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Patient registrar education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a patient registrar. Patient registrars usually study business, health care administration, or medical assisting services. 32% of patient registrars hold a bachelor's degree, and 26% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 7,694 real patient registrar resumes to see exactly what patient registrar education sections show.

The most common colleges for patient registrars are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online patient registrar courses to help get the education required to be a patient registrar.

There are certain patient registrar certifications that you should consider. These patient registrar certifications include Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) and Certified Medical Office Manager (CMOM).

What education do you need to become a patient registrar?

What degree do you need to be a patient registrar?

The most common degree for patient registrars is bachelor's degree, with 32% of patient registrars earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 26% and associate degree degree at 20%.
  • Bachelor's, 32%
  • Associate, 26%
  • High School Diploma, 20%
  • Diploma, 8%
  • Other Degrees, 14%

What should I major in to become a patient registrar?

You should major in business to become a patient registrar. 21% of patient registrars major in business. Other common majors for a patient registrar include health care administration and medical assisting services.

Most common colleges for patient registrars

Patient registrars often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Bryan College, and DeVry University. Here are the most common colleges for patient registrars in the US based on their resumes.
Patient registrar common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix27.55%
Bryan College9.52%
DeVry University4.76%
Ashford University4.08%
Temple University4.08%

Best majors for patient registrars

Best colleges for patient registrars

The best colleges for patient registrars are Northwestern University, New York University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A patient registrar with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for patient registrars. 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 patient registrars.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

3. Maria College of Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$15,140

Enrollment

876

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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

7. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

8. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

9. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

20 best online courses for patient registrars

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1. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff

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11. Trauma Emergencies and Care

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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...

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Top 10 most affordable universities for patient registrars

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

If the best universities for patient registrars 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 patient registrars.

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. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for patient registrars

The hardest universities for patient registrars to get into are Northwestern University, New York University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for patient registrars 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 patient registrars 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. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

5. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

26%

SAT average

1,427

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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

9. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

10. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for patient registrars

The easiest schools for patient registrars to get into are AdventHealth University, d'youville college, and mount saint mary's university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a patient registrar 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 patient registrars.

1. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

2. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

3. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

4. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

5. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

6. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

7. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

8. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

10. Midwestern State University

Wichita Falls, TX • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,033

Average patient registrar salary by education level

According to our data, patient registrars with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $38,299 annually. Patient registrars with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $37,091.
Patient registrar education levelPatient registrar salary
Master's Degree$38,299
High School Diploma or Less$33,214
Bachelor's Degree$37,091
Some College/ Associate Degree$34,229

Patient registrar 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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