Los Angeles is the cheapest big city in the country to study medical coding, if you go to a community college. Every one of the ten ranked programs here is a California community college, and every one charges a California resident the same state-set fee. The catch is that most people who earn a coding credential in the metro do not go to one.
The largest producers are career colleges with campuses across the county, pricing a nine-month program at around $18,000 to $20,000. They graduate more coders than the colleges do, and because they report a whole-program price rather than annual tuition they are listed in full below rather than ranked.
Top 10 medical coding programs in Los Angeles in 2026
The top 10 medical coding programs in Los Angeles are ranked below on the same model as our national and California lists: independent review, cost, track record, delivery and credential fit. Los Angeles here means the whole Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metropolitan area as the federal government draws it, not the city limits, because that is the area a student actually commutes across. Of the 41 institutions in it, 10 publish an annual tuition figure and graduated coders in the latest year, which is what scoring needs; the rest are listed in full further down.
A program scores exactly what it scores on its state page, since cost is measured against every rankable program in the country. Only its position changes. The methodology has the weights.
- #1
Santa Monica College
Santa Monica, CA · Public
62.8
of 100
Online available CertificateWhy it ranks in the Los Angeles area
From its campus in Santa Monica, CA, Santa Monica College places #1 among the 10 medical coding programs we scored in the Los Angeles area. Nothing independent has reviewed this specific program, which describes almost every coding program in the Los Angeles area rather than this one in particular. IPEDS records the college as offering undergraduate programs that can be finished entirely at a distance, an institution-level flag, so confirm with the the Los Angeles area campus that the coding award itself runs online. It has graduated students in all three of the years we checked, most recently 36. Tuition of $1,156 a year sits close to the $1,238 median for medical coding programs we scored in the Los Angeles area.
Tuition
$1,156 a year, in-district
Score breakdown
- Independent review 0.0/35
- Published tuition 24.8/25
- Track record 20.0/20
- Online availability 12.0/12
- Credential fit 6.0/8
-
- #2
Glendale Community College
Glendale, CA · Public
62.6
of 100
Online available CertificateWhy it ranks in the Los Angeles area
From its campus in Glendale, CA, Glendale Community College places #2 among the 10 medical coding programs we scored in the Los Angeles area. No program-level approval is recorded. Read that as the field's norm, not as a finding about this college, whose institutional accreditation is a separate matter. 25 awards in the latest year, and awards in each of the three years before it, which is the check we run for whether a program is actually operating. Tuition of $1,181 a year sits close to the $1,238 median for medical coding programs we scored in the Los Angeles area. IPEDS records the college as offering undergraduate programs that can be finished entirely at a distance, an institution-level flag, so confirm with the the Los Angeles area campus that the coding award itself runs online.
Tuition
$1,181 a year, in-district
Score breakdown
- Independent review 0.0/35
- Published tuition 24.6/25
- Track record 20.0/20
- Online availability 12.0/12
- Credential fit 6.0/8
-
- #3
West Los Angeles College
Culver City, CA · Public
62.3
of 100
Online available CertificateWhy it ranks in the Los Angeles area
From its campus in Culver City, CA, West Los Angeles College places #3 among the 10 medical coding programs we scored in the Los Angeles area. No program-level approval is recorded. Read that as the field's norm, not as a finding about this college, whose institutional accreditation is a separate matter. Tuition of $1,238 a year sits close to the $1,238 median for medical coding programs we scored in the Los Angeles area. Distance study is on offer at this the Los Angeles area college, though the federal record does not say whether the coding certificate itself is delivered that way. 17 awards in the latest year, and awards in each of the three years before it, which is the check we run for whether a program is actually operating.
Tuition
$1,238 a year, in-district
Score breakdown
- Independent review 0.0/35
- Published tuition 24.3/25
- Track record 20.0/20
- Online availability 12.0/12
- Credential fit 6.0/8
-
- #4
Saddleback College
Mission Viejo, CA · Public
61.4
of 100
Online available CertificateWhy it ranks in the Los Angeles area
From its campus in Mission Viejo, CA, Saddleback College places #4 among the 10 medical coding programs we scored in the Los Angeles area. Tuition of $1,432 runs about 16% above the $1,238 median for medical coding programs we scored in the Los Angeles area, which is worth weighing against what else the program includes. 17 awards in the latest year, and awards in each of the three years before it, which is the check we run for whether a program is actually operating. This program carries no third-party review of its own. Few do, so the absence separates it from almost nothing. Distance study is on offer at this the Los Angeles area college, though the federal record does not say whether the coding certificate itself is delivered that way.
Tuition
$1,432 a year, in-district
Score breakdown
- Independent review 0.0/35
- Published tuition 23.4/25
- Track record 20.0/20
- Online availability 12.0/12
- Credential fit 6.0/8
-
- #5
Antelope Valley Community College District
Lancaster, CA · Public
57.0
of 100
Some online courses CertificateWhy it ranks in the Los Angeles area
From its campus in Lancaster, CA, Antelope Valley Community College District places #5 among the 10 medical coding programs we scored in the Los Angeles area. At $1,124 a year in district, it is about 9% below the median of $1,238 across medical coding programs we scored in the Los Angeles area. No independent program review is on record for this one, which is the normal position in medical coding rather than a mark against it. 6 awards in the latest year, and awards in each of the three years before it, which is the check we run for whether a program is actually operating.
Tuition
$1,124 a year, in-district
Facts on this card come from Antelope Valley Community College District
Score breakdown
- Independent review 0.0/35
- Published tuition 25.0/25
- Track record 20.0/20
- Online availability 6.0/12
- Credential fit 6.0/8
-
- #6
East Los Angeles College
Monterey Park, CA · Public
56.3
of 100
Some online courses CertificateWhy it ranks in the Los Angeles area
From its campus in Monterey Park, CA, East Los Angeles College places #6 among the 10 medical coding programs we scored in the Los Angeles area. There is no program-level review on record here. That is unremarkable in this field, where only 22 programs nationally carry one. It has graduated students in all three of the years we checked, most recently 7. Tuition of $1,238 a year sits close to the $1,238 median for medical coding programs we scored in the Los Angeles area.
Tuition
$1,238 a year, in-district
Score breakdown
- Independent review 0.0/35
- Published tuition 24.3/25
- Track record 20.0/20
- Online availability 6.0/12
- Credential fit 6.0/8
-
- #7
College of the Canyons
Santa Clarita, CA · Public
49.6
of 100
Some online courses CertificateWhy it ranks in the Los Angeles area
From its campus in Santa Clarita, CA, College of the Canyons places #7 among the 10 medical coding programs we scored in the Los Angeles area. No program-level approval is recorded. Read that as the field's norm, not as a finding about this college, whose institutional accreditation is a separate matter. Tuition of $1,176 a year sits close to the $1,238 median for medical coding programs we scored in the Los Angeles area. Federal data shows awards in 2 of the last three years, which is worth asking about.
Tuition
$1,176 a year, in-district
Score breakdown
- Independent review 0.0/35
- Published tuition 24.6/25
- Track record 13.0/20
- Online availability 6.0/12
- Credential fit 6.0/8
-
- #8
Los Angeles Trade Technical College
Los Angeles, CA · Public
49.3
of 100
Some online courses CertificateWhy it ranks in the Los Angeles area
From its campus in Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles Trade Technical College places #8 among the 10 medical coding programs we scored in the Los Angeles area. This program carries no third-party review of its own. Few do, so the absence separates it from almost nothing. Tuition of $1,238 a year sits close to the $1,238 median for medical coding programs we scored in the Los Angeles area. Federal data shows awards in 2 of the last three years, which is worth asking about.
Tuition
$1,238 a year, in-district
Facts on this card come from Los Angeles Trade Technical College
Score breakdown
- Independent review 0.0/35
- Published tuition 24.3/25
- Track record 13.0/20
- Online availability 6.0/12
- Credential fit 6.0/8
-
- #9
Los Angeles Mission College
Sylmar, CA · Public
48.3
of 100
Online available CertificateWhy it ranks in the Los Angeles area
From its campus in Sylmar, CA, Los Angeles Mission College places #9 among the 10 medical coding programs we scored in the Los Angeles area. No independent program review is on record for this one, which is the normal position in medical coding rather than a mark against it. Federal data shows awards in 1 of the last three years, which is worth asking about. Tuition of $1,238 a year sits close to the $1,238 median for medical coding programs we scored in the Los Angeles area. The institution runs fully online undergraduate programs, a flag covering the college as a whole, so ask the the Los Angeles area campus whether this award is among them.
Tuition
$1,238 a year, in-district
Score breakdown
- Independent review 0.0/35
- Published tuition 24.3/25
- Track record 6.0/20
- Online availability 12.0/12
- Credential fit 6.0/8
-
- #10
Long Beach City College
Long Beach, CA · Public
41.2
of 100
Some online courses CertificateWhy it ranks in the Los Angeles area
From its campus in Long Beach, CA, Long Beach City College places #10 among the 10 medical coding programs we scored in the Los Angeles area. Tuition of $1,556 runs about 26% above the $1,238 median for medical coding programs we scored in the Los Angeles area, which is worth weighing against what else the program includes. Federal data shows awards in 1 of the last three years, which is worth asking about. There is no program-level review on record here. That is unremarkable in this field, where only 22 programs nationally carry one.
Tuition
$1,556 a year, in-district
Score breakdown
- Independent review 0.0/35
- Published tuition 23.2/25
- Track record 6.0/20
- Online availability 6.0/12
- Credential fit 6.0/8
-
How much does a community college coding program cost in Los Angeles?
A community college coding program in Los Angeles costs $46 a unit for a California resident, at every college on this list. The enrollment fee is set by the state rather than by the district, so Santa Monica College charges a resident from Pomona exactly what it charges one from Santa Monica. That is the opposite of how Chicago, Houston or Philadelphia work, where the district you live in decides your rate.
For a low-income student it can cost nothing. The California College Promise Grant waives the enrollment fee for residents who qualify on income or need, which leaves books, the code manuals and the certification exam.
Residency is the one condition. California counts a student as a resident after one year and one day of physical presence, and anyone who has just moved pays nonresident tuition on top of the fee: $406 a unit at Glendale, $416 at Santa Monica.
Which Los Angeles coding certificate prepares you for the CPC exam?
The Los Angeles coding certificate that names the CPC exam most directly is Glendale Community College's Medical Coding Specialist certificate, 31 semester units that the college says prepare graduates for the AAPC exam. Santa Monica's Medical Billing/Coding certificate is a much shorter 15 units built around medical vocabulary, billing and one coding course, which suits someone heading for a billing or front-office role more than a coding job.
Read the unit count before the rank. Two programs a few places apart on this list can differ by a full semester of coding coursework, and the federal data does not distinguish them. Four of the ten ranked colleges, West Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, Trade-Technical and Mission, belong to the nine-college Los Angeles Community College District.
How much do medical coders make in Los Angeles?
Medical coders in Los Angeles make a median of $59,110 a year, across 7,240 jobs in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metropolitan area. That is $7,970 above the national median of $51,140 and $2,700 below the California figure of $61,810.
The spread matters more than the middle. The bottom tenth earns $41,710 and the bottom quarter $47,900, which is nearer to what a newly certified coder is offered, while the top quarter clears $80,630 and the top tenth $101,290. That upper end is coders with an inpatient credential, a few years of audit or CDI work, or a remote role paid on a national scale. Billing is a separate federal occupation and pays less: billing and posting clerks in the metro earn a median of $53,070, across 16,670 jobs.
Which schools in Los Angeles award a medical coding credential?
The schools in Los Angeles awarding a medical coding credential are the 41 below, every institution in the metropolitan area that the federal data records as awarding a medical coding or billing credential, largest first by credentials conferred. 26 of them graduated coders but report a whole-program price rather than annual tuition, which is how career schools report, so they cannot be scored on the same footing as a college and are not ranked. 5 conferred no coding credential in the latest year. A blank price means the school reports none.
| School | City | Sector | Online | Price | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEI College-Gardena | Gardena | For-profit | ✓ | $19,900 program, 9mo | 162 |
| Downey Adult School | Downey | Public | ✓ | $4,499 program, 8mo | 66 |
| High Desert Medical College | Lancaster | For-profit | — | school publishes none | 54 |
| American Career College-Los Angeles | Los Angeles | For-profit | — | $18,009 program, 9mo | 45 |
| UEI College-Reseda | Reseda | For-profit | — | $19,900 program, 9mo | 43 |
| American Career College-Anaheim | Anaheim | For-profit | — | $18,450 program, 9mo | 42 |
| Santa Monica College | Santa Monica | Public | ✓ | $1,156 /yr | 36 |
| UEI College-Garden Grove | Garden Grove | For-profit | — | $19,900 program, 9mo | 36 |
| Hacienda La Puente Adult Education | La Puente | Public | — | $540 program, 300 hours ⓘ | 33 |
| UEI College-West Covina | West Covina | For-profit | — | $19,900 program, 9mo | 29 |
| Southern California Health Institute | North Hollywood | For-profit | — | $14,700 program, 9mo | 26 |
| North-West College-Long Beach | Long Beach | For-profit | — | $17,861 program, 9mo | 26 |
| Glendale Community College | Glendale | Public | ✓ | $1,181 /yr | 25 |
| North-West College-Anaheim | Anaheim | For-profit | — | $17,861 program, 9mo | 22 |
| North-West College-West Covina | West Covina | For-profit | — | $17,861 program, 9mo | 21 |
| Palladium Technical Academy Inc | Temple City | For-profit | — | $15,000 program, 8mo | 18 |
| West Los Angeles College | Culver City | Public | ✓ | $1,238 /yr | 17 |
| Saddleback College | Mission Viejo | Public | ✓ | $1,432 /yr | 17 |
| Healthcare Career College | Paramount | For-profit | ✓ | $15,310 program, 11mo | 14 |
| Galaxy Medical College | North Hollywood | For-profit | — | $16,300 program, 12mo | 13 |
| Diversified Vocational College | Los Angeles | For-profit | — | $17,000 program, 8mo | 12 |
| Valley College of Medical Careers | West Hills | For-profit | — | $15,550 program, 10mo | 10 |
| Fremont University | Cerritos | For-profit | ✓ | $37,417 program, 15mo | 9 |
| East Los Angeles College | Monterey Park | Public | — | $1,238 /yr | 7 |
| Antelope Valley Community College District | Lancaster | Public | — | $1,124 /yr | 6 |
| North-West College-Glendale | Glendale | For-profit | — | $17,761 program, 9mo | 6 |
| ABC Adult School | Cerritos | Public | — | $415 program, 9mo | 6 |
| Long Beach City College | Long Beach | Public | — | $1,556 /yr | 5 |
| Integrity College of Health | Pasadena | For-profit | ✓ | $14,308 program, 9mo | 5 |
| California Healing Arts College | Carson | For-profit | — | $17,995 program, 9mo | 4 |
| Glendale Career College | Glendale | For-profit | — | $15,685 program, 9mo | 4 |
| Los Angeles Trade Technical College | Los Angeles | Public | — | $1,238 /yr | 3 |
| Los Angeles Mission College | Sylmar | Public | ✓ | $1,238 /yr | 3 |
| North-West College-Van Nuys | Van Nuys | For-profit | — | $17,861 program, 9mo | 3 |
| College of the Canyons | Santa Clarita | Public | — | $1,176 /yr | 1 |
| North-West College-Pomona | Pomona | For-profit | — | $18,861 program, 9mo | 1 |
| Westchester College of Nursing & Allied Health | Los Angeles | For-profit | — | not published | |
| InterCoast Colleges-West Covina | West Covina | For-profit | ✓ | not published | |
| University of Antelope Valley | Lancaster | For-profit | ✓ | not published | |
| American College of Healthcare and Technology | Huntington Park | For-profit | — | not published | |
| Pasadena City College | Pasadena | Public | ✓ | $1,180 /yr |
IPEDS completions, directory and tuition files, 2023. Metro membership is each institution's metropolitan area (CBSA) in the IPEDS directory. Prices come in two units and the column says which: annual tuition, shown /yr, and the whole-program price career schools report, shown program. The two are never averaged together. A college's /yr figure is its in-district rate, which only residents of its district pay. The Online flag is institution-level: it marks a college offering some fully online undergraduate program, not proof that its coding certificate is one.
Common questions about medical coding programs in Los Angeles
What is the best medical coding program in Los Angeles?
How much does a medical coding program cost in Los Angeles?
How much do medical coders make in Los Angeles?
Do you need a license to be a medical coder in Los Angeles?
Is medical coding cheaper at a community college or a career school in Los Angeles?
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metropolitan area median, percentiles and employment for medical records specialists (SOC 29-2072) and billing and posting clerks (SOC 43-3021).
- IPEDS completions, directory and tuition , 2023, via the Urban Institute Education Data API: which institutions in the metro award coding credentials, how many they conferred, their metropolitan area, published tuition and distance education.
- AHIMA Professional Certificate Approval Program directory : no program in the Los Angeles area appears in it.
- Santa Monica College catalog, fees and tuition: the $46 enrollment fee and nonresident tuition
- Glendale Community College, enrollment fees
- California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, student fees and the College Promise Grant
- California Community Colleges, residency overview
- Glendale Community College, Medical Coding Specialist certificate
- Los Angeles Community College District, our colleges
Where else can you study medical coding near Los Angeles?
You can study medical coding near Los Angeles anywhere else in California, and since no state licenses coders, a program further out is a real option rather than a compromise:
- Medical coding programs in California, 109 institutions statewide
- The best online medical coding programs, open to Los Angeles residents
The other large cities we rank:
- Medical coding programs in New York City, 9 ranked
- Medical coding programs in Chicago, 11 ranked
- Medical coding programs in Houston, 6 ranked
- Medical coding programs in Philadelphia, 11 ranked