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Insurance coder education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an insurance coder. Insurance coders usually study health care administration, business, or insurance. 33% of insurance coders hold a associate degree, and 25% hold an diploma. We analyzed 109 real insurance coder resumes to see exactly what insurance coder education sections show.

The most common colleges for insurance coders are the Charter College and the Charter College.

There are also many online insurance coder courses to help get the education required to be an insurance coder.

What education do you need to become an insurance coder?

What degree do you need to be an insurance coder?

The most common degree for insurance coders is associate degree, with 33% of insurance coders earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are diploma degree at 25% and diploma degree at 19%.
  • Associate, 33%
  • Diploma, 25%
  • High School Diploma, 19%
  • Bachelor's, 12%
  • Other Degrees, 11%

What should I major in to become an insurance coder?

You should major in health care administration to become an insurance coder. 24% of insurance coders major in health care administration. Other common majors for an insurance coder include business and insurance.

Most common colleges for insurance coders

Insurance coders often get their degrees at Charter College, DeVry University, and University of Mobile. Here are the most common colleges for insurance coders in the US based on their resumes.
Insurance coder common collegePercentages
Charter College5.88%
DeVry University5.88%
University of Mobile5.88%
Madison Campus of Herzing University5.88%
South College5.88%

Best majors for insurance coders

Best colleges for insurance coders

The best colleges for insurance coders are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

An insurance 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 insurance 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 insurance coders.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

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. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

7. Maria College of Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$15,140

Enrollment

876

8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

9. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

10. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

20 best online courses for insurance coders

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Top 10 most affordable universities for insurance coders

The most affordable schools for insurance coders are California State University - Bakersfield, suny farmingdale, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for insurance 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 insurance coders.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

10. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for insurance coders

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

Some great schools for insurance 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 insurance 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

9. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for insurance coders

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

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an insurance 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 insurance coders.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

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. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

8. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

9. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

10. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

Average insurance coder salary by education level

According to our data, insurance coders with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $40,255 annually. Insurance coders with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $37,101.
Insurance coder education levelInsurance coder salary
Master's Degree$40,255
High School Diploma or Less$34,624
Bachelor's Degree$37,101
Some College/ Associate Degree$34,775

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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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