SAS vs R in Clinical Trials: Which Should You Learn?
By Neha Jain, Principal Consultant and SAS trainer · 17+ years training in SAS · 5,000+ learners trained · Updated 7 November 2026
"Should I learn SAS or R?" is one of the most common questions from people entering clinical programming. Both are used in clinical trials today, and the answer depends on where you want to work and how far into your career you are. This guide gives a balanced, practical answer.
The short answer
Learn SAS first if you want the widest range of clinical programming jobs today, then add R — the industry is moving towards programmers who can work in both. The CDISC standards, the analysis plans and the outputs are the same in either language.
What the FDA actually accepts
The FDA does not require any specific software for statistical analyses. Its Statistical Software Clarifying Statement (May 2015) says the software used should be fully documented in the submission, including version and build. SAS became the default in the industry through convention, validated workflows and a large trained workforce — not because regulators demand it.
SAS vs R at a glance
SAS | R | |
Cost | Commercial licence | Free and open source |
Regulatory acceptance | Accepted; long track record | Accepted; growing submission experience |
Clinical toolkit | Base SAS, macros, PROC REPORT, ODS | pharmaverse packages such as admiral; table packages such as rtables and Tplyr |
Strengths | Stability, validated in-house processes, support | Flexibility, graphics, rapid open-source innovation |
Learning curve | Structured, consistent syntax | Very flexible; many ways to do one task |
Job market | Required in most current CRO and pharma roles | Increasingly listed as required or preferred |
The same task in SAS and R
Summarising age by treatment group in ADSL:
/* SAS */
proc means data=adam.adsl n mean std min max;
class trt01a;
var age;
run;# R (dplyr)
library(dplyr)
adsl %>%
group_by(TRT01A) %>%
summarise(n = n(), mean = mean(AGE), sd = sd(AGE),
min = min(AGE), max = max(AGE))The logic is identical; only the syntax changes. That is why programmers with strong SAS foundations can add R relatively quickly.
Why R is growing in clinical trials
The pharmaverse. A cross-company collection of open-source packages, including admiral for ADaM derivations.
Industry pilots. Industry groups such as the R Consortium have run pilot submissions to the FDA using R.
Graduates. Many statistics and life-science graduates learn R at university.
Cost and flexibility. Open source lowers costs and makes modern graphics and apps easier.
Why SAS remains essential
Most existing clinical programming code, macros and standards are written in SAS.
Many CROs and sponsors still run SAS-based production and validation.
Programmers are often asked to double-program in both languages.
Long-term studies and legacy submissions keep SAS skills in demand.
Which should you learn first?
Your situation | Recommendation |
Fresher targeting CRO or pharma jobs | SAS first, then R |
Already a SAS programmer | Add R and the pharmaverse now |
Statistics graduate who knows R | Add SAS for job-market access |
Working in a team that is moving to R | Learn R deeply, keep SAS for legacy work |
Frequently asked questions
Does the FDA require SAS? No. The FDA does not require any specific software, as long as the software used is documented in the submission.
Will R replace SAS in clinical trials? R is growing fast, but most teams are moving to a mixed world rather than a sudden switch. Knowing both is the safest career strategy.
Are CDISC standards different in R? No. SDTM, ADaM and define.xml are the same whichever language builds them.
How long does it take a SAS programmer to learn R? With strong SAS skills, many programmers become productive in R for clinical tasks within a few months of guided practice.
Learn SAS and R with Eduvercity
Eduvercity teaches both, live online with Neha Jain: Clinical SAS for the industry standard, and Clinical R Programming for SAS programmers moving to R with tidyverse and the pharmaverse.
About the author
Neha Jain is a Principal Consultant and Trainer at Eduvercity and works independently as a freelance SAS consultant and trainer. She has trained professionals in SAS for more than 17 years and has more than 20 years of experience as a global consultant across programming, data and project leadership, and has trained more than 5,000 students and professionals, as well as teams at companies worldwide. She teaches Base and Advanced SAS, Clinical SAS (CDISC SDTM, ADaM and TLFs), clinical R and Python to learners in India, the UAE, the UK, the USA and Canada, and advises teams moving clinical programming work from SAS to R. The views in this article are her own. More about Neha and Eduvercity.
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