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Medical record coder education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a medical record coder. Medical record coders usually study health care administration, computer information systems, or business. 44% of medical record coders hold a associate degree, and 30% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 513 real medical record coder resumes to see exactly what medical record coder education sections show.
The most common colleges for medical record coders are the Norfolk State University and the Norfolk State University.
There are also many online medical record coder courses to help get the education required to be a medical record coder.
There are certain medical record coder certifications that you should consider. These medical record coder certifications include Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) and Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS).
What education do you need to become a medical record coder?
What degree do you need to be a medical record coder?
- Associate, 44%
- Bachelor's, 30%
- Diploma, 7%
- High School Diploma, 5%
- Other Degrees, 14%
What should I major in to become a medical record coder?
- Business, 13%
- Other Majors, 26%
Most common colleges for medical record coders
| Medical record coder common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Norfolk State University | 8.70% |
| DeVry University | 8.70% |
| Schoolcraft College | 6.52% |
| Ferris State University | 6.52% |
| Louisiana Tech University | 4.35% |
Best majors for medical record coders
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health Care Administration | 42.0% |
| 2 | Computer Information Systems | 15.1% |
| 3 | Business | 12.6% |
| 4 | Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | 4.2% |
| 5 | Nursing | 3.4% |
Best colleges for medical record coders
The best colleges for medical record coders are University of Southern California, Johns Hopkins University, and New York University.
A medical record 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 record 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 record coders.
1. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
4. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
5. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
In-state tuition
$17,653
Enrollment
16,405
6. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
8. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,230
Enrollment
12,161
9. SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Utica, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,238
Enrollment
2,120
10. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
20 best online courses for medical record coders
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11. Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist
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12. Medical Terminology
Introduction to the meaning of various roots, terms and combining forms that are components of medical words...
13. Internal audit on Medical Device QMS - ISO 13485:2016
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14. Medical Device Regulation 2017/745 EU regulatory affairs.
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15. Medical Devices Quality Management System - ISO 13485:2016
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16. Understanding HIPAA for the Medical Office
A healthcare professional's guide to understanding the requirements HIPAA...
17. Understanding Medications and Therapeutics
Helping you build the best foundation to truly understand medications and develop clinical reasoning skills...
18. Introduction to Medical Imaging
Your guide to the history, science, math, and economics of medical imaging systems (e.g., X-ray, CT, MRI, Ultrasound)...
19. Health Data 101
An Introduction to Health Data for data analysts...
20. Practical Regulatory Affairs 2020 - European Medical Devices
A practical course discussing the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR) in real-world situations...
Top 10 most affordable universities for medical record coders
The most affordable schools for medical record coders are California State University - Bakersfield, suny farmingdale, and florida international university.
If the best universities for medical record 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 record 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. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
4. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
5. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
7. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
8. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
9. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
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 record coders
The hardest universities for medical record coders to get into are University of Southern California, Johns Hopkins University, and New York University.
Some great schools for medical record 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 record 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 Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
2. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
6. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
7. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,456
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
10. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
Admissions rate
26%
SAT average
1,427
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for medical record coders
The easiest schools for medical record coders to get into are D'Youville College, ottawa university, and wayland baptist university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a medical record 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 record coders.
1. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
2. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
3. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
4. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
5. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
6. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
7. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
8. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
9. Marymount University
Arlington, VA • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,065
10. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,016
Average medical record coder salary by education level
| Medical record coder education level | Medical record coder salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $66,494 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $51,389 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $59,056 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $56,108 |
Medical record 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