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Medical biller coder education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a medical biller coder. Medical biller coders usually study health care administration, business, or insurance. 30% of medical biller coders hold a associate degree, and 21% hold an diploma. We analyzed 10,726 real medical biller coder resumes to see exactly what medical biller coder education sections show.
The most common colleges for medical biller coders are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online medical biller coder courses to help get the education required to be a medical biller coder.
There are certain medical biller coder certifications that you should consider. These medical biller coder certifications include Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) and Medical Assistant.
What education do you need to become a medical biller coder?
What degree do you need to be a medical biller coder?
- Associate, 30%
- Diploma, 21%
- Bachelor's, 16%
- High School Diploma, 11%
- Other Degrees, 22%
What should I major in to become a medical biller coder?
Most common colleges for medical biller coders
| Medical biller coder common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 13.54% |
| Remington College | 10.83% |
| DeVry University | 7.35% |
| Bryan College | 6.77% |
| Florida Technical College | 6.77% |
Best majors for medical biller coders
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health Care Administration | 45.2% |
| 2 | Business | 12.7% |
| 3 | Insurance | 7.0% |
| 4 | Medical Assisting Services | 5.0% |
| 5 | Accounting | 3.9% |
Best colleges for medical biller coders
The best colleges for medical biller coders are Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University.
A medical biller 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 medical biller 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 medical biller coders.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
4. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
5. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
6. SUNY College at Oswego
Oswego, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,440
Enrollment
7,039
7. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
8. Baylor University
Waco, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$45,542
Enrollment
14,159
9. University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Lafayette, LA • Private
In-state tuition
$9,912
Enrollment
14,245
10. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,896
Enrollment
15,529
20 best online courses for medical biller coders
Advertising disclosure
1. Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation
In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1) assess a basic medical patient 2) describe general pharmacologic principles and the skills associated with medication administration, 3) explain airway physiology, the assessment of the airway and available interventions for airway management, 4) identify, assess and formulate a plan to stabilize a patient with a...
2. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff
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. Medical Coding: ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code Training
Learn medical coding and prepare yourself for today's healthcare workplace...
4. ICD 10 & 11 Medical Coding and Billing
Preparation for Medical Coding Certification Exam...
5. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale
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...
6. Medical Emergencies: CPR, Toxicology, and Wilderness
In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: (1) Identify the signs and symptoms associated with a patient in shock, to describe the major categories of shock, to assess a patient with signs of shock and formulate a plan for treatment to stabilize the patient for transport, (2) Identify a patient in cardiac arrest and to describe the components of high performance CPR...
7. Medical Coding CPC (Certified Professional Coder) Training
ICD 10, CPT, HCPCS, Rules and Regulations...
8. A Specialty Approach to Learning Medical Billing and Coding
Volume One: Medical Hematology...
9. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care
This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...
10. Trauma Emergencies and Care
Welcome to Trauma Emergencies and Care. In this course, you will learn about some of the mechanics and physics of trauma on the human body, and how this can cause injury. You will continue to expand your new vocabulary with medical terminology, and learn how to describe the different injuries you may see. You will also learn about the trauma system itself- and when it is important to transport patients to a trauma center. Then we will dive into specific injuries based on what part of the body...
11. AMCI Introduction to Medical Coding (I2MC) Course
Introduction to Medical Coding (I2MC) Course...
12. Financial Accounting-Adjusting Entries & Financial Statement
Master Adjusting Entries & Financial Statements: A Comprehensive Guide for Accurate Accounting and Reporting...
13. Complete Data Entry Skills Course - Learn Data Entry Skills
Learn Essential Data Entry Skills Now To Enhance Your Career -Word - Excel - Database - Data Entry Jobs...
14. Medical Device Regulation 2017/745 EU regulatory affairs.
Understand regulations for medical devices in simple terms to gain market approval of a medical device in the EU...
15. Data Entry Skills: A Complete Data Entry Course from Scratch
A Complete Guide to Data Entry Skills: Learn Data Entry Skills and become a Data Entry Pro & Get a Online Data Entry Job...
16. Medical Terminology
Introduction to the meaning of various roots, terms and combining forms that are components of medical words...
17. Understanding HIPAA for the Medical Office
A healthcare professional's guide to understanding the requirements HIPAA...
18. HIPAA Compliance Complete Course
Protecting Patients and Practices...
19. Practical Regulatory Affairs 2020 - European Medical Devices
A practical course discussing the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR) in real-world situations...
20. Medical Devices Quality Management System - ISO 13485:2016
Awareness and Application for the requirements of ISO 13485:2016 for Medical Device Development and QMS...
Top 10 most affordable universities for medical biller coders
The most affordable schools for medical biller coders are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and suny farmingdale.
If the best universities for medical biller 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 medical biller 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. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
6. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
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 medical biller coders
The hardest universities for medical biller coders to get into are Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for medical biller 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 medical biller 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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
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 medical biller coders
The easiest schools for medical biller 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 medical biller 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 medical biller 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 medical biller coder salary by education level
| Medical biller coder education level | Medical biller coder salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $45,149 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $37,270 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $41,334 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $39,788 |
Medical biller coder education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025