How to become a speech-language pathology assistant
ASHA runs a separate assistants certification, the C-SLPA. It requires one of three education pathways, 100 hours of supervised clinical field work, three 1-hour prerequisite courses, and a national assistant exam. ASHA says states regulate support personnel differently, so state rules come first.
Quoted from official pages checked November 10, 2026. Confirm current requirements, fees, and dates on those sites. This page is not legal advice and does not guarantee eligibility, certification, or licensure.
States regulate assistants differently
ASHA’s Assistants Certification Program page states: “Support personnel licensure varies from state to state.” Its Career Pathway for Assistants page states: “Assistants may be required to be licensed, certified, or registered in order to work in various states”. ASHA’s Practice Portal page on SLPAs states: “SLPAs and supervising SLPs are required to determine the specific requirements in their respective work settings and states.” Start from ASHA’s state and territory information and its map of ASHA assistants certification recognition in states.
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Education pathway
ASHA’s Education Pathways page states that all applicants “must complete one of three pathway options that best fits their education and qualifications.” It lists:
- Option 1: “2-year SLPA program degree from an accredited institution (e.g., associate's degree from a community college or technical training program)”
- Option 2: “Bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders from an accredited institution”, plus ASHA’s online SLPA education modules or academic equivalent
- Option 3: “College degree (associate's or bachelor's) from an accredited institution”, plus an SLPA certificate program or equivalent coursework in the areas ASHA lists, and the online modules or academic equivalent
Every option also requires the three 1-hour prerequisite courses (ethics, universal safety precautions, and patient confidentiality) and the clinical field work requirement.
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Clinical field work
ASHA’s C-SLPA step-by-step guide says to “Complete 100 hours of clinical field work” under the supervision of an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist, and states: “Observation or simulation hours cannot be used toward this requirement.” The Education Pathways page states the hours “must include 80 hours of direct patient/client/student services” and “20 hours of indirect patient/client/student services,” both under the supervision of an ASHA-certified SLP.
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Apply and pass the assistant exam
ASHA’s About Assistants Certification page states that once your application is approved, you are “provided an Exam Eligibility ID to register for the national Assistants Certification Exam.” The Assistants Certification Exam page states: “The current passing score for SLPAs is 162”. This site does not copy ASHA’s fee amounts; they are on ASHA’s pages.
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Keep it current
The C-SLPA guide states you must maintain your certification “during each 3-year interval” by completing the certification maintenance assessment module, following the ASHA Assistants Code of Conduct, and paying annual certification fees.
Working under an SLP
ASHA’s Practice Portal states: “Supervising SLPs retain full legal and ethical responsibility for the students, patients, and clients served but may delegate specific tasks to an SLPA.” Supervision rules in your state come from the state, not from this page.
What is not here
The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook has no separate profile for speech-language pathology assistants that we found on November 10, 2026, so this site publishes no SLPA pay or outlook figures. The official ASLP-IC FAQ states: “Assistants are not eligible for compact privileges.”