To donate sperm at a US sperm bank you need to be between 18 and 40, live within commuting distance of a collection facility, pass a semen analysis, clear medical and genetic screening, and meet the bank’s education requirements. Most men who apply don’t qualify. Banks aren’t selecting for general health, they’re selecting the top tier of male fertility, which is a different standard from clinical normal. Only around 1 to 5% of applicants make it into an active donor program.
The Requirements Every Sperm Bank Shares
Before getting into what varies, these requirements apply at every major US sperm bank without exception:
- Age: Between 18 and 40, with the exact cutoff varying by bank.
- Location: Within commuting distance of a collection facility. Most banks set this at 40 to 50 miles. You’ll be visiting weekly for months, so this is a hard constraint.
- Legal work authorization: Most banks require you to be legally authorized to work in the US. World Egg and Sperm Bank explicitly requires US citizenship or permanent residency. California Cryobank and Fairfax Cryobank require legal work authorization. F-1 visa holders should check directly with their target bank before applying.
- Semen quality: Your sperm count, motility, and morphology need to significantly exceed clinical normal ranges, not just pass them.
- Health history: No significant hereditary conditions in close relatives, no serious ongoing illness, clean infectious disease panel.
- Healthy BMI: All banks assess BMI as part of the physical exam. The typical acceptable range is 18 to 30. This is evaluated during screening rather than published as a headline cutoff, but candidates significantly outside this range are generally not accepted.
- Commitment: A minimum of 6 to 12 months of regular donations, depending on the bank. This isn’t a one-off transaction.
Everything beyond this varies by bank. The sections below cover what each requirement actually looks like in practice and where the differences matter.
Age Requirements
Age is a hard cutoff at every bank.
| Bank | Age Range |
|---|---|
| California Cryobank | 19–38 |
| Fairfax Cryobank | 18–39 |
| Xytex / DonateSperm.com | 18–38 |
| Seattle Sperm Bank | 18–40 |
| San Diego Sperm Bank | 21–40.5 |
| World Egg and Sperm Bank | 18–39 |
| Cryobank America | 18–40 |
If you’re close to a bank’s upper age limit, apply sooner rather than later. The screening process takes 6 to 10 weeks. If you turn 38 or 39 mid-screening at a bank with a strict cutoff, your application may be closed before you’re accepted. Once you’re in an active program, most banks allow you to continue donating until the end of your agreed term even if you age past the cutoff during it.
For a full breakdown of why banks set these limits and what the age cutoff means in practice, see our sperm donor age requirements guide.
Semen Quality Requirement
More applicants are rejected for semen quality than any other reason. Banks evaluate three parameters from your initial sample:
- Count: Total number of sperm per millilitre of semen.
- Motility: The percentage of sperm that are swimming and moving correctly.
- Morphology: The percentage of sperm with a normal shape.
Banks don’t publish their exact cutoffs, but they require parameters that significantly exceed what’s considered clinically normal. A count that would satisfy a fertility doctor treating a couple trying to conceive isn’t necessarily enough to get into a donor program. Banks also require that your sperm survive the freezing and thawing process used to cryopreserve samples. Some men have perfectly healthy sperm for natural conception that simply don’t hold up well after cryopreservation, and that’s an immediate disqualifier regardless of how good the raw numbers look.
The only way to know where you stand is to submit a sample. The initial analysis is free at every bank. If your first sample doesn’t clear the threshold, some banks will invite you back for a second analysis, since sperm quality fluctuates based on recent illness, stress, heat exposure, and abstinence period.
Health and Family History Requirements
Every bank requires a detailed review of your personal and family medical history, typically covering three generations of blood relatives: parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Banks are looking for hereditary conditions, genetic disorders, early-onset cancers, and cardiovascular disease under age 50. If your family history indicates a significantly elevated risk of passing a genetic condition to offspring, most banks will disqualify your application at this stage.
All donors are required to complete a full infectious disease panel at enrollment, as mandated by the FDA under 21 CFR Part 1271. This covers HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and other STIs. Testing is repeated every three months during your active donation period. An active STI at time of application is a disqualifier, though some conditions may allow you to reapply after treatment and clearance.
Genetic carrier screening is performed on all accepted donors. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine sets the baseline standards all banks must meet or exceed. Panel size varies by bank: Cryobank America tests for 560 conditions as of 2025, Xytex tests for 280+, and San Diego Sperm Bank tests for 514. Being identified as a carrier for a recessive condition doesn’t automatically disqualify you, but carrying certain high-risk conditions does.
Every bank also includes a psychological evaluation as part of screening. This covers mental health history, emotional stability, and whether you genuinely understand the long-term implications of donation, including the possibility that donor-conceived offspring may contact you at age 18.
For a full breakdown of what the medical screening process involves at each stage, see our sperm donor medical screening guide.
Education Requirements
Most major banks require some level of post-secondary education. The threshold and flexibility vary significantly between programs.
| Bank | Education Requirement |
|---|---|
| California Cryobank | Some college experience; professional experience considered in lieu |
| Fairfax Cryobank | High school grad, current college student or grad, trade/professional certificate, first responders accepted |
| Xytex / DonateSperm.com | Currently enrolled in college, college degree, or professional certificate |
| Seattle Sperm Bank | College degree or currently enrolled |
| San Diego Sperm Bank | College degree or currently enrolled |
| Cryobank America | College degree required |
| World Egg and Sperm Bank | Not stated as a requirement |
Fairfax has the most accessible education standard of any major bank, explicitly welcoming high school graduates, tradespeople, and first responders. Cryobank America has the strictest, requiring a completed college degree with no exceptions published. If you don’t have a degree or current enrollment, Fairfax and World Egg and Sperm Bank are the programs most worth applying to.
For a deeper look at how education affects acceptance rates and what counts at specific banks, see our sperm donor education requirements guide.
Lifestyle Requirements
Smoking and tobacco
California Cryobank allows smokers to apply but requires you to stop during your active donation period. Most other banks disqualify current smokers at application. If you’re a smoker, check the specific policy of any bank you’re considering before applying.
Marijuana
Policies vary significantly by bank and are not always published clearly. Some banks disqualify current marijuana users outright. Others require a period of abstinence before and during donation. A few conduct drug testing and disqualify based on results rather than self-reported use. For a full breakdown by bank, see our marijuana and sperm donation guide.
Alcohol and recreational drugs
Excessive alcohol use is a disqualifier at all banks. Moderate consumption is generally acceptable but banks ask donors to avoid drinking in the 48 to 72 hours before each donation. Recreational drug use beyond marijuana is broadly disqualifying. All banks conduct drug screening as part of the medical evaluation.
Tattoos and piercings
A recent tattoo or piercing typically triggers a deferral period rather than an outright disqualification. Most banks require 6 to 12 months since your last tattoo or piercing before you’re eligible to apply. This is tied to infectious disease risk assessment, not a permanent barrier. For the full breakdown by bank, see our tattoos and piercings guide.
Steroids and testosterone
Anabolic steroids and testosterone replacement therapy are disqualifying at all banks. Both suppress natural sperm production significantly, often to zero. If you’re currently using either, you would need to stop and allow time for your body to recover before applying, and there’s no guarantee your counts will return to a level that meets donor standards.
What Disqualifies You Outright
Universal disqualifiers across all banks:
- Age outside the bank’s accepted range
- HIV positive status
- Active hepatitis B or C infection
- Certain genetic conditions confirmed through carrier screening
- Family history indicating significantly elevated risk of hereditary disease in offspring
- Current anabolic steroid or testosterone use
- Living too far from a collection facility
- BMI significantly outside the 18 to 30 range
Bank-specific or temporary disqualifiers:
- Recent tattoo or piercing (deferral, not permanent)
- Active marijuana use (varies by bank)
- No college education (disqualifying at Cryobank America, not at Fairfax)
- Borderline semen quality (may clear at a bank with slightly lower standards)
- F-1 or non-immigrant visa status (varies by bank, some accept, some don’t)
Being rejected by one bank doesn’t close all doors. California Cryobank accepts less than 1% of applicants. Fairfax accepts roughly 1 in 200. If the highest-paying banks turn you down, mid-tier programs like Cryobank America, Xytex, and World Egg and Sperm Bank are still worth applying to. For the full breakdown of disqualifiers at specific banks, see our sperm donor disqualifications guide.
Commitment Requirements
Every bank requires a minimum active donation period:
| Bank | Minimum Commitment | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| California Cryobank | 9 to 12 months | 2 to 3x per week encouraged |
| Fairfax Cryobank | 6 months | 1 to 2x per week |
| Xytex | 6 months | At least 2x per week |
| Seattle Sperm Bank | 6 months | Not specified |
| Cryobank America | 1 year | At least 1x per week |
| San Diego Sperm Bank | 1 year | 1 to 3x per week |
| World Egg and Sperm Bank | Not published | 1 to 3x per week |
Banks invest several thousand dollars in screening each donor before a single paid donation is made. The commitment requirement is how they recover that investment and ensure a reliable supply of samples. Most donors who qualify choose to continue past their minimum term because the income compounds and the routine becomes manageable.
A Quick Self-Screen
Before you spend time on an application, run through these questions:
- Are you between 18 and 40? Check the specific cutoff for your target bank in the table above.
- Do you live within 40 to 50 miles of a collection facility? Use our location guide to check. If the answer is no, there’s no program available to you right now.
- Are you legally authorized to work in the US? Most banks require this. World Egg and Sperm Bank requires citizenship or permanent residency specifically.
- Do you have the required education? No college education narrows your options to Fairfax and World Egg and Sperm Bank. Currently enrolled or with a degree opens most programs.
- Is there anything in your family health history that might be a concern? Hereditary conditions in close relatives, early-onset cancers, or cardiovascular disease under 50 warrant a closer look.
- Is your BMI in a healthy range? The typical acceptable range across banks is 18 to 30.
- Can you commit 6 to 12 months of weekly visits? If your life situation makes that unrealistic right now, the timing isn’t right regardless of how well you’d qualify biologically.
If you clear all of these, the next step is a free online application. The first semen analysis costs you nothing. There’s no commitment until you sign a donor agreement, which only happens after you’ve passed full screening.
How to Apply
Use our sperm donation location guide to find every bank with a collection facility in your state, along with direct application links and current pay rates.
For a full breakdown of what the process looks like from application to first paycheck, see our sperm donor pay guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the basic requirements to donate sperm?
Age between 18 and 40, legal work authorization in the US, living within commuting distance of a collection facility, passing a semen analysis, clearing medical and genetic screening, meeting the bank’s education requirement, a healthy BMI, and committing to a minimum of 6 to 12 months of regular donations.
What is the most common reason applicants are rejected?
Semen quality. Most men who apply produce sperm that is perfectly adequate for natural conception but doesn’t meet the higher thresholds banks require for donor programs, particularly after cryopreservation.
Do you need a college degree to donate sperm?
It depends on the bank. Cryobank America requires a completed college degree. Most other banks accept current college enrollment. Fairfax Cryobank accepts high school graduates, tradespeople, and first responders. World Egg and Sperm Bank does not list education as a stated requirement.
What is the age limit to donate sperm?
Most US banks accept donors up to age 39 or 40. California Cryobank cuts off at 38. San Diego Sperm Bank accepts up to 40.5. Xytex cuts off at 38. Check the table above for your target bank’s specific range.
Can you donate sperm if you smoke weed?
It depends on the bank and frequency of use. Some banks disqualify current users, others require abstinence for a set period, and a few base decisions on drug test results rather than self-reported use. See our marijuana and sperm donation guide for a bank-by-bank breakdown.
Does being rejected by one bank mean you can’t donate anywhere?
No. Acceptance standards vary between programs. California Cryobank accepts less than 1% of applicants. If the top-paying banks turn you down, Fairfax, Xytex, Cryobank America, and World Egg and Sperm Bank are all worth applying to.
How long does the screening process take?
Four to ten weeks from your initial application to formal acceptance, depending on the bank and lab turnaround times. Your first paycheck arrives one to two weeks after your first approved donation.