Career Step
Medical Coding and Billing Professional
We don't recommend Career Step. In 2024 the FTC fined it $43.5 million for lying to students about jobs and employer partnerships.
12 months · 100% Online · Self-paced·Updated May 2026
Our take
Choose another program. Career Step's FTC settlement and recent student reviews raise too many concerns.
Community score · 16 reviews
34%positive
3 positive · 5 mixed · 8 negative · how we score
Our take · May 2026
Why we don't recommend Career Step
We don't recommend Career Step. In 2024 the FTC fined it $43.5 million for lying to students about jobs and employer partnerships.
Why we don't recommend it
In July 2024 the FTC fined Career Step $43.5 million for deceptive advertising. The agency found Career Step falsely claimed more than 80% of graduates get jobs — a number based on a survey only 5% of students answered — and falsely claimed companies like CVS and Walgreens hired its students. One graduate who paid over $3,500 and never found a job received a settlement check for just $367. The course itself works fine for some disciplined students, but the company's track record is the problem.[1][2]
Why you can't trust the good reviews online
The FTC found that Career Step gave students up to three months of free course time in exchange for posting good reviews on BBB, Google, and Trustpilot. Students were told to email a screenshot of the review back to the company as proof. One former student describes being personally offered this deal. This means most positive Career Step reviews from 2019 to 2024 may have been paid for with free course time, not written honestly.[1][3]
What the course is actually like
It is fully self-paced with no real teachers — you read materials, watch some videos, and take quizzes on your own. Students who are disciplined and already know they're buying a study package, not a taught class, tend to do okay. Students who expected instructor help feel misled. Some reviewers also report billing problems: one person was charged $14,000 after missing a payment, and another was stuck paying for a course she tried to cancel because Career Step still enforces its 14-day refund window even after the lawsuit.[4][5][6][7]
Will it get you a job?
Not on its own, according to graduates. The FTC's case was built specifically on Career Step's false claim that most graduates get hired. One completer applied for over a year and was rejected every time because employers wanted real work experience, not coursework. And after you pass the CPC exam, you still carry the 'apprentice' label until you separately submit paperwork to AAPC — something Career Step's marketing does not make clear.[8][9]
A cheaper option without the lawsuit
Career Step's full price is $3,699, usually discounted to about $2,774 through a sale that runs year-round. Penn Foster's Medical Coding Professional program is nearly identical — same included exam voucher, same hands-on practice course — for about $1,500 less. Penn Foster is an accredited school and is not under any government settlement. We compared the two carefully and could not find a single situation where a student would be better off choosing Career Step.[1]
Already enrolled? You may be owed money
If you took a Career Step program, you may be eligible for a refund. The FTC cancelled $27.8 million in student loans and mailed $15.7 million in refund checks to former students starting in March 2025. If you are still being billed for a Career Step loan through Monterey Financial, check the FTC's Career Step refund page before paying it off.[1][2]
Sources
Cost
What it costs
$3,699
over 12 months
Pay out of pocket · 100% Online · Self-paced
| Tuition | $3,699 |
| Exam fee | $499 |
| FAFSA eligible | No |
Reviews · 16 from 4 sources
What real students say
34%
Positive · across Reddit, Trustpilot, Better Business Bureau, Other
3 positive · 5 mixed · 8 negative
What people talk about
career step lawsuit
NegativeI enrolled in the Career Step medical coding program in 2019 and finished at the end of 2020, paying over $3500. I never found a job because all the outpatient clinics require more than 2 years of experience.
r/CodingandBillingu/Life_is_a_ditch2025-03-24
Job search difficultyFTC settlementValue
career step lawsuit
NegativeI called them to cancel and mentioned the lawsuit but the guy I spoke with said I signed the form and knew of the 14 day trial and can't cancel and have to continue payments... When I signed up the other guy I spoke to said I can cancel anytime.
r/CodingandBillingu/Resident-Pepper-86062025-04-07
Refund policyFTC settlementSupport responsiveness
Should I use CareerStep to obtain my Billing and Coding certification?
NegativeAs someone who completed this course, you are not likely to walk into a job. I tried for over a year and every time I was asked if I had experience. When I told them that the course work was considered experience they said no that didn't qualify.
r/CodingandBillingu/Emonee12024-08-13
Job search difficultyCredential fit
Should I use CareerStep to obtain my Billing and Coding certification?
NegativeI was using careerstep and forgot a payment. And they canceled my membership and are requesting 14k from me. They won't do any deals and I'm unemployed. So real schools don't do that.
r/CodingandBillingu/Proud-Department-9172025-03-19
Refund policySupport responsivenessValue
Course Company was Sued
MixedI'm currently in a medical billing and coding course with Career Step, almost done with it. I've been taking it for about a year and I have a month left... I just got a check back saying that the company was sued for false claims of a job.
r/CodingandBillingu/Upstairs_Tax_75262025-03-25
FTC settlementExam prepCredential fit
Should I use CareerStep to obtain my Billing and Coding certification?
MixedI am currently using Career Step and I agree, you do definitely need a good amount of discipline on your part. I had to purchase an extension because I let life get in the way.
r/CodingandBillingu/Cillapie882018-09-15
Self-pacedWorking adult fitSelf-led
Should I use CareerStep to obtain my Billing and Coding certification?
NegativeIf you need actual instruction from a teacher I would recommend going to a brick and mortar school to learn this. There's a tremendous amount of information to digest and this school has a decidedly hands off approach to teaching.
r/CodingandBillingu/drlove572018-09-15
Instructor accessSelf-ledCourse platform
Has anyone gone through CareerSteps?
PositiveI did the CS course. It was a great course overall in my opinion. Since it was self study, it was difficult to motivate myself at times... I felt pretty confident when the time came to take the CPC exam.
r/MedicalCodingu/noop2792021-10-27
Exam prepSelf-pacedInstructor access
Has anyone gone through CareerSteps?
MixedI like that it's self paced because sometimes I like to spend more time on a certain subject... [But] if I get a test question wrong, I want to know why and that's not always provided in the text and I'm not going to schedule an appt to speak with someone over one question.
r/MedicalCodingu/Hannah-Elle2021-10-28
Self-pacedCourse platform
Trustpilot review of careerstep.com
NegativeThere is a lot of inaccurate answers to the questions... The very last class is pretty much a copy and paste of one of the previous classes for medical billing and coding.
TrustpilotErin2025-05-01
Content qualityDuplicated modulesPost FTC trust
BBB 0-star review titled 'MEDICAL BILLING AND CODING COURSE IS A SCAM'
NegativeQuizzes repeat and the course does not show you the answers to the quizzes... In order to even get to the quizzes you have to go through tedious videos that you cannot fast forward... Also the first 22 modules were on nonsense about computer technology and how cellular data travels.
Better Business Bureauanonymized by BBB2024-08-15
Course platformAssessment designHigh pressure salesRefund policy
A Review of Career Step's Medical Billing and Coding Program
PositiveThis course is completely self study. There are no teachers, no in person or virtual classes. It is a structured lesson plan, with some videos, lots of practice quizzes, module exams and final exams.
OtherHubPages contributor2024-03-29
Self-ledCodebook practiceWork from home
Interested in possibly going into coding (MTStars forum)
MixedThey give you 4 months to finish plus a free 8-month extension which would be a year if you need to take it. I work 40 hours a week and took a full year and afterwards still wanted time to review and study more.
Otherwannabe coder2011-05-24
Completion timelineWorking learnerExtensions
Career Step Reviews — career-changer testimonial about extensions during bereavement
PositiveThe material is not easy at all but, with their advocates, group emails and ask the instructor daily block times, this course is very doable... [T]hey worked with me to obtain 3 extensions.
Otheranonymous Reviewopedia user2022-11-26
Support responseExtensionsCareer change
Career Step Reviews — DocuSign 'no commitment' / $4,000 bill complaint
NegativeCareerstep was the first school I called. I was told there was no commitment when signing a docusign... I received a $4000 bill from careerstep without ever attending the school. I never received any materials or logins.
Otheranonymous Reviewopedia user2022-08-10
Enrollment pressureDocusign trapBilling dispute14-day refund window
Apprentice confusion (AAPC discuss forum)
MixedI recently completed an online medical coding course from Career Step... I took the CPC exam and passed; however, I have the 'A' at the end of my certification. I was under the impression that my course completed information was a 'given' but now am understanding from the AAPC website that I need to submit my transcript.
Otheranonymized AAPC forum poster2023-09-08
AAPC experience creditCPC-A removalApprentice status
Career overview
Medical Billing and Coding Specialist at a glance
Medical billing and coding is administrative health care work. You translate clinical notes into billing codes, help claims move through the system, and keep records clean enough for insurers and providers to use.
Daily work: Use ICD-10, CPT, and HCPCS codes to document diagnoses, procedures, and reimbursement details.
Work setting: Most jobs sit inside physician practices, hospitals, insurers, billing companies, or skilled nursing facilities.
Remote reality: Remote jobs exist, but they are easier to land after you have coding experience and strong specialty knowledge.
- Median pay
- $50k/yr
- Below the U.S. healthcare-occupation median of about $80k. Entry roles often start in the high $30s.
- BLS OEWS
- U.S. jobs
- 187,910
- A mid-sized health-information field — similar headcount to physical therapists, much smaller than registered nurses.
- BLS OEWS
- Job outlook
- Faster than average
- Projected 7% growth through 2033 — roughly 2× the all-occupations average of 4%.
- BLS Occupational Outlook
- AI impact
- Replacement
- High AI exposure: routine outpatient coding is increasingly automated. Specialty and inpatient coders are more resilient.
- AI impact guide