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Billing associate education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a billing associate. Billing associates usually study business, accounting, or health care administration. 43% of billing associates hold a bachelor's degree, and 26% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 3,166 real billing associate resumes to see exactly what billing associate education sections show.

The most common colleges for billing associates are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online billing associate courses to help get the education required to be a billing associate.

There are certain billing associate certifications that you should consider. These billing associate certifications include Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) and Certified Coding Specialist (CCS).

What education do you need to become a billing associate?

What degree do you need to be a billing associate?

The most common degree for billing associates is bachelor's degree, with 43% of billing associates earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 26% and associate degree degree at 12%.
  • Bachelor's, 43%
  • Associate, 26%
  • High School Diploma, 12%
  • Diploma, 7%
  • Other Degrees, 12%

What should I major in to become a billing associate?

You should major in business to become a billing associate. 29% of billing associates major in business. Other common majors for a billing associate include accounting and health care administration.

Most common colleges for billing associates

Billing associates often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, DeVry University, and American InterContinental University. Here are the most common colleges for billing associates in the US based on their resumes.
Billing associate common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix27.17%
DeVry University7.51%
American InterContinental University5.20%
Monroe College4.05%
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey4.05%

Best majors for billing associates

RankMajorPercentages
1Business28.5%
2Accounting15.8%
3Health Care Administration13.2%
4Psychology4.2%
5Management3.7%

Best colleges for billing associates

The best colleges for billing associates are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

A billing associate with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for billing associates. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become billing associates.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. Maria College of Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$15,140

Enrollment

876

9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

10. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

20 best online courses for billing associates

Advertising disclosure

1. Medical Billing and Coding Fundamentals

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Through this Specialization, students learn the essential skills of an Insurance Billing Specialist. Knowledge of human anatomy and medicine is necessary for any healthcare role, so students are also taught this terminology and structure. Additionally, this Specialization includes skills to stand out to employers by teaching professionalism, communication, and soft skills specific to an allied health environment...

2. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff

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Now that you've been introduced to the world of Health IT and the important role played by electronic health records (EHRs), we'll focus on other technologies that play a role in maintaining ongoing operations in healthcare. Telemedicine, patient portals, barcode scanners, printers, and medical devices are just some of the technologies that impact providers and patients. As an IT support specialist, you’ll be asked to troubleshoot issues with a wide variety of tools. You'll see a scenario with...

3. ICD 10 & 11 Medical Coding and Billing

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Preparation for Medical Coding Certification Exam...

4. A Specialty Approach to Learning Medical Billing and Coding

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Volume One: Medical Hematology...

5. Patient Safety

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Preventable patient harms, including medical errors and healthcare-associated complications, are a global public health threat. Moreover, patients frequently do not receive treatments and interventions known to improve their outcomes. These shortcomings typically result not from individual clinicians’ mistakes, but from systemic problems -- communication breakdowns, poor teamwork, and poorly designed care processes, to name a few.\n\nThe Patient Safety & Quality Leadership Specialization covers...

6. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale

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Acute stroke is a time-dependent medical emergency. In acute ischemic stroke, the first objective is to restore brain flow using sistemic thrombolytic treatment and, in patients with large vessel occlusion, by endovascular treatment. In hemorrhagic stroke there are also specific treatments that can improve the clinical outcome. The sooner the initiation of all these therapies the higher the clinical benefit. Thus, the organization of Stroke Code systems coordinated between emergency medical...

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Master Adjusting Entries & Financial Statements: A Comprehensive Guide for Accurate Accounting and Reporting...

9. GST - Maintaining documents, accounts and records

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GST, being a transaction-level tax, requires certain documentation to be generated and maintained to comply with the law and curb malpractices. GST also has a stringent requirement for the maintenance of appropriate accounts and records. In this course, you will learn about E-invoices and E-waybills required to be generated at a transaction level. You will also learn about the accounts and records that are required to be maintained by businesses. This course provides a platform for learners...

10. Financial Accounting & Excel-Comprehensive Accounting Course

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Comprehensive accounting course to learn the accounting cycle in a practical way and pick up critical Excel fundamentals...

11. Data Science for Healthcare Claims Data

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Learn and practice how to transform raw healthcare claims data into valuable knowledge and actionable insights!...

12. Xero Accounting Software

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Become an Expert in Xero Accounting Software: From Basics to Comprehensive Data Analysis...

13. Excel Accounting Problem

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14. Financial Bookkeeping and Accountancy: Complete Accounting

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A Complete Course on Book-keeping & Accounting Course For Level 1 & 2 aspirants...

15. QuickBooks Online Complex Issues And Advanced Techniques

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How To Prove An Entire Set Of Quick Books Online Records Are Correct To The Last Detail...

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17. Accounting Basics - A Complete Study

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19. Complete Data Entry Skills Course - Learn Data Entry Skills

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20. SAP Vendor Invoice Management(VIM) by OpenText

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SAP Finance Vendor Invoice Management, Open text VIM, Account payable automation - Basic to Advanced Level Course...

Top 10 most affordable universities for billing associates

The most affordable schools for billing associates are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - dominguez hills.

If the best universities for billing associates are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for billing associates.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

4. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

7. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

10. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for billing associates

The hardest universities for billing associates to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for billing associates are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for billing associates based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

9. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

10. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for billing associates

The easiest schools for billing associates to get into are D'Youville College, gwynedd mercy university, and mount saint mary's university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a billing associate without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for billing associates.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

4. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

5. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

7. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

8. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

9. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

10. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

Average billing associate salary by education level

Billing associates with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $41,612 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, billing associates earn a median annual income of $37,968 compared to $35,306 for billing associates with an Associate degree.
Billing associate education levelBilling associate salary
Master's Degree$41,612
High School Diploma or Less$35,134
Bachelor's Degree$37,968
Some College/ Associate Degree$35,306

Billing associate education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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