Best Online Court Reporting Schools

PAF Training Programs offers a free, six-week Basic Training program to help you get started on your court reporting journey. Once you’ve completed it, you’re automatically eligible for up to $150 per month of tuition assistance through Project Steno, an organization created to help students graduate and get a job as a stenographic reporter.

If you’ve completed PAF’s Basic Training program, you’ll pay just $6,000 instead of $7,200. If you qualify for a scholarship, you’ll only pay $4,700. Scholarship requirements or qualifications aren’t listed online, so you’ll need to contact the school for details. Upon enrollment, you’re assigned a mentor and personal coach to help track your progress and keep you on a path toward success. 

PAF’s curriculum includes machine shorthand theory, speed building, transcript production, legal and medical terminology, ethics, and an internship.

While Mark Kislingbury Academy of Court Reporting isn’t accredited, it is recognized by Texas Workforce Commission as a vocational college. Your court reporting course costs $500 per month if you’re brand new to court reporting. If you’re a transfer student who has spent more than $10,000 at another court reporting school, you only pay $300 per month. The school also offers scholarships on a case-by-case needs basis.

Most students spend four hours per day, five days per week in class and working on homework, and four hours on the weekend on additional homework. Estimated completion is approximately 24 months, but can be quicker if you attend full-time. The curriculum includes English terminology, theory, medical terminology, speed building, punctuation, and an internship.

While not officially accredited by NCRA, the Court Reporting at Home program is offered by Auburn University, which is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. When completing the at-home program, you’re fully prepared to pass any state exams or the national RPR examination and will receive a Certificate from Auburn University. 

You only need a high school diploma or GED to enroll, and it takes approximately 18 months to complete this program. Tuition is $7,549 when training with a new Luminex CSE steno machine. If you complete your training without a steno machine, your tuition is $6,049. This is because when using a steno machine, you need a CRAH Program License Agreement which is covered by your tuition. 

Auburn University’s course teaches learning theory, building speed on the steno machine, computer-aided transcription, academics, and certification preparation. Students will also complete an internship during their program duration. Materials are shipped to your home.

The College of Court Reporting was the first online program approved by NCRA. It is also accredited by the Indiana Board for Proprietary Education (BPE) and the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC). Each credit hour costs $375 with 55 credit hours required to earn your Certificate in Court Reporting. To enroll, you must have a high school diploma or GED and pay a $50 registration fee. 

Classes include Advanced Communications, Communications, Advanced Transcript Production, Court Reporting English, Court Reporting Processes and Development, Courtroom/Court Reporting Practicum, CSR/RPR Preparation, Introduction to Realtime Technology, Personal Finance, and Technology I.

Most students complete their program in 75 weeks and are given a maximum of 120 weeks to finish. In addition to weekly, one-hour live sessions, students can view the class recordings online at their convenience. Additionally, those taking speed-building courses can attend an additional 18 hours of live or recorded weekly classes.

All of Alfred State College’s court reporting classes are held live online. The program is two years long and costs $7,567 per year. Alfred State College’s curriculum includes real-time writing theory, grammar, computer-aided transcription, speed building, internship, medical terminology, and legal terminology. A notable class that many other programs don’t offer is personal dictionary production and maintenance.

Alfred State College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. To enroll, you can use the Common App, which tracks your entire college application from start to finish. You can also sign up for a payment plan and this program is Project Steno-approved.

No matter which associate’s degree track you choose, Steno Machine Writing or Voice Writing, each program takes two years and costs $9,541 if you’re an Ohio resident. If you live in Cuyahoga County, your tuition is just $7,650.56. Students living outside of Ohio pay $18,316 in total. There are no application or registration fees, and you will know the status of your application within three to five business days. 

The live curriculum includes real-time theory, court procedures, college composition, medical terminology, ethics, introduction to humanities, speed building, internship, and communications. Some electives don’t directly relate to court reporting, like Literary Writing or Sociology of Gender, but these courses can help you deal with difficult court assignments.

If you’re an Ohio resident, you qualify for in-state tuition and only pay approximately $10,746 (165.33 x 65 credit hours). If you’re out of state, you pay approximately $19,672.90 ($302.66 x 65 credit hours). Attending full-time, you can complete Clark State’s program in five terms. 

If you transfer credits in, you may be able to complete this program in a shorter timeframe. Similarly, if you don’t want to attend full-time, it will take you longer than five terms to complete your studies. Classes are held live. 

You must have your high school diploma or GED to enroll. Classes include Realtime Theory I and II, Legal Terminology, Medical Terminology, Ethics, CAT Transcript Production, and Business Communication.