Figure 1
Audiologist license fees in 5 states
| Texas | Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation | $150 application fee, includes a two-year initial license | Not stated in the page read | National Praxis exam and Texas Jurisprudence Examination |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensers Board | $150 application fee (fee schedule effective November 1, 2021) | $150 renewal fee | Praxis 5343, minimum score 162 |
| Washington | Department of Health | $191 initial license and application | $45 renewal | Praxis |
| Florida | Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology | $280 if issued August 1 of an odd year to December 31 of an even year; $180 if issued January 1 to July 31 of an odd year | Not stated in the page read | Doctoral degree with a major emphasis in audiology |
| Pennsylvania | Board fee rule, Pennsylvania Code § 45.1 | $50 initial license | $65 biennial renewal | Not stated in the code section read |
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation,tdlr.texas.gov/slpa/aud-license-apply.htm
- Washington Department of Health,doh.wa.gov/…/licensing-requirements
- California Audiology Board,speechandhearing.ca.gov/…/index.html
- California Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensers Board,speechandhearing.ca.gov/…/fee_schedule.pdf
- Washington State Department of Health,doh.wa.gov/…/apply-license
- Florida Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology,floridasspeechaudiology.gov/…/audiologist
- Pennsylvania Code and Bulletin,pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode
How to read these numbers (3)
- Fees are the board's own figures, read November 7, 2026; background checks and exam fees are separate.
- Florida's total depends on the date the license is issued.
- No fee is added up or estimated by us.
Step 1: a bachelor's degree, then a doctor of audiology
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) describes the route in two degrees: to enter an Au.D. program, students need a bachelor's degree, and the doctor of audiology itself takes 4 years.
How many programs can you choose from? In the U.S. Department of Education's accreditation file (DAPIP), downloaded on November 7, 2026, we counted 87 distinct program locations with an active accredited clinical doctorate record from the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA). The file holds 88 open records because one location has two rows; we don't count it twice. A second accreditor, ACAE, separates accredited programs from developing ones, so check which status a school holds before you apply.
State rules on the degree vary in their wording. Florida's board asks for a doctoral degree with a major emphasis in audiology. Washington's page asks for proof of a master's or doctorate degree program that includes clinical practicum experience.
Step 2: the national Praxis exam
Three of the five boards we read name the national exam on their application pages:
- California asks you to pass the Praxis Series 5343 audiology exam, run by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), with a minimum score of 162.
- Texas requires both the national Praxis exam and the Texas Jurisprudence Examination, a test on the state's own rules.
- Washington requires the PRAXIS, which it calls the nationally recognized audiology examination.
Step 3: a state license, and what it costs in 5 states
All states require audiologists to be licensed, and each board sets its own fee. Here is what five of them write:
- Texas. A $150 application fee, which includes a two-year initial license.
- California. The board's fee schedule, effective November 1, 2021, lists $150 as the audiologist application and renewal fee.
- Washington. The Department of Health lists $191 for the initial license and application, and $45 for a renewal.
- Florida. The total depends on when the license is issued: $280 (a $75 application fee, $200 licensure fee and $5 unlicensed activity fee) from August 1 of an odd year through December 31 of an even year, and $180 from January 1 through July 31 of an odd year.
- Pennsylvania. Under § 45.1 of the Pennsylvania Code, the initial license is $50 and the biennial renewal is $65.
These are board fees only; the Praxis exam is run by ETS and paid apart.
What audiologists earn
BLS wage estimates for May 2025 put the median annual wage for audiologists at $95,780 and the mean at $97,740. The spread is wide: the 10th percentile earned $64,610, and one audiologist in ten earned $133,120 or more. Our audiologist salary page breaks these figures down by state and work setting.
Job outlook for audiologists
The BLS projects employment of audiologists to grow 11% from 2025 to 2035, which it calls much faster than the average for all occupations. It expects about 600 openings a year, on average, over the decade. We read these lines on an archived copy of the BLS page from September 2026, because bls.gov refused our reader on November 7, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is it hard to become an audiologist?
It takes several steps: a bachelor's degree, then a 4-year Au.D., then a state license, since all states require one. California asks for a minimum score of 162 on the Praxis 5343 exam. We counted 87 CAA-accredited program locations in the Education Department's file in November 2026.
What is the average salary for an audiologist in the US?
The BLS puts the mean annual wage of audiologists at $97,740 in May 2025, and the median at $95,780. Half of audiologists earned more than the median and half earned less.
Do audiologists go to medical school?
No. The route the BLS describes is a bachelor's degree followed by a doctor of audiology (Au.D.), which takes 4 years; it is a doctorate in audiology, not a medical degree. Florida's board asks for a doctoral degree with a major emphasis in audiology. Our audiologist vs ENT page compares the two professions.
Why are audiologists so underpaid?
The BLS doesn't say whether pay is high or low; it gives the spread. In May 2025, the median annual wage was $95,780, the 10th percentile $64,610, and one audiologist in ten earned $133,120 or more. Our salary page shows how the figures vary by state and work setting.
Sources
License fees come from each board's own page, fee schedule or code section, read November 7, 2026. The program count comes from the U.S. Department of Education DAPIP accreditation file downloaded the same day, counting distinct locations. Degree, licensing and outlook lines come from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook through a Wayback Machine copy from September 2026; wages come from BLS OEWS data for May 2025.
- https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/slpa/aud-license-apply.htm
- https://speechandhearing.ca.gov/forms_pubs/pdf/fee_schedule.pdf
- https://doh.wa.gov/licenses-permits-and-certificates/professions-new-renew-or-update/audiologist/apply-license
- https://floridasspeechaudiology.gov/licensing/audiologist/
- https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?file=/secure/pacode/data/049/chapter45/s45.1.html
- https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/audiologists.htm (archived copy)
- https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/api/downloadFiles/accreditationDataFiles
Cost and coverage research, not medical advice and not career or legal advice. Boards change their fees and rules: confirm them with your state board before you apply.