Registered dietitian (RD/RDN): exam, jobs
The RD and RDN are the same national credential from the CDR: an ACEND program, a graduate degree, supervised practice, and a computer-based exam.
Ask AI about this guide
A clinical dietitian reviews a patient meal plan chart during hospital rounds.
What is RD/RDN certification?
RD/RDN certification is the national credential that lets you practice as a registered dietitian in the United States. It comes from the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), the credentialing body of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. To earn it you finish accredited coursework, complete a supervised practice program, hold at least a graduate degree, and pass the CDR registration exam. RD stands for registered dietitian and RDN stands for registered dietitian nutritionist. They're two names for one credential, and you'll see both on job postings. The credential is separate from a state license: CDR registration is national, and many states add their own license on top of it.
RD vs RDN: what's the difference?
There's no practical difference. CDR states that the RD and RDN credential have identical meanings and legal trademark definitions. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics added the RDN option in 2013 so dietitians could put the word "nutritionist" in their credential and signal what they do to the public. Using RDN is voluntary, costs nothing extra, and carries no separate requirements.
| RD (Registered Dietitian) | The original credential name, in use for decades. Still valid, still current, and still what many dietitians put after their name. |
|---|---|
| RDN (Registered Dietitian Nutritionist) | The same credential under a longer name, offered since 2013. Optional, no extra exam, no extra fee. You can switch to it at any time or keep using RD. |
Pick whichever you prefer and use it consistently. A posting that asks for an "RD" and one that asks for an "RDN" are asking for the same thing. Neither outranks the other, and holding one does not mean you're missing the other.
Who asks for RD/RDN certification
Hospitals, skilled nursing and long-term care facilities, dialysis centers, outpatient clinics, and public health programs ask for RD/RDN certification on almost every dietitian role. In our US listings that covers dietitians, who are also titled nutritionists, and the work covers clinical nutrition assessment at the bedside and diet counseling for conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Registration is usually a hard requirement for anything with "dietitian" in the title, because most states restrict that title to credentialed and licensed practitioners. Dietetic technician roles are a separate, lower tier that asks for the NDTR credential instead, covered below. Food service and community programs sometimes hire uncredentialed nutrition staff, but the licensed clinical work goes to RDs.
Requirements and eligibility
- A graduate degree. As of January 1, 2024, first-time candidates need at least a master's-level degree from a USDE-accredited institution to sit the exam. The old bachelor's-only route closed for anyone who wasn't already in CDR's eligibility system before December 31, 2023.
- Accredited coursework. Your nutrition coursework has to run through a program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), such as a didactic program in dietetics (DPD).
- Supervised practice. You complete an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program, most often a dietetic internship, which provides a minimum of 1,000 hours of supervised experience. Coordinated and graduate programs fold the coursework and practice hours together.
- A passing score on the CDR registration examination for dietitians.
- No prior credential. You don't need to be an NDTR or hold any other card first. The technician credential is a separate track, not a prerequisite.
Cost, format, and renewal
The figures below are current as of 2026, from CDR's Registered Dietitian Handbook for Candidates and its recertification pages. CDR charges the exam fee; your degree and accredited programs are separate costs it doesn't set.
| Exam fee | $250 for the dietitian exam (CDR, 2026). A discounted retake voucher runs $100 |
|---|---|
| Format | Computer-based and adaptive, delivered by Pearson year-round. A minimum of 125 questions, 25 of them unscored pretest items, up to 145 total, with four answer options each |
| Passing standard | Scored on a scale of 1 to 50; a scaled score of 25 passes |
| Validity period | Ongoing, as long as you meet recertification and pay the annual fee |
| Renewal requirement | 75 continuing professional education units (CPEUs) per 5-year cycle, with at least 1 CPEU in ethics or health equity, logged through a Professional Development Portfolio |
| Maintenance fee | An annual registration maintenance fee billed by CDR each summer, due August 31 |
| Issuing body | Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) |
NDTR: the dietetic technician tier
The NDTR is the technician-level credential, one step below the RD. NDTR stands for nutrition and dietetics technician, registered; its older name, DTR (dietetic technician, registered), means the same thing, the same way RD and RDN do. CDR issues it, and dietetic technicians work under a dietitian's direction on nutrition screening, meal planning, and food service in hospitals and long-term care. There are two ways to qualify: an associate degree plus an ACEND-accredited dietetic technician program, which includes a minimum of 450 supervised practice hours, or a bachelor's degree plus an ACEND-accredited DPD. Either route ends with the CDR dietetic technician exam, which follows the same computer-adaptive format as the RD exam and costs $160 as of 2026. NDTRs recertify on the same five-year cycle as RDs, but with 50 CPEUs instead of 75. The NDTR is a real credential in its own right, and many technicians later earn the RD after finishing the graduate degree and internship.
State licensure
CDR registration is national, but most states also regulate dietitians through their own license or certification, and the two are separate credentials. Where a state licenses the role, you generally need both the state license and CDR registration to practice and to use the protected title "dietitian." State licensure usually relies on the CDR credential: states accept passing the CDR exam as their exam requirement, then add their own application, fee, and renewal cycle. A handful of states don't license dietitians at all, and a few certify rather than license. Because the rules and the renewal deadlines differ from one state to the next, check your state's dietetics or health licensing board before your first job, and don't assume your CDR registration alone lets you practice.
How to get certified
- Earn a graduate degree from a USDE-accredited institution, the baseline for first-time candidates since 2024.
- Complete ACEND-accredited nutrition coursework, either a standalone DPD or the didactic half of a coordinated or graduate program.
- Finish an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program, usually a dietetic internship of at least 1,000 hours. Check current pathways on the CDR eligibility page.
- Apply to CDR for exam eligibility once your program director verifies your completion.
- Schedule and pass the registration exam at a Pearson test center.
- Apply for your state license if your state requires one, then set a reminder for both your CPEU cycle and your annual maintenance fee.
On the job
Your CDR registration and your state license, where one is required, both need to be current before your first clinical shift. Employers verify registration directly with CDR, so a lapsed credential can hold up your start date. Ask at onboarding whether the employer reimburses continuing education, since many hospitals cover conference fees and in-house CPEUs that count toward your 75-credit cycle. Log your CPEUs as you earn them rather than scrambling in year five, and keep your ethics credit from slipping, because it's the one CPEU category people forget until the cycle closes.
FAQ
There isn't one. CDR states that the RD and RDN credential have identical meanings and legal trademark definitions. RDN, added in 2013, just spells out registered dietitian nutritionist so the credential includes the word nutritionist. Using it is optional, free, and requires no extra exam. A job that asks for an RD and one that asks for an RDN want the same credential.
As of 2024 you need at least a graduate degree from an accredited institution, ACEND-accredited nutrition coursework, and an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program such as a dietetic internship (a minimum of 1,000 hours), then a passing score on the CDR registration exam. Many states also require a license on top of the CDR credential.
The CDR registration exam fee is $250 for dietitians as of 2026, with a discounted retake voucher of $100. The dietetic technician (NDTR) exam is $160. Those fees are separate from your degree and your accredited programs, which CDR doesn't set.
NDTR stands for nutrition and dietetics technician, registered, the technician-level credential one step below the registered dietitian. Its older name, DTR, means the same thing. You qualify through an associate degree plus an ACEND dietetic technician program, or a bachelor's plus an ACEND didactic program, then the CDR dietetic technician exam. NDTRs work under a dietitian's direction.
In most states, yes. CDR registration is national, but most states also regulate dietitians through a separate license or certification, and where a state licenses the role you generally need both it and CDR registration to practice and use the title dietitian. A few states don't license dietitians. Check your state board before your first job.
CDR registration stays active as long as you recertify. You complete 75 continuing professional education units (CPEUs) per five-year cycle, including at least 1 CPEU in ethics or health equity, logged through a Professional Development Portfolio, and you pay an annual maintenance fee due August 31. NDTRs follow the same cycle with 50 CPEUs.