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Certified professional coder education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a certified professional coder. Certified professional coders usually study health care administration, business, or nursing. 34% of certified professional coders hold a associate degree, and 25% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 1,009 real certified professional coder resumes to see exactly what certified professional coder education sections show.
The most common colleges for certified professional coders are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online certified professional coder courses to help get the education required to be a certified professional coder.
There are certain certified professional coder certifications that you should consider. These certified professional coder certifications include Certified Professional Coder (CPC) and Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS).
What education do you need to become a certified professional coder?
What degree do you need to be a certified professional coder?
- Associate, 34%
- Bachelor's, 25%
- Diploma, 12%
- High School Diploma, 9%
- Other Degrees, 20%
What should I major in to become a certified professional coder?
Most common colleges for certified professional coders
| Certified professional coder common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 9.09% |
| Ohio State University | 7.27% |
| University of Cincinnati | 7.27% |
| University of Pennsylvania | 7.27% |
| Brown University | 5.45% |
Best majors for certified professional coders
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health Care Administration | 36.6% |
| 2 | Business | 14.6% |
| 3 | Nursing | 5.5% |
| 4 | Computer Information Systems | 5.0% |
| 5 | Accounting | 4.4% |
Best colleges for certified professional coders
The best colleges for certified professional coders are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A certified professional coder with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for certified professional coders. 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 certified professional coders.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
6. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
9. Maria College of Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$15,140
Enrollment
876
10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
20 best online courses for certified professional coders
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Top 10 most affordable universities for certified professional coders
The most affordable schools for certified professional coders are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and suny farmingdale.
If the best universities for certified professional coders 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 certified professional coders.
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. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
3. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
5. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
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. SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Utica, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,238
Cost of attendance
21,567
9. Clayton State University
Morrow, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$5,419
Cost of attendance
17,697
10. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for certified professional coders
The hardest universities for certified professional coders to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for certified professional coders 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 certified professional coders 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for certified professional coders
The easiest schools for certified professional coders 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 certified professional coder 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 certified professional coders.
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. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
7. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
8. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
9. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
10. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
Average certified professional coder salary by education level
| Certified professional coder education level | Certified professional coder salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $64,622 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $49,997 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $57,422 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $54,568 |
Certified professional coder education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025