| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Campus-based allied health school with hybrid medical assisting; clinical training at Kaiser Permanente facilities |
| Locations | Main campus in Richmond, CA; evening medical assisting at Kaiser Permanente Mission Bay, San Francisco; satellites in Pinole and San Mateo |
| Credentials | Certificates (medical assisting, phlebotomy, bone densitometry); Bachelor of Science degree-completion programs in radiologic technology, sonography and nuclear medicine; MS in Counseling |
| Program length | About 15 business days (bone densitometry) and 9 weeks (phlebotomy) to 24 months (bachelor’s programs, day schedule; radiography’s evening track ran nine quarters) |
| Students | 466 enrolled in 2024: 155 certificate, 232 bachelor’s, 79 master’s (BPPE annual report) |
| Accreditation | WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) since 2014, reaffirmed in 2020; next visit Fall 2029 |
| Federal aid | No (not Title IV); VA benefits and California Department of Rehabilitation accepted |
| Founded | 1989, as the Kaiser Permanente School of Radiology, with support from The Permanente Medical Group |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
A Kaiser Permanente school for imaging and clinical support careers
KPSAHS is a small allied health school in Richmond, California, founded in 1989 with support from The Permanente Medical Group as the Kaiser Permanente School of Radiology, and renamed by 2000. It trains radiologic technologists, sonographers, nuclear medicine technologists, medical assistants and phlebotomists, and nearly all clinical training happens at Kaiser Permanente facilities in Northern California. WSCUC classifies its control as for-profit, sponsored by a parent organization and board.
The biggest change from older descriptions of the school: radiography, sonography and nuclear medicine are now Bachelor of Science degree-completion programs. They are not a first step into healthcare; applicants need an associate degree and set prerequisites before they apply. KPSAHS does not take federal student aid, so students pay from their own funds or the few other sources described below.
Programs and where they are taught
| Program | Credential | Length | Schedule | Where | Prepares for | Published cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radiologic Technology | BS (degree completion) | 24 months (day) | Weekday business hours; an evening track has also run | Richmond + KP clinical sites | ARRT (R); California CRT | $34,477 estimated total, Spring 2026 day cohort |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonography | BS (degree completion), two concentrations | 24 months | Weekday business hours | Richmond + KP clinical sites | ARDMS exams; CCI (cardiac) | $36,534 estimated total, Summer 2025 abdominal cohort |
| Nuclear Medicine | BS (degree completion) | 24 months | Weekday business hours | Richmond + KP clinical sites | ARRT (N) or NMTCB | $29,335 total charges (BPPE, 2024) |
| Medical Assisting | Certificate of Completion | 12 months | Hybrid; day or evening | Richmond (day); Mission Bay, San Francisco (evening) | NCCT NCMA; NCCT ECG technician | $6,300 tuition and fees + $1,400 books and uniforms |
| Phlebotomy | Certificate of Completion | About 9 weeks, 288 hours (program page) | Full-time days | Richmond + KP clinical sites | California CPT I; NCCT and NHA exams | $4,700 tuition + $731 books and clothing |
Costs above are from the school’s program pages and charge sheets, or BPPE’s 2024 annual report where no current charge sheet was found; the radiography and sonography totals come from charge sheets for the cohorts named. The school also teaches a short bone densitometry certificate (about 15 business days, practiced in a Pinole lab, $1,244 in BPPE’s 2024 report), a two-year MS in Counseling with a marriage and family therapy concentration (distance education, with in-person options in San Mateo), BLS/CPR, and college prep courses for SEIU-UHW West members. A mammography certificate is listed but had no enrollments in 2023 or 2024.
What the main programs cover
Radiologic Technology (BS)
The program adds 79.5 upper-division quarter units at KPSAHS to a 90-unit associate degree, for a 169.5-unit bachelor’s degree (2025 catalog). The day track runs eight quarters, Monday to Friday in business hours; an evening track of nine quarters was charged for the Winter 2024 cohort. Classroom and lab work is in Richmond, and clinical education rotates through Kaiser Permanente sites: JRCERT lists 31 for this program, across the Bay Area, Central Valley and Sacramento. JRCERT gives the program a capacity of 108 students. Graduates sit the ARRT (R) exam and apply for California’s CRT.
Diagnostic Medical Sonography (BS)
Students choose the Abdominal Extended and OB/GYN concentration or the Adult Cardiac concentration. The 2025 catalog gives 121.5 KPSAHS quarter units on top of a 90-unit associate degree (211.5 in all) over eight quarters, the heaviest unit load of the school’s bachelor’s programs. Beyond the shared prerequisites, applicants complete eight hours of job shadowing or a written assignment. The catalog lists ARDMS exams (SPI, abdomen, OB/GYN, adult echocardiography) and CCI for cardiac students. Breast and pediatric ultrasound post-graduate certificates listed in 2023 had no enrollments and do not appear in the 2024 report.
Nuclear Medicine (BS)
Nuclear Medicine adds 91.5 KPSAHS quarter units to a 90-unit associate degree (181.5 units) over 24 months, Monday to Friday in business hours (2025 catalog). It adds entry rules of its own: chemistry with lab is also required, in-progress courses are not accepted, and associate of applied science (AAS) degrees do not count. The catalog names JRCNMT as its programmatic accreditor; we could not confirm the listing in JRCNMT’s online directory. Graduates take the ARRT (N) or NMTCB exam. The Apply page lists the next window as 4 January to 31 May 2027.
Medical Assisting (certificate)
The four-quarter program covers first aid, law and ethics, EKG and medical business practices, according to a 2025 program flyer. Each week has two remote lecture days and one lab day on site, by day in Richmond (fall start) or in the evening at Mission Bay. The 320 clinical hours are at a Kaiser Permanente facility chosen before clinicals start, Monday to Friday between 8:00 am and 5:30 pm, so evening students should plan for daytime hours at the end. Applicants need a high school diploma or GED, an American Heart Association BLS card and an assessment exam.
Phlebotomy (certificate)
The program page breaks the 288 hours into 74 hours of theory, 54 hours of in-class practicum and 160 hours of clinical rotation. The first four weeks meet four days a week for eight hours a day; the clinical part then runs full-time, Monday to Friday. The 2025 catalog described a longer version, 12 weeks and 320 clock hours, so ask which applies to your cohort. Applicants must be 18, hold a diploma or GED and a BLS card, show immunizations and take the Wonderlic cognitive test. The next listed application window is 15 August to 15 October 2027.
No federal aid: what programs cost and how students pay
KPSAHS does not participate in federal student aid: there are no Pell Grants or federal loans, and BPPE’s 2023 report also shows no Cal Grant or WIOA funding. Published costs:
- Radiologic Technology BS, day: $3,760 a quarter; $31,516 in school charges plus $2,961 for outside costs such as books, scrubs and the ARRT fee, an estimated $34,477 for the Spring 2026 cohort (charge sheet). The Winter 2024 evening cohort was estimated at $33,392.
- Diagnostic Medical Sonography BS, abdominal concentration: $4,075 a quarter plus a $65 application fee, $275 registration, $1,405 for books and $675 for three exam fees; an estimated $36,534 for the Summer 2025 cohort (charge sheet).
- Nuclear Medicine BS: $29,335 in total charges in BPPE’s 2024 report; we found no current charge sheet.
- Medical Assisting: $6,300 in tuition and fees plus $1,400 for books and uniforms; the school says the total is under $8,000 (program page, October 2026).
- Phlebotomy: $4,700 tuition plus $731 for books and clothing, under $5,500 in all (program page, October 2026).
Fees are non-refundable and tuition is refunded pro rata, according to the radiography charge sheet. Students can use VA education benefits (KPSAHS reported $4,590 in VA funds in 2024) and California Department of Rehabilitation support. The school runs a need-based Community Benefit Scholarship Fund for students with at least a 2.0 GPA, but publishes no current award amounts, and the phlebotomy page mentions limited tuition assistance on a first-come, first-served basis.
Application windows and entry requirements
Each program admits cohorts through set application windows, and seats are limited. KPSAHS publishes no acceptance rate. Windows listed on the school’s Apply page in October 2026:
- Sonography: 12 October 2026 to 15 January 2027.
- Medical Assisting, Richmond: 15 August 2026 to 15 January 2027. Mission Bay (evening): 15 February to 17 May 2027.
- Radiologic Technology: 4 January to 1 April 2027 (Winter 2028 cohort) and 3 May to 31 August 2027 (Spring 2028 cohort).
- Nuclear Medicine: 4 January to 31 May 2027.
- Phlebotomy: 15 August to 15 October 2027.
The three bachelor’s programs require an associate degree (AA or AS) conferred by the application deadline, a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75, and college courses in anatomy and physiology with lab, mathematics, medical terminology, oral communication, physics and written communication (2025 catalog). Medical assisting applicants need a diploma or GED, a BLS CPR card, an assessment exam, English proficiency and a COVID-19 vaccination. Phlebotomy applicants must be 18 or older and take the Wonderlic test.
Accreditation and published results
KPSAHS has been accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission since 10 September 2014. WSCUC reaffirmed accreditation in February 2020 for ten years, with the next accreditation visit set for Fall 2029, and it lists no adverse action. California’s Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) has approved the school since 2003. Radiologic Technology is accredited by JRCERT, whose listing shows an eight-year award (a review was scheduled for April 2025). The catalog names JRCNMT for nuclear medicine and CAAHEP for sonography; we could not confirm either in the accreditors’ directories. The medical assisting program names no programmatic accreditor.
Results the school reported to BPPE for calendar year 2024 (placement counts only graduates the school knows to be working in the field):
| Program | Completion | Placed in field | License or certification exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radiologic Technology BS | 64.86% | 65.38% (17 of 26) | 100% (14 of 14) |
| Nuclear Medicine BS | 85.71% | 69.23% (9 of 13) | 100% (13 of 13) |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonography BS | 81.08% | 50% (17 of 34) | Not reported |
| Medical Assisting | 69.57% | 55.56% (20 of 36) | Not reported |
| Phlebotomy | 92% | 6.12% (3 of 49) | 95.74% (45 of 47) |
| Bone Densitometry | 86.67% | 13.33% (2 of 15) | 83.33% (5 of 6) |
JRCERT’s five-year averages for radiography show a 97.4% credentialing exam pass rate and 93% job placement. California’s Radiologic Health Branch reported first-time ARRT radiography pass rates of 95% (20 tested) for 2023 and 80% (15 tested) for 2022. In BPPE’s 2024 report, 12 radiography, 8 nuclear medicine and 11 sonography graduates reported earning over $100,000.
Before you enroll
- The imaging programs are bachelor’s degree-completion programs. Without an associate degree and the listed prerequisites (and, for nuclear medicine, an AA or AS rather than an AAS) you cannot apply, so applicants without one need to earn it elsewhere first.
- There is no federal financial aid. The bachelor’s programs cost roughly $29,000 to $37,000 in total, which students must cover without Pell Grants or federal loans.
- Clinical sites are assigned by the school and can be anywhere in Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California network; radiography uses 31 sites from the Bay Area to Sacramento and the Central Valley. Medical assisting clinicals are on weekdays during the day, including for evening students.
- Phlebotomy students pass the certification exam at a high rate, but only 3 of 49 graduates were reported working in the field in 2024. The program page states there is no employment guarantee.
- We found no published figure for how many graduates Kaiser Permanente hires, so training at Kaiser sites should not be read as a route to a Kaiser job.
Richmond, Mission Bay and two satellites
Almost everything is taught at the main campus, 938 Marina Way South, Richmond, CA 94804. The only other site for the certificate and imaging programs is Kaiser Permanente’s Mission Bay Medical Offices, 1600 Owens Street, San Francisco, which hosts the evening medical assisting cohort. KPSAHS also uses a satellite at 177 Bovet Road in San Mateo for the MS in Counseling and one at 1301 Pinole Valley Road in Pinole for bone densitometry lab practice. A 2018 partnership that brought phlebotomy, sonography and radiography to the CSU Stanislaus Stockton Center no longer appears in state or accreditor listings.
Housing and career help
We found no student housing at KPSAHS. The school lists a career services office, and the phlebotomy page says there is no employment guarantee.
Sources
Checked October 2026: KPSAHS programs · Academic catalog · Application windows · Medical Assisting · Phlebotomy · WSCUC profile · BPPE 2024 annual report · JRCERT radiography listing
Programs & Courses
Bachelor of Science degree-completion programs (associate degree required)
- Radiologic Technology (BS)
- Diagnostic Medical Sonography (BS): Abdominal Extended and OB/GYN concentration
- Diagnostic Medical Sonography (BS): Adult Cardiac concentration
- Nuclear Medicine (BS)
Certificates
- Medical Assisting (12 months; day at Richmond, evening at Mission Bay, San Francisco)
- Phlebotomy (California CPT I)
- Bone Densitometry (California limited permit, DEXA)
Graduate
- MS in Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy concentration
Extended Education
- BLS Healthcare Provider (CPR)
- College prep courses for SEIU-UHW West and Joint Employer Education Fund members
Campus Locations
Richmond, CA 938 Marina Way South, Richmond, CA 94804
San Francisco, CA 1600 Owens Street, San Francisco, CA 94158