Medical insurance coder education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a medical insurance coder. Medical insurance coders usually study health care administration, business, or insurance. 33% of medical insurance coders hold a associate degree, and 20% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 225 real medical insurance coder resumes to see exactly what medical insurance coder education sections show.

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

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

There are certain medical insurance coder certifications that you should consider. These medical insurance coder certifications include Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) and Medical Assistant.

What education do you need to become a medical insurance coder?

What degree do you need to be a medical insurance coder?

The most common degree for medical insurance coders is associate degree, with 33% of medical insurance coders earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 20% and high school diploma degree at 18%.

Associate, 33%

High School Diploma, 20%

Bachelor's, 18%

Diploma, 13%

Other Degrees, 16%

What should I major in to become a medical insurance coder?

You should major in health care administration to become a medical insurance coder. 30% of medical insurance coders major in health care administration. Other common majors for a medical insurance coder include business and insurance.

Health Care Administration, 30%

Business, 14%

Insurance, 8%

Medical Assisting Services, 6%

Other Majors, 42%

Most common colleges for medical insurance coders

Medical insurance coders often get their degrees at Bryan College, University of Phoenix, and California State University - Fullerton. Here are the most common colleges for medical insurance coders in the US based on their resumes.

Medical insurance coder common college	Percentages
Bryan College	9.09%
University of Phoenix	9.09%
California State University - Fullerton	4.55%
Cypress College	4.55%
Pima Medical Institute	4.55%

Show more common medical insurance coder colleges

Best majors for medical insurance coders

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Health Care Administration	30.1%
2	Business	14.5%
3	Insurance	8.4%
4	Medical Assisting Services	6.0%
5	General Studies	6.0%

Show more common medical insurance coder majors

Best colleges for medical insurance coders

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

A medical 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 medical 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 medical 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 medical insurance coders

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Top 10 most affordable universities for medical insurance coders

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

If the best universities for medical 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 medical 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 medical insurance coders

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

Some great schools for medical 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 medical 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

SAT average

1,492

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

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

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 medical insurance coders

The easiest schools for medical 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 a medical 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 medical 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 medical insurance coder salary by education level

Medical insurance coders with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $37,563 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, medical insurance coders earn a median annual income of $35,064 compared to $33,200 for medical insurance coders with an Associate degree.

Medical insurance coder education level	Medical insurance coder salary
Master's Degree	$37,563
High School Diploma or Less	$33,078
Bachelor's Degree	$35,064
Some College/ Associate Degree	$33,200

Medical insurance coder education FAQs

What is the best college for Medical Insurance Coders?

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Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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