your job, and clinical hours can happen at a facility you already know.

Train where you work.

If your department has an MRI scanner and will host you, our site team asks them first. Your employer signs a site agreement and names an ARRT or ARMRIT mentor.

How clinicals at your current facility work

Keep your paycheck.

The online phases fit around a hospital schedule. Clinicals are the squeeze, and we show the schedules other hospital employees have used.

MRI school while working full time

Ask your employer to pay.

Some employers cover part of tuition, and we can invoice them directly. Here is what to ask HR before you pay a deposit.

Employer tuition reimbursement
Tell us where you work

Already ARRT registered? Compare ARRT (MR) and ARMRIT before you choose a route.

Your options

MRI programs available to Virginia residents

6 in-person or regional programs plus Tesla MR's hybrid option. Only one of them trains you in MRI directly without a prior X-ray credential. Facts come from each school's published pages. Confirm with the school before you apply.

Published cost is what each school states on its own site. Some schools publish tuition only; others include fees, books, or uniforms; public colleges often distinguish in-district from out-of-district rates. Each row says which. For the national list with accreditor and entry requirement for every program, see accredited MRI tech certification programs.

Program Path Credential Length Prior X-ray? Format Published cost
Tesla MR Online coursework, clinicals near you
MRI direct
Certificate (ARMRIT exam eligibility)ARMRIT
12 to 18 months
No
Hybrid: online lectures, in-person clinicals
$11,500 to $13,400 by payment plan
Forsyth Technical Community College (MRI AAS) Winston-Salem, NC Neighboring-state option for Southside Virginia; accepts 12 students each fall; deadline mid March; ARRT recognized
MRI direct
Associate in Applied Science in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (72 credit hours)ARRT (MR)
Two years
No
In-person day classes
Out-of-state tuition $18,760, estimated total $20,269; in-state estimated total $6,645 (academic year not stated)
Northern Virginia Community College (MRI Career Studies Certificate) Springfield, VA Accepts 12 students; application window June 1 to 15; requires ARRT registration or eligibility and a 3.0 GPA; Medical Education Campus
MRI after X-ray
Career Studies Certificate in Radiography: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (9 credits)ARRT (MR) post-primary
Two semesters
Yes
Covers the classroom requirements while students complete clinical hours on the job
In-state $232.05 per credit including fees, out-of-state $480.40 (2026-27); program total not published
Virginia Western Community College (MRI Career Studies Certificate) Roanoke, VA Requires a completed radiography, radiation oncology or nuclear medicine program and registry or registry eligibility; begins in even fall semesters
MRI after X-ray
Career Studies Certificate in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (12 credits)ARRT (MR) post-primary
Program page lists 1 semester; the college catalog lays out fall and spring semesters
Yes
Includes distance courses; clinical format not stated
In-state $191.60 per credit including fees, out-of-state $437.20 (beginning fall 2026); program total not published
Piedmont Virginia Community College (MRI Fundamentals and Applications) Charlottesville, VA Requires current ARRT, ARDMS or NMTCB certification
MRI after X-ray
Non-credit workforce course (16.25 CEUs) that meets the ARRT structured education requirement for MRIARRT (MR) post-primary
Nine months of on-demand access
Yes
Online on-demand course; optional add-on clinical package
Not published
Northern Virginia Community College (Radiography AAS) Springfield, VA JRCERT accredited; Medical Education Campus
X-ray first
AAS in Radiography (70 credits, including 14 prerequisite credits)ARRT (R)
Two years
No
Not stated
In-state $232.05 per credit including fees, out-of-state $480.40 (2026-27); program total not published
Riverside College of Health Sciences (Radiologic Technology) Newport News, VA JRCERT accredited; next listed start August 2027
X-ray first
Associate of Applied Science in Radiologic Technology (69.5 core credit hours)ARRT (R)
72 weeks over two academic years
No
Full-time day program with classroom, laboratory simulation and clinical experience
$30,075 total core program tuition plus $1,200 in fees (academic year not stated)

Verified against each program's own website between Sep 18, 2026 and Oct 31, 2026. Tuition, length, and admission rules change; the school's page is the authority. Tesla MR is not a degree-granting institution and does not participate in federal financial aid. See accreditation. The schools named here are not affiliated with Tesla MR and do not endorse it; their names belong to their owners. Spot an error? Email info@teslamr.com and we will review it within 10 business days.

The path

How to become an MRI tech in Virginia

Five steps, the same in Virginia as anywhere else. Where you do step four is what changes by city.

  1. Confirm you are eligible

    A high school diploma or GED is the floor. You do not need a prior X-ray, radiography, or healthcare credential for the ARMRIT route. Some of the in-person programs in the table above do require one.

  2. Pick the credential you are aiming for

    Employers in Virginia hire both ARRT (MR) and ARMRIT technologists. ARRT usually means a two-year degree or a prior radiography license. ARMRIT is the certificate route for career changers.

  3. Choose a program format that fits your life

    Full-time campus programs are faster if you can stop working. Hybrid programs put the coursework online and the clinical hours at a facility near you, which is how most working adults finish.

  4. Complete supervised clinical hours

    Every path ends at a scanner. Clinical training is the part that depends on local capacity, so ask any program how placement works before you enroll. Ours is explained below.

  5. Pass the registry exam and get hired

    Virginia licenses radiologic technologists who use ionizing radiation, and its statute does not name MRI. Employers require ARRT (MR) or ARMRIT certification. Once certified, you can apply to the hospital systems and imaging groups listed further down this page.

Where you would train and work

MRI employers in Virginia, and which ones are in our clinical network

We are still building our network in Virginia. An affiliated site is a facility in our clinical network where students can be placed. The others are places MRI techs work in Virginia that we have not affiliated with yet.

Affiliated site Employer, not yet affiliated

We have not mapped Virginia employers yet. Tell us where you live and our site team will do it for your application.

Pulled from Tesla MR's site database on October 31, 2026. Affiliations are added and change over time; the assessment you receive during admissions is the one that applies to you.

Clinical placement

How clinical placement works

Our Clinical Sites team leads placement. You are not expected to find or negotiate your own clinical site. We look for a facility within a reasonable commute of your home and widen the search only if we need to.

Timing depends on facilities having capacity when you reach clinicals. If your area is thin, we tell you during admissions, not after you enroll, and we talk through the options with you.

Growing here · Virginia

We are still building our network in Virginia. If you apply, the site team maps your area first and tells you what to expect before you commit.

  1. We look at your area during admissions

    If you already have a facility in mind, maybe where you work, we reach out and see whether you can train there. If not, our site team maps the hospitals and imaging centers near your home and starts the conversation.

  2. You get a straight answer before you enroll

    Clinicals are still months away at this point, so a site's answer is usually "we expect so, check back closer to the date." We tell you what we heard and what it means for your timeline.

  3. You start the coursework while the site work continues

    Most students begin Phase I and Phase II before a specific facility is named. That is normal, and the site team keeps working your area in the background.

  4. Your site is confirmed as clinicals approach

    Once clinicals are weeks away rather than months, facilities can commit to dates. We work to have your placement set before Phase III begins. Which facility and which shift depends on who has capacity at that time.

MRI technologist licensing in Virginia

Virginia licenses radiologic technologists through the Board of Medicine, and the Code of Virginia defines that practice as applying ionizing radiation to human beings. MRI is not mentioned in the definitions, and we found no separate state license for MRI technologists.

Employers set the credential requirement. Most postings ask for ARRT (MR) or ARMRIT, the two national MRI certifications, and both are valid in all 50 states.

💡

Key Takeaway

Virginia licenses radiologic technologists who use ionizing radiation, and its statute does not name MRI. Employers require ARRT (MR) or ARMRIT certification.

MRI technologist salary in Virginia

BLS reports a May 2025 median of $98,640 for MRI technologists in Virginia, with about 1,070 employed statewide (BLS OEWS, state estimates). The national median is $95,480. For comparison, Virginia radiologic technologists, which includes X-ray and CT, have a median of $80,670.

Entry-level pay sits below the median. Shift differentials, specialty work such as cardiac or breast MRI, and 3 to 5 years of experience push experienced technologists above it. See the MRI technologist salary guide and salary by state for the full breakdown.

Virginia MRI tech job market

Virginia’s job market for MRI technologists breaks into three distinct regions, each with its own dynamics:

1. Northern Virginia / DC metro corridor. This is where the money is. Inova runs five hospitals plus outpatient sites. HCA has Reston Hospital Center and StoneSprings. UVA Health has expanded into Haymarket, Manassas, and Centreville. Fairfax Radiology Centers operates four major imaging locations. The DC metro area also includes federal medical facilities and research institutions that create additional demand. Competition for experienced techs is fierce, which pushes salaries up and makes employers more receptive to ARMRIT-certified candidates.

2. Hampton Roads (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News). Sentara Healthcare dominates this market with nine facilities in the region. Chesapeake Regional adds another four-plus imaging locations. The military presence (Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Langley AFB, Fort Eustis) creates adjacent civilian demand. Pay is lower than Northern Virginia but cost of living is significantly lower too.

3. Central and Southwest Virginia (Richmond, Charlottesville, Roanoke, Blacksburg). UVA Health anchors Charlottesville, HCA’s LewisGale system covers Roanoke through Blacksburg, and Richmond has a mix of HCA, Bon Secours, and VCU Health. These markets are smaller but have less competition for positions, and some rural facilities struggle to recruit MRI techs at all.

The national projection is 8% employment growth for MRI techs from 2025 to 2035 according to BLS, but Virginia’s growth may outpace that in Northern Virginia where population growth and healthcare expansion continue.

MRI programs by city in Virginia

Looking for MRI training in a specific Virginia city? See our detailed guides:

More resources

ARMRIT Accredited Nationally recognized certification
334+ Clinical Sites Partner network in 38 states
Starting at $11,500 Payment plans available

Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on the path. The X-ray-first route is a 2-year radiography degree followed by an MRI certificate, often about another year. Every Virginia MRI program we verified asks for an existing imaging registry first, so the local route starts with X-ray. The nearest campus option we found is Forsyth Technical Community College (MRI AAS) in Winston-Salem, NC. Tesla MR's hybrid certificate takes most students 12 to 18 months.

BLS does not break CT out separately; it reports radiologic technologists and technicians, which includes X-ray and CT, at a Virginia median of $80,670 versus $98,640 for MRI technologists (May 2025). Nationally the figures are $80,110 and $95,480. MRI is the higher-paid modality in both sets of numbers.

The coursework is real: MRI physics, cross-sectional anatomy, pulse sequences, and safety around a magnet that is always on. Most students who put in steady weekly hours pass. In Virginia the harder part is often the entry requirement, since every MRI program we verified in the state asks for an existing imaging registry first. Every path ends with a national registry exam, ARRT or ARMRIT.

Not through a Virginia campus program that we could verify: each MRI program in the state asks for an existing ARRT, ARDMS, or NMTCB registry, so the local route is X-ray first. The nearest campus option we found is Forsyth Technical Community College (MRI AAS) in Winston-Salem, NC. Tesla MR's hybrid certificate accepts students with no prior imaging credential and places clinicals at affiliated Virginia sites. Check the prior X-ray column in the table above before you apply anywhere.

Our Clinical Sites team leads placement. You are not expected to secure your own site. If you know a facility, you can propose it, but we review it, confirm capacity, sign the agreement, and approve it. The affiliated Virginia health systems are listed on this page.

MRI tech schools in nearby cities and states

Chesapeake, Virginia5+Fairfax, Virginia5+Newport News, Virginia4+Norfolk, Virginia5+Richmond, Virginia5+Winchester, Virginia3+District of ColumbiaKentuckyMarylandNorth CarolinaTennessee
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MRI Training in Virginia 12-18 months · No prerequisites
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