Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Apply to the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certificate

To enroll in this program, you must apply for admission. The Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Career Pathway certificate is a two-course, 12-credit program that can be completed in less than one year. Students complete EMS 105 and EMS 106 to build the knowledge and hands-on skills needed to provide emergency medical care at the EMT level. Upon successful completion of the program, students are eligible to take the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) exam.

Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis, based on fully completing the application process. This is a limited entry program, but we will accept as many applications as we receive throughout the timeframe. For best consideration, all minimum application requirements need to be completed two weeks prior to the start of your intended term. Class capacity varies by term.

Questions? For detailed admission and application information, please review the EMT admissions guide. You may also contact ems@pcc.edu for Emergency Medical Services admissions information, or Michelle Butler for Emergency Services academic advising.

How to apply

1. Apply to PCC

   Applying to PCC is free and only takes a few minutes. Complete this step as soon as possible so you can start using PCC resources.
   Apply to PCC
   

   Application timeline

   For a detailed admission timeline, see below on this page.

   Term you want to start	Application period
   Fall 2026	Application closed
   Winter 2027	August 24 – September 24, 2026
   Spring 2027	November 7 – December 7, 2026
   Summer 2027	Not applicable
   Fall 2027	May 17 – June 17, 2027

2. Meet with the EMS advisor

   Make an appointment with EMS Advisor Michelle Butler to schedule prerequisite courses and plan for applying.

3. Take prerequisites

   You must meet the standard PCC prerequisites in reading, writing, and math. Follow the steps for new students to complete your college placement.

   • High school diploma or equivalent
   • WR 115: Intro to College Composition (or placement into higher)
   • RD 90: Reading (or placement into higher)
   • MTH 20: Fundamentals of Math (or placement into higher)

4. Submit application

   Fill out the EMT application during one of the application periods listed above.

After you apply

After the application form closes, applicants who have met the requirements will be selected by a lottery system. 48 students will be selected for acceptance into the program, with 10 students selected for the alternate/wait list. You will need to make sure to monitor your PCC email, as that is where all communication from us will go.

For students who are accepted: Notifications will be emailed to your PCC email with an acceptance confirmation form, which must be submitted by the due date indicated in the email to confirm a spot in the program or accept an alternate status.

Application timeline