3 accredited schools across the Salinas metro area trained 234 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.
This private for-profit two-year college in Monterey County graduated 125 Medical Assistant students in 2023–24. Published tuition and fees plus books and supplies come to $19,340 for a program of about 46 weeks.
92 Medical Assistant credentials awarded in 2023–24 at this private nonprofit career school. Published tuition and fees plus books and supplies come to $15,249 for a program of about 30 weeks.
Public two-year college in Monterey that reported 17 Medical Assistant graduates in 2023–24. Annual in-district tuition (before fees): $1,104 ($9,840 out of state).
3 accredited schools in the Salinas, CA metro area graduated 234 Medical Assistant students in 2023–24. The largest was Central Coast College with 125.
Among schools that published a program price, CET-Salinas in Salinas listed the lowest total: $15,249 for tuition, books and supplies.
Medical Assistants in the Salinas, CA metro earn a median $48,890 a year ($23.50/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.