3 accredited schools across the Modesto metro area trained 266 medical assistants in 2023–24. Here’s how they compare on cost, length and size, plus what the job pays locally.
Updated October 2026 · Data: IPEDS 2023–24, BLS May 2025
Sorted by number of 2023–24 graduates (IPEDS), a proxy for program size and stability.
Private for-profit two-year college in Salida that reported 163 Medical Assistant graduates in 2023–24. Published tuition and fees plus books and supplies come to $21,997 for a program of about 9 months.
94 Medical Assistant credentials awarded in 2023–24 at this public four-year institution. Annual in-district tuition (before fees): $1,188 ($8,788 out of state).
Private for-profit career school in Modesto that reported 9 Medical Assistant graduates in 2023–24. Published tuition and fees plus books and supplies come to $12,080 for a program of about 9 months.
3 accredited schools in the Modesto, CA metro area graduated 266 Medical Assistant students in 2023–24. The largest was San Joaquin Valley College-Modesto with 163.
Among schools that published a program price, Stellar Career College in Modesto listed the lowest total: $12,080 for tuition, books and supplies.
Medical Assistants in the Modesto, CA metro earn a median $49,990 a year ($24.04/hour), per BLS May 2025 data. That compares with $49,660 statewide and $45,690 nationally.
Certificate and diploma programs commonly run about 9 to 12 months; associate degrees take about 2 years.