Surgical Technology Admission Requirements
Start
Fall 2026
Location
Moorhead campus
Application deadlines
Round 1 application deadline: May 15, 2026
Round 2 application deadline: August 1, 2026
Thank you for your interest in the Surgical Technology program at Minnesota State Community and Technical College. This program is designed to prepare students to care for patients and participate as active members of the perioperative team. Graduates will have the entry-level knowledge to assist physicians, anesthesiologists and registered nurses throughout the perioperative experience; demonstrate proficiency with sterile techniques; prepare and use surgical equipment, instruments and supplies; and demonstrate an understanding of anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology and microbiology.
- NEW point-based selection process for Fall 2026! Please thoroughly read all sections below.
- The following biology courses have a five-year recency requirement, meaning they must have been taken within five years of the programs start date. For Fall 2026 admission, courses will need to be taken Fall 2021 or later to be valid.
- BIOL 2260/2261 Human Anatomy & Physiology I Lecture/Lab
- BIOL 2262/2263 Human Anatomy & Physiology II Lecture/Lab
- BIOL 2267/2268 Medical Microbiology Lecture/Lab
- General education courses required for the Surgical Technology AAS degree may be completed at any of the M State campuses or online.
- Students who complete the M State application process and have graduated from high school or earned a GED certificate will be accepted into the college for general education courses. Acceptance to the college is not a guarantee of admission into the Surgical Technology program. Admission to the core program is based on competitive eligibility admission criteria outlined below.
- There are 20 available seats for the Fall 2026 Surgical Technology program.
- You may apply before all the prerequisite courses are complete, but your application will not be reviewed until all prerequisite coursework is complete with a grade of C or higher.
- The Surgical Technology program curriculum information is available at Surgical Technology.
We are pleased you are considering M State and look forward to receiving your application. We strongly encourage you to discuss the admission and program requirements with one of our academic advisors.
Admission
The Surgical Technology program application is separate from the M State application. You must be accepted to M State to access the Surgical Technology program application and be considered for admission to the program.
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 records@minnesota.edu. They may also be mailed 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.
You must submit the Surgical Technology program application to be considered for admission to the program. Please read and understand eligibility criteria before applying.
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 surgical technology applicants.
Complete the Accuplacer test to determine which, if any, English and/or math developmental courses you need to complete. Sign up for Accuplacer at Placement Testing.
Transfer students may have previous coursework to satisfy developmental coursework and therefore may not need to test.
High school graduates are encouraged to register for college general education courses while they pursue acceptance into the program. GED completers must supply the college with a GED transcript or certificate to gain acceptance.
Eligibility
Students must meet the minimum eligibility criteria, which includes math, English, and prerequisite course requirements. The optional admission criteria listed below are not required, but may increase your chance of acceptance to the Surgical Technology program.
Math scores on the Accuplacer/ACT or high school GPA must place the student into Math 1020 Intermediate 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 course(s) with a grade of C or higher, along with ENGL 1101, prior to starting the program.
Applicants must earn a grade of C or better in the program prerequisite courses prior to application review. Points will be awarded based on the grade earned in each course. Please see the Surgical Technology Application Assessment Points Calculator to determine how points are awarded.
- BIOL 2260 Anatomy and Physiology I Lecture* (3 credits)
- BIOL 2261 Anatomy and Physiology I Lab* (1 credit)
- ENGL 1101 College Writing (3 credits)
- PSYC 2222 Lifespan Development (3 credits)
- SURT 1200 Introduction to Surgical Technology (3 credits)
- SURT 1205 Surgical Terminology (2 credits)
*Course must have been completed within five years prior to the program start date. For the Fall 2026 start, the course must have been taken Fall 2021 or later.
The following criteria are not required to be considered for the Surgical Technology program. If you have completed the optional admission criteria, you may increase your chance of acceptance. Please see the Surgical Technology Application Assessment Points Calculator to determine how points are awarded.
- Completion of the following co-requisite courses:
- BIOL 2262 Human Anatomy & Physiology II Lecture* (3 credits)
- BIOL 2263 Human Anatomy & Physiology II Lab* (1 credit)
- BIOL 2267 Medical Microbiology Lecture* (3 credits)
- BIOL 2268 Medical Microbiology Lab* (1 credit)
- PHIL 1200 Applied Professional Ethics (3 credits)
- Completion of M State's HLTH 1000 Intro to Healthcare course (3 credits)
- Healthcare work experience - Must be in an allied health or direct patient care role at a hospital, clinic, or long-term care facility
- M State graduate from a health sciences program (i.e., certificate, diploma or associate degree program)
- Graduate from a health sciences program at another accredited college or a bachelor's degree from an accredited college
*Course must have been completed within five years prior to the program start date. For the Fall 2026 start, the course must have been taken Fall 2021 or later.
Calculate points for admission to the Surgical Technology program.
Selection process
Program applicants will be assigned points for prerequisite course completion 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 by the application deadline.
The Surgical Technology Application Assessment Points Calculator will help you determine how points are awarded.
All eligible applicants will be ranked by their total points earned.
In the case of one or more ties, an applicant's GPA in the prerequisite courses will be used as a 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.
There are 20 available seats for the Fall 2026 Surgical Technology program.
Each student who has submitted a complete admissions file by a posted deadline will receive an email from M State indicating whether they are accepted to 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.
Additional program requirements for accepted students
Correspondence from the college will provide more information related to the following. However, program applicants are encouraged to consider these requirements ahead of time.
Surgical Technology students will be required to have a laptop. The cost will be in addition to the cost of tuition, fees and books. The required computer specifications can be found at minnesota.edu/degrees/475.
Current American Heart Association BLS CPR/AED (Healthcare Providers) certification must be completed by August 1 and remain current throughout. Students are to upload documents to Castlebranch.
Accepted Surgical Technology students are required to have a cleared Minnesota Department of Health background study by August 1 to be eligible to start classes in the fall. The cost of the background study is $54.50. Students are responsible for the cost.
Accepted 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.
Accepted Surgical Technology students are required to have a cleared National Background Check by August 1 to be eligible to start classes in the fall, even if they have completed a National Background Check for employment. National Background Checks are completed through a third-party vendor. Instructions and codes will be provided via official M State email from Joel Hoffman. The cost of the background check is $47.75. Students are responsible for the cost.
Accepted 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 students’ ability to complete the program.
Students are required to register as an Unlicensed Assistive Personnel-Surgical Technology Student through the North Dakota Board of Nursing. This registry will take place during the first week of fall semester. The cost includes an application fee of $60 and a background check fee of $41.25.
Health forms, supporting documentation and American Heart Association BLS CPR/AED (Healthcare Providers) documentation are required to be uploaded to Castlebranch by August 1. Information regarding Castlebranch will be sent via M State email to all accepted Surgical Technology students.
Students are required to sit for the national certification exam in their last fall semester at a cost of $247.
If you experience any issues with the application, please call 877.450.3322 or email info@minnesota.edu.
