Medical assistant program cost
Your medical assistant program cost depends mostly on the kind of school you pick. Career schools that publish a single price for the full program have a median of $17,257 covering tuition, fees and books for 2023-24. For local students at public colleges, the median for one year of full-time study is $4,346 for tuition and fees. A median is simply the middle figure: half of schools charge below it and half charge above it.
Cost of medical assistant school by school type
Colleges and career schools set their prices differently. A career school quotes one figure covering the entire program. A college quotes a yearly figure, and its programs typically take 1 to 2 years.
| School type | Schools reporting | Median listed cost for 2023-24 |
|---|---|---|
| In-district students at public colleges | 437 | $4,346 per year in tuition and fees |
| Career schools with one full-program price | 392 | $17,257 total, books included |
These figures come from published U.S. Department of Education data. They show what schools charge before grants or scholarships are applied.
Look at accreditation before comparing prices
The site includes 1,094 medical assistant programs spanning every state plus Washington, DC. Among them, 484 are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs or offered at schools accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools. Being accredited means an independent organization has examined the program and confirmed it meets certain standards. That's useful to know before you set one price next to another.
Program length and cost
A shorter program is not necessarily a cheaper one, so compare the listed price as well as the time to finish. Across the 378 career schools that report completion time, the median is 9 months. Programs run from as short as 2 months to as long as 32 months.
| Program length | Career school programs |
|---|---|
| Up to 6 months | 19 |
| Between 7 and 9 months | 257 |
| Between 10 and 12 months | 59 |
| Over 12 months | 43 |
Can financial aid cover a medical assistant program's price?
Aid can make a real difference, but the amount depends on your circumstances. Of the programs listed, 1,049 sit at schools participating in federal student aid, so applying is an option for most people.
Your first step is the FAFSA, a federal form. Schools rely on it to work out the grants, scholarships, work-study and loans you could receive. You submit it annually for each year you're seeking aid, and the 2027-28 form is already open.
The FAFSA is also how you apply for a Pell Grant, federal money that generally doesn't have to be paid back. During the award year running July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, awards range from $7,395 at the most to $740 at the least.
Here's that amount next to typical prices:
- The maximum Pell Grant exceeds the median $4,346 yearly cost at a public college.
- Against the median $17,257 career school price, it pays for part of the program. The remainder could be covered by scholarships, work-study, loans or savings.
Starting July 1, 2026, Workforce Pell lets students put Pell money toward short job training programs, including ones as brief as 8 weeks. To qualify, these programs must hold tuition and fees under a cap tied to graduate earnings.
Online medical assistant programs
Just 30 programs are offered via distance learning, 14 of them accredited. Coursework happens online in these programs, though the hands-on clinical training, usually called an externship, is still done face to face.
Frequently asked questions
What does it typically cost to become a medical assistant?
That varies with the route you take: a short certificate or a full degree. 354 schools have a medical assistant associate degree, which typically means paying a yearly rate over more than a year. Many career school programs, by contrast, wrap up in less than a year under one total price.
Do medical assistants or CNAs earn more?
Medical assistants earn slightly more. As of May 2025, median yearly pay stood at $45,690 for medical assistants versus $42,260 for nursing assistants. To put that in context, phlebotomists had median pay of $45,230, while licensed practical and vocational nurses earned $64,400 and registered nurses $97,550.
Is $30 an hour possible for a medical assistant?
Medical assistants had median hourly pay of $21.97 in May 2025. Half of them earned above that figure and half below it, which puts $30 an hour well above the midpoint.