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Medical record librarian education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a medical record librarian. Medical record librarians usually study biology, psychology, or small business management. 43% of medical record librarians hold a bachelor's degree, and 32% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 64 real medical record librarian resumes to see exactly what medical record librarian education sections show.

The most common colleges for medical record librarians are the College America - Phoenix and the College America - Phoenix.

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

What education do you need to become a medical record librarian?

What degree do you need to be a medical record librarian?

The most common degree for medical record librarians is bachelor's degree, with 43% of medical record librarians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 32% and associate degree degree at 14%.
  • Bachelor's, 43%
  • Associate, 32%
  • Diploma, 14%
  • High School Diploma, 11%

What should I major in to become a medical record librarian?

You should major in biology to become a medical record librarian. 9% of medical record librarians major in biology. Other common majors for a medical record librarian include psychology and small business management.

Most common colleges for medical record librarians

Medical record librarians often get their degrees at College America - Phoenix, Cazenovia College, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Here are the most common colleges for medical record librarians in the US based on their resumes.
Medical record librarian common collegePercentages
College America - Phoenix10.00%
Cazenovia College5.00%
Virginia Commonwealth University5.00%
ECPI University5.00%
Metropolitan State University of Denver5.00%

Best majors for medical record librarians

Best colleges for medical record librarians

The best colleges for medical record librarians are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Carnegie Mellon University.

A medical record librarian 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 librarians. 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 librarians.

1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

2. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Enrollment

31,321

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

7. San Jose State University

San Jose, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,796

Enrollment

27,125

8. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

9. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

10. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

20 best online courses for medical record librarians

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Top 10 most affordable universities for medical record librarians

The most affordable schools for medical record librarians are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for medical record librarians 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 librarians.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

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. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

9. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for medical record librarians

The hardest universities for medical record librarians to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Carnegie Mellon University.

Some great schools for medical record librarians 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 librarians 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

6. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

10. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for medical record librarians

The easiest schools for medical record librarians to get into are Gwynedd Mercy University, felician university, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a medical record librarian 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 librarians.

1. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

2. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

5. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

6. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

7. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

8. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

9. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

10. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

Average medical record librarian salary by education level

According to our data, medical record librarians with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $67,898 annually. Medical record librarians with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $60,812.
Medical record librarian education levelMedical record librarian salary
Master's Degree$67,898
High School Diploma or Less$53,442
Bachelor's Degree$60,812
Some College/ Associate Degree$57,986

Medical record librarian education FAQs

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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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