Medical Laboratory Technician Admission Requirements

To be considered for the MLT program, students must be accepted to M State. The application for the MLT program is separate. You must be accepted to M State to access the MLT program application.

New to M State - Follow the admissions checklist at Admissions. 

Returning to M State - Submit an online application for admission at Admissions. If you have attended another college since you last attended M State, you will also need to request the official transcript be sent to the M State Processing Center.   

M State Processing Center
1414 College Way 
Fergus Falls, MN 56537

Students should allow up to six weeks for transfer work to be received, evaluated and entered onto their Degree Audit Report. Transfer courses will not count toward admission to the program until they have been evaluated by the M State transfer specialist and successfully transferred.

Current M State student - If you are currently attending M State, you will not need to update your application to the college. 

The MLT program application must be submitted for an applicant to be considered for the program. Students who miss the fall start deadline may be eligible to enroll in general education courses and complete program admission requirements prior to the next fall start.

Medical Laboratory Technician Program Application

MLT applicants must complete all developmental English and/or math courses with a grade of C or higher. Placement in these courses may be determined by ACT, SAT, Accuplacer assessment or high school GPA. Guided self-placement for students who do not have an ACT, SAT, Accuplacer or high school GPA waiver on file cannot be used for MLT applicants. 

Complete the Accuplacer assessment to determine which, if any, English and/or math developmental courses you need to complete. Sign up for the Accuplacer assessment at Placement Testing. 

High school graduates are encouraged to apply for college general education courses while they pursue acceptance into the program. GED completers must supply the college with a GED transcript or certificate in order to be considered for acceptance.

Applicants must earn an overall score of 60 or higher on the HSRT-AD to be considered for admission.

Points will be awarded based the score achieved.

90-100 = 10 points 
80-89 = 7 points    
70-79 = 4 points 
60-69 = 1 point 
59 or below = not eligible 

HSRT-AD scores expire one year after the test date. HSRT-AD scores must be valid at the time of the application deadline.

Applicants are allowed to take the HSRT-AD up to two times for the Fall 2026 application cycle. If taking the test for a second time, applicants must wait two weeks (14 calendar days) between test attempts. 

The HSRT-AD must be taken at an M State campus. For more information regarding the HSRT-AD, including special accommodations, exam dates and how to register, visit HSRT Exam. 

Math scores on the Accuplacer/ACT or high school GPA must place the student into Math 1114 College Algebra or higher. Students testing into developmental math must complete the highest-level developmental course with a grade of C or higher prior to starting the program.

Reading scores on the Accuplacer/ACT or high school GPA must place the student into ENGL 1101 College Writing. Students testing into developmental English must complete the highest-level developmental course with a grade of C or higher prior to starting the program.

The following criteria are not required to be considered for the Medical Laboratory Technology program. If you have completed the optional admission criteria, you may increase your chance of acceptance. Please see the Medical Laboratory Technology Application Assessment Points Calculator to determine how points are awarded.

• Completion of the following co-requisite courses:
  • BIOL 2260 Human Anatomy & Physiology I Lecture
  • BIOL 2261 Human Anatomy & Physiology I Lab
  • BIOL 2262 Human Anatomy & Physiology II Lecture
  • BIOL 2263 Human Anatomy & Physiology II Lab
  • ENGL 1101 College Writing
  • ENGL 1215 Professional and Technical Writing
  • CHEM 1100 Fundamental Concepts of Chemistry
• Completion of M State's HLTH 1000 Intro to Healthcare course

BIOL courses must have been completed within the last five years to be eligible for points.

Calculate points for admission to the Medical Laboratory Technology program.

Program applicants will be assigned points for their HSRT-AD overall score and additional optional admission criteria. The additional optional criteria, referred to as "beneficial admission criteria," may increase your chances of being accepted to the program. To receive points, admission criteria must be completed and/or submitted by the application deadline. 

The Medical Laboratory Technology Application Assessment Points Calculator will assist you in determining how points are awarded. 

All eligible applicants will be ranked by their total points earned. 

In the case of a tie, the application submission date will be used as the tiebreaker.  

If there are more eligible applicants than available seats by the first application deadline, eligible applicants with the highest point total will be offered a seat first. Eligible applicants who do not get into the program due to the competition for a limited number of available seats will be placed on the waiting list. If a seat in the program opens, it will be offered to the student highest on the waiting list. 

Each student who has submitted a complete admissions file by the posted deadline will receive an email from M State indicating whether they are accepted into the program, placed on the program waiting list or currently ineligible for the program. Please be sure to provide your current email address on your program application. 

Applicants will be notified of their application status within 30 days after the application deadline. 

Accepted students must review the Medical Laboratory Technology program handbook. The most current version can be found here - Medical Laboratory Technician Program Handbook.

Students will need to complete a Minnesota Department of Health background check prior to starting their clinical rotation. A $54.50 fee will be required for processing the background check and fingerprinting/photo.

Students who choose not to complete the background study or who do not clear may not be permitted to attend clinical experiences or service learning opportunities. In such cases, the college cannot guarantee alternative learning opportunities, which ultimately will affect the students’ ability to complete the program. 

M State does not require a National Background Check for admission to the MLT program, but the National Background Check is necessary when required by a clinical rotation site. The MLT program director or site coordinator will assist with this process if/when necessary. Students required to complete a National Background Check are responsible for the fees. A discrepancy may prevent the student from participating in or completing clinical rotations. 

Students who choose not to complete the background study or who do not clear may not be permitted to attend clinical experiences or service-learning opportunities. In such cases, the college cannot guarantee alternative learning opportunities, which ultimately will affect the students’ ability to complete the program. Students are to upload documents to the Student Passport system.

Students are required to complete the Health Division Health Form prior to starting their clinical rotation. 

M State does not require drug screening for admission to the MLT program. Clinical rotation sites and employers have regulations related to drug use and criminal backgrounds; therefore, drug screening is necessary when required by a clinical rotation site. Students required to complete a drug screening are responsible for the fees. The clinical site will assist the student with this process. An unclean drug screening may prevent a student from participating in or completing clinical rotations, meeting program requirements and/or receiving a degree. Refusal to participate in a drug screen is equal to an unclean test result. The student will be removed from the clinical site or denied participation. This will prevent the student from meeting program requirements and/or receiving a degree.