Key Findings
- Phlebotomy was the #1 program students chose on the Dreambound platform in both 2024 and 2025, confirming sustained demand for this career path.
- EKG technician training grew 83% year over year, making it the fastest-growing program category on the platform.
- Psychology (mental health) surged from #9 in student interest in 2024 to #1 in 2025, with over 2,000 student saves, signaling a major wave of interest in behavioral health careers.
- Healthcare certifications showed the strongest follow-through from browsing to action, meaning students who explored these programs chose them at the highest rates.
- Student interest is expanding geographically, with New Hampshire more than doubling its browsing activity and Florida and Arizona entering the top markets for career training exploration.
Trending Programs Students Are Choosing in 2025
These are the program categories where Dreambound students took action at the highest rates. "Chose" means the student selected a program and submitted their information to a training provider through the Dreambound platform.
1. Phlebotomy
The #1 program students chose for two consecutive years. Phlebotomy continues to be the most popular choice among Dreambound students, holding the top position in both 2024 and 2025. Students interested in how to become a phlebotomist are acting on that interest at one of the highest rates on the platform.
2. EKG Technician
The fastest-growing program on the platform, with 83% year-over-year growth. EKG technician training nearly doubled its volume from 2024 to 2025, and students who explored EKG programs followed through at one of the highest rates on the platform. Learn more about how to become an EKG technician.
3. Psychology (Mental Health)
A new entrant among top chosen programs in 2025. Psychology with a mental health concentration appeared in the top chosen programs for the first time, reflecting growing student commitment to behavioral health career paths.
4. Medical Assistant
A consistent performer across both years. Medical assistant training maintained steady demand in 2024 and 2025, reinforcing its position as a reliable entry point into healthcare careers. Explore how to become a medical assistant for a full career guide.
What Programs Are Students Exploring Most
Student interest is measured by program saves and bookmarks on the Dreambound platform. This metric reflects which career paths students are actively researching during their decision-making process.
2025 Most-Saved Programs
1. Psychology (Mental Health): 2,018 saves. This program rose from #9 in 2024 to the top spot in 2025. Combined with psychology (addictions) at 1,443 saves, behavioral health programs captured over 3,400 saves, the largest share of student interest of any career category on the platform.
2. Pharmacy Technician: 1,615 saves. Pharmacy technician held the #2 spot in student interest across both years, showing stable and sustained exploration from students. Read more about how to become a pharmacy technician.
3. Phlebotomy: 1,193 saves. Phlebotomy ranked in the top five for both student interest and student choice, making it one of the most well-rounded programs in terms of both exploration and follow-through.
4. Radiology Technician: 1,126 saves. Radiology technician training entered the top five most-saved programs for the first time in 2025, expanding the range of healthcare careers students are actively considering.
5. Medical Billing and Coding: 1,026 saves. Medical billing and coding continued to attract consistent student exploration in 2025, maintaining its position among the most-saved career training programs.
Several of these programs also appear on our list of top healthcare certifications that pay well, confirming that student interest aligns with strong earning potential.
Which Program Categories See the Strongest Follow-Through
One of the most useful patterns in this data is which types of programs move students from browsing to choosing a program most consistently.
Healthcare certifications like phlebotomy and EKG technician training showed the highest follow-through rates on the platform. Students who explored these programs were more likely to take action compared to students browsing longer-term degree programs. Many of these certifications can be completed in under a year, which is a factor we also highlight in our guide to 1-year medical certificate programs.
Several factors appear to drive this pattern. Healthcare certification programs are typically shorter in duration, lower in total cost, and designed to prepare students for the workforce within months rather than years. For students weighing multiple career options, these programs tend to move faster from research to decision.
Behavioral health and psychology programs are attracting rapidly growing interest, though students in this category tend to spend more time in the research and exploration phase before committing. This is common for degree-track programs, where students are evaluating a longer-term investment in their education and career.
Where Student Interest Is Growing
Student interest in career training is expanding across multiple states on the Dreambound platform.
New Hampshire led all states in student interest growth, more than doubling its browsing activity from 6,599 saves in 2024 to 13,527 in 2025. This growth was likely driven by expanded program availability in the state. Florida entered the top states for the first time with 5,386 saves. Arizona grew 19% year over year to reach 5,007 saves.
Michigan continued to lead in student choice activity, accounting for the largest share of students who chose a program on the platform in 2025. The geographic spread of student interest suggests that demand for career training is growing in more regions, with students across the country actively exploring vocational and healthcare training options.
What This Means for Students Exploring Career Training
This data highlights a few patterns that are useful for anyone researching career training programs.
Healthcare certifications are where students are taking action. Phlebotomy and EKG technician training lead in student follow-through. These programs are shorter, and students who explore them tend to choose them. For anyone looking to enter the healthcare workforce on a shorter timeline, these are the program categories where other students are making that move. Our guide to the fastest-growing jobs in healthcare provides additional context on which careers are expanding.
Interest in behavioral health careers is accelerating. Psychology and mental health programs saw the single largest increase in student interest of any category on the platform. This trend aligns with growing national awareness of mental health as a career field and increasing demand for behavioral health professionals across the country.
EKG technician training is gaining momentum fast. An 83% year-over-year increase makes EKG the fastest-growing program category on the Dreambound platform. Students considering healthcare careers may want to explore EKG technician training as a high-demand, fast-growing option.
More students in more states are exploring career training. The geographic expansion of browsing activity on the platform reflects broader access to online and hybrid training programs. Students are no longer limited to programs in their immediate area, and interest is growing in states that previously had limited activity.
