New York City has more ways into medical coding than almost anywhere, and most of them are not colleges. The single largest producer of coding credentials in the metro is a Queens career school, and five of the six biggest are private schools. The colleges that publish an annual tuition, and so can be scored, are a smaller group spread from Westchester to Jersey City.
That spread is the first thing to understand. The list below covers the whole metropolitan area the federal government draws around the city, so it reaches into New Jersey, and the cheapest college on it is only cheap for some of the people who could commute to it.
Top 9 medical coding programs in New York City in 2026
The top 9 medical coding programs in New York City are ranked below on the same model as our national and New York lists: independent review, cost, track record, delivery and credential fit. New York City here means the whole New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metropolitan area as the federal government draws it, not the city limits, because that is the area a student actually commutes across, and it is why programs in New Jersey appear on a New York City list. Of the 22 institutions in it, 9 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 AHIMA PCAP approved
SUNY Westchester Community College
Valhalla, NY · Public · Medical Coding Certificate
75.3
of 100
Some online courses Certificate 35 credits Practicum included Preps CCAPreps CCSWhy it ranks in the New York City area
From its campus in Valhalla, NY, SUNY Westchester Community College places #1 among the 9 medical coding programs we scored in the New York City area. Graduates are told they may sit CCA and CCS, which is a wider set than most programs name. Delivery is fully online. It has graduated students in all three of the years we checked, most recently 32. Someone outside the college has looked at this program. Specifically, AHIMA Professional Certificate Approval Program approved since 2019, with continued approval granted in March 2024.
Tuition
$5,696 a year, in-district
Facts on this card come from the SUNY Westchester Community College program page
Score breakdown
- Independent review 35.0/35
- Published tuition 8.3/25
- Track record 20.0/20
- Online availability 6.0/12
- Credential fit 6.0/8
-
- #2
Hudson County Community College
Jersey City, NJ · Public
48.5
of 100
Online available CertificateWhy it ranks in the New York City area
From its campus in Jersey City, NJ, Hudson County Community College places #2 among the 9 medical coding programs we scored in the New York City area. At $5,020 a year in district, it is about 32% below the median of $7,410 across medical coding programs we scored in the New York City area. The institution runs fully online undergraduate programs, a flag covering the college as a whole, so ask the the New York City area campus whether this award is among them. Federal completions show awards in each of the last three years, 7 in the most recent, so this is a running program rather than a listed one. Nothing independent has reviewed this specific program, which describes almost every coding program in the New York City area rather than this one in particular.
Tuition
$5,020 a year, in-district
Facts on this card come from Hudson County Community College
Score breakdown
- Independent review 0.0/35
- Published tuition 10.5/25
- Track record 20.0/20
- Online availability 12.0/12
- Credential fit 6.0/8
-
- #3
CUNY Graduate School and University Center
New York, NY · Public
43.7
of 100
Online available CertificateWhy it ranks in the New York City area
From its campus in New York, NY, CUNY Graduate School and University Center places #3 among the 9 medical coding programs we scored in the New York City area. Nothing independent has reviewed this specific program, which describes almost every coding program in the New York City area rather than this one in particular. It has graduated students in all three of the years we checked, most recently 7. Tuition of $7,410 a year sits close to the $7,410 median for medical coding programs we scored in the New York City 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 New York City area campus that the coding award itself runs online.
Tuition
$7,410 a year, in-district
Facts on this card come from CUNY Graduate School and University Center
Score breakdown
- Independent review 0.0/35
- Published tuition 5.7/25
- Track record 20.0/20
- Online availability 12.0/12
- Credential fit 6.0/8
-
- #4
DeVry College of New York
New York, NY · Private for-profit
40.6
of 100
Online available CertificateWhy it ranks in the New York City area
From its campus in New York, NY, DeVry College of New York places #4 among the 9 medical coding programs we scored in the New York City area. Tuition of $15,032 runs about 103% above the $7,410 median for medical coding programs we scored in the New York City area, which is worth weighing against what else the program includes. Federal completions show awards in each of the last three years, 3 in the most recent, so this is a running program rather than a listed one. There is no program-level review on record here. That is unremarkable in this field, where only 22 programs nationally carry one. Online study is available here, though the federal flag covers the college rather than this specific award, which is worth confirming with an the New York City area advisor.
Tuition
$15,032 a year, in-district
Score breakdown
- Independent review 0.0/35
- Published tuition 2.6/25
- Track record 20.0/20
- Online availability 12.0/12
- Credential fit 6.0/8
-
- #5
Nassau Community College
Garden City, NY · Public
38.8
of 100
Some online courses CertificateWhy it ranks in the New York City area
From its campus in Garden City, NY, Nassau Community College places #5 among the 9 medical coding programs we scored in the New York City area. At $6,330 a year in district, it is about 15% below the median of $7,410 across medical coding programs we scored in the New York City area. 16 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. No independent program review is on record for this one, which is the normal position in medical coding rather than a mark against it.
Tuition
$6,330 a year, in-district
Score breakdown
- Independent review 0.0/35
- Published tuition 6.8/25
- Track record 20.0/20
- Online availability 6.0/12
- Credential fit 6.0/8
-
- #6
Eastwick College-Nutley
Nutley, NJ · Private for-profit
34.7
of 100
Some online courses CertificateWhy it ranks in the New York City area
From its campus in Nutley, NJ, Eastwick College-Nutley places #6 among the 9 medical coding programs we scored in the New York City area. Tuition of $14,846 runs about 100% above the $7,410 median for medical coding programs we scored in the New York City area, which is worth weighing against what else the program includes. Federal completions show awards in each of the last three years, 13 in the most recent, so this is a running program rather than a listed one. This program carries no third-party review of its own. Few do, so the absence separates it from almost nothing.
Tuition
$14,846 a year, in-district
Score breakdown
- Independent review 0.0/35
- Published tuition 2.7/25
- Track record 20.0/20
- Online availability 6.0/12
- Credential fit 6.0/8
-
- #7
Eastwick College-Hackensack
Hackensack, NJ · Private for-profit
33.7
of 100
Some online courses CertificateWhy it ranks in the New York City area
From its campus in Hackensack, NJ, Eastwick College-Hackensack places #7 among the 9 medical coding programs we scored in the New York City area. Tuition of $16,913 runs about 128% above the $7,410 median for medical coding programs we scored in the New York City area, which is worth weighing against what else the program includes. There is no program-level review on record here. That is unremarkable in this field, where only 22 programs nationally carry one. Federal completions show awards in each of the last three years, 6 in the most recent, so this is a running program rather than a listed one.
Tuition
$16,913 a year, in-district
Score breakdown
- Independent review 0.0/35
- Published tuition 1.7/25
- Track record 20.0/20
- Online availability 6.0/12
- Credential fit 6.0/8
-
- #8
CUNY Queensborough Community College
Bayside, NY · Public
33.7
of 100
Online available CertificateWhy it ranks in the New York City area
From its campus in Bayside, NY, CUNY Queensborough Community College places #8 among the 9 medical coding programs we scored in the New York City area. At $5,210 a year in district, it is about 30% below the median of $7,410 across medical coding programs we scored in the New York City area. The college reports distance-education programs at undergraduate level, and whether this the New York City area certificate is one of them is worth a direct question. Federal data shows awards in 1 of the last three years, which is worth asking about. Nothing independent has reviewed this specific program, which describes almost every coding program in the New York City area rather than this one in particular.
Tuition
$5,210 a year, in-district
Facts on this card come from CUNY Queensborough Community College
Score breakdown
- Independent review 0.0/35
- Published tuition 9.7/25
- Track record 6.0/20
- Online availability 12.0/12
- Credential fit 6.0/8
-
- #9
Swedish Institute a College of Health Sciences
New York, NY · Private for-profit
26.7
of 100
On campus CertificateWhy it ranks in the New York City area
From its campus in New York, NY, Swedish Institute a College of Health Sciences places #9 among the 9 medical coding programs we scored in the New York City area. Tuition of $27,450 runs about 270% above the $7,410 median for medical coding programs we scored in the New York City area, which is worth weighing against what else the program includes. 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. 31 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
$27,450 a year, in-district
Facts on this card come from Swedish Institute a College of Health Sciences
Score breakdown
- Independent review 0.0/35
- Published tuition 0.7/25
- Track record 20.0/20
- Online availability 0.0/12
- Credential fit 6.0/8
-
Can New York City residents get in-county tuition at SUNY Westchester or Nassau?
New York City residents can get resident tuition at SUNY Westchester or Nassau Community College, but only by filing paperwork first. Both colleges charge their resident rate to students from other New York counties who bring a Certificate of Residence from their home county, and charge double without one. SUNY Westchester lists full-time resident tuition at $2,865 a semester against $5,885 for non-residents, and Nassau charges $250 a credit against $500.
That matters more here than anywhere else on the list, because SUNY Westchester runs the only AHIMA PCAP-approved coding program in the metro, the one independent review a coding certificate can hold. A Bronx or Queens student who skips the certificate pays twice what a Yonkers student pays for the same seat.
Inside the city, CUNY's community colleges charge $210 a credit part time and $2,400 a semester full time to New York residents, and $320 a credit to non-residents.
Is a New Jersey program a good option for a New York City student?
A New Jersey program is a good option for a New York City student only if they live in New Jersey or the price works out anyway, because New Jersey county colleges price by county. Hudson County Community College charges $270.16 a credit with fees to Hudson County residents and $441.16 to New Jersey residents from other counties. Its fee schedule should be checked for the out-of-state rate before a New Yorker plans around it.
For a Jersey City or Hoboken resident the arithmetic runs the other way, and HCCC's medical billing and coding certificate is the obvious place to start. The two Eastwick campuses on the list are private career schools charging around three times either county college's annual tuition.
How much do medical coders make in New York City?
Medical coders in New York City make a median of $61,190 a year, across 8,090 jobs in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metropolitan area. That is $10,050 above the national median of $51,140 and $530 below the New York figure of $61,720.
The spread matters more than the middle. The bottom tenth earns $35,640 and the bottom quarter $46,900, which is nearer to what a newly certified coder is offered, while the top quarter clears $81,090 and the top tenth $102,600. 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 $56,160, across 32,930 jobs.
Which schools in New York City award a medical coding credential?
The schools in New York City awarding a medical coding credential are the 22 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. 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Learning Institute | Rego Park | Nonprofit | ✓ | $16,500 program, 15mo | 118 |
| Hunter Business School | Levittown | For-profit | ✓ | $2,690 program, 3mo | 48 |
| SUNY Westchester Community College PCAP | Valhalla | Public | — | $5,696 /yr | 32 |
| Swedish Institute a College of Health Sciences | New York | For-profit | — | $27,450 /yr | 31 |
| American Institute of Medical Sciences & Education | Piscataway, NJ | For-profit | — | $3,750 program, 4mo | 27 |
| Allen School-Brooklyn | Brooklyn | For-profit | — | school publishes none | 23 |
| Austin Medical Assistant Training | Forest Hills | For-profit | — | $960 program, 2mo | 23 |
| Fortis Institute-Wayne | Wayne, NJ | For-profit | — | $19,125 program, 12mo | 22 |
| Nassau Community College | Garden City | Public | — | $6,330 /yr | 16 |
| Eastwick College-Nutley | Nutley, NJ | For-profit | — | $14,846 /yr | 13 |
| Hudson County Community College | Jersey City, NJ | Public | ✓ | $5,020 /yr | 7 |
| CUNY Graduate School and University Center | New York | Public | ✓ | $7,410 /yr | 7 |
| Eastwick College-Hackensack | Hackensack, NJ | For-profit | — | $16,913 /yr | 6 |
| DeVry College of New York | New York | For-profit | ✓ | $15,032 /yr | 3 |
| Access Careers | Hempstead | For-profit | — | $2,500 program, 2mo | 3 |
| CUNY Queensborough Community College | Bayside | Public | ✓ | $5,210 /yr | 2 |
| Healthcare Training Institute | Union, NJ | For-profit | — | $16,100 program, 9mo | 1 |
| Raritan Valley Community College | Branchburg, NJ | Public | ✓ | $5,520 /yr | |
| Berkeley College-Woodland Park | Woodland Park, NJ | For-profit | ✓ | $27,772 /yr | |
| Lincoln Technical Institute-Paramus | Paramus, NJ | For-profit | — | $20,407 program, 9mo | |
| The College of Westchester | White Plains | For-profit | ✓ | $24,705 /yr | |
| Medical Career Institute | Ocean, NJ | For-profit | — | not published |
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 New York City
What is the best medical coding program in New York City?
How much does a medical coding program cost in New York City?
How much do medical coders make in New York City?
Do you need a license to be a medical coder in New York City?
Which medical coding program in New York City is AHIMA approved?
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ 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 : SUNY Westchester Community College holds approval.
- SUNY Westchester Community College, tuition and residency: resident and non-resident semester rates, Certificate of Residence rule
- SUNY Westchester Community College, medical coding: PCAP approval
- Nassau Community College, residency requirements
- CUNY Bronx Community College, tuition: CUNY community college resident and non-resident rates
- Hudson County Community College, schedule of fees 2025-2026
Where else can you study medical coding near New York City?
You can study medical coding near New York City anywhere else in New York, and since no state licenses coders, a program further out is a real option rather than a compromise:
- Medical coding programs in New York, 25 institutions statewide
- Medical coding programs in New Jersey, 17 institutions statewide
- The best online medical coding programs, open to New York City residents
The other large cities we rank:
- Medical coding programs in Los Angeles, 10 ranked
- Medical coding programs in Chicago, 11 ranked
- Medical coding programs in Houston, 6 ranked
- Medical coding programs in Philadelphia, 11 ranked