Herzing University
Diploma in Insurance Billing and Coding Specialist
A real accredited college diploma — but overbuilt and over-priced if you only need to pass the CBCS exam.
10 months · 100% Online · Self-paced·Updated May 2026
Our take
Accredited and legitimate, but too expensive if your main goal is passing the CBCS exam.
Community score · 3 reviews
83%positive
2 positive · 1 mixed · 0 negative · how we score
Our take · May 2026
Our take on Herzing University
A real accredited college diploma — but overbuilt and over-priced if you only need to pass the CBCS exam.
Who this program is built for
Herzing fits people already working in a healthcare office — front desk, scheduling, admissions, or claims — who want a college diploma instead of a short certificate and plan to pay with federal aid or employer tuition reimbursement. The 100% online format with day or evening coursework is built around working adults, and the students who speak well of it describe exactly that: challenging but manageable alongside a full-time job.[1][2]
Who should look elsewhere
If your only goal is to pass the National Healthcareer Association's CBCS exam and start applying for entry-level jobs, Herzing is overbuilt for the task. The certification-review course is a single one-credit module that covers CBCS, CPC, or CCS, and the exam fee is not included in tuition. A career-changer paying out of pocket can usually finish a focused CBCS prep course in a few months for a fraction of the cost. Before committing, compare Herzing with a cheaper, accredited, exam-focused option like Penn Foster's Medical Billing and Coding diploma.
What the credential actually covers
Herzing's diploma page lists three target exams: the NHA's CBCS, the AAPC's Certified Professional Coder (CPC), and AHIMA's Certified Coding Specialist (CCS). The school does not publish a pass rate for any of them. That makes this a "you pick the exam" pathway, not a CBCS specialist track. The flexibility helps if you do not yet know which credential local employers want; it dilutes the prep if you already know they want CBCS.
Cost and financial aid in plain English
Base tuition is $13,250 for 25 credits at $530 per credit, plus a $555 per-semester resource fee — roughly $14,360 over two semesters. Herzing accepts up to 18 transfer credits, which its own pricing tool says can bring your cost down to about $3,710. Federal aid (FAFSA), a 10% military discount, and Yellow Ribbon are available because Herzing is Title IV eligible. The CBCS exam fee, about $117, is separate and not included. One caution: the diploma page's own hidden meta-description still advertises "$441 per credit," which conflicts with the live $530 figure — confirm the current rate before you enroll.
Accreditation and the non-profit question
Herzing is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, the same regional accreditor behind many public universities — that part is real and verified. What is less often disclosed is that Herzing operated as a privately held for-profit until 2015, and the U.S. Department of Education did not approve its non-profit conversion until 2018. Herzing's separate Health Information Management program carries programmatic CAHIIM accreditation; the Insurance Billing and Coding Specialist diploma does not — it relies only on the institution-wide HLC accreditation.[3][4]
What to confirm before you enroll
Herzing publishes no CBCS pass rate, no job-placement rate, and no graduate salary for this program, and the handful of student reviews that exist disagree — one graduate calls it challenging but rewarding, another wishes it prepared them better for the exam employers actually want. That doesn't make it a bad program. It means you should verify the things that matter to you before you pay. Ask admissions two direct questions: what share of students pass the CBCS exam, and what does the one-credit certification-review course actually cover? If the answers are vague, weigh that against a program that publishes its outcomes.[5][2]
Already enrolled? Protect yourself
If you are already in the program, two steps are worth taking now. First, if you use Herzing's in-house Deferred Payment Plan, check your credit report during enrollment — one student's account was wrongly reported delinquent during her in-school deferment, and Herzing acknowledged the error. Use FAFSA-backed federal aid where you can instead. Second, plan to advocate for yourself on advising and instructor access; multiple online students describe support that is better on paper than in practice. Keep written records of your in-school status and any payment-plan agreements.[6][7]
Sources
[3]A prospective student, writing during the wave of for-profit closures around the ITT Tech collapse, urged future students to weigh the fact that Herzing only recently changed from for-profit to non-profit (GradReports, 2016-09-01)
[4]A former Herzing employee described the school as one that recently changed its designation to non-profit after years as a for-profit and alleged it prioritizes student retention and the revenue that brings (Other, 2022-01-01)
[6]A BBB complaint where an active Herzing student's in-house Deferred Payment Plan was incorrectly reported past-due to credit bureaus during her in-school deferment, blocking mortgage financing (Better Business Bureau, 2025-04-01)
Cost
What it costs
$13,250
over 10 months
FAFSA-eligible · 100% Online · Self-paced
| Tuition | $13,250 |
| FAFSA eligible | Yes |
Reviews · 3 from 3 sources
What real students say
83%
Positive · across Reddit, GradReports, Other
2 positive · 1 mixed · 0 negative
What people talk about
Attending college to become a medical coder
MixedUnderstand that it's highly unlikely that you'll get a job right out of school as a coder. Realistically, you will work as an administrative biller for 2-3 years before getting the opportunity to code.
r/CodingandBillingu/RrentTreznor2018-06-11
Job outcomeExpectation settingCareer changer
GradReports
PositiveI was an online student through the Kenosha Campus. The medical billing and coding program was a challenge, but very rewarding with all that you learn throughout the course.
GradReportsGradReports reviewer2023-06-01
Course rigorOnline formatStudent support
Other
PositiveBalancing work at AdventHealth and school isn't always easy, but the online learning options have made it manageable.
OtherNiche reviewer2024-09-01
Online formatWorking student fitReal world skills
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