Online healthcare administration degree: cost and pay (2026)
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- Tuition runs $354 a credit at SNHU or a flat $3,850 term at WGU
- WGU costs less than SNHU through five terms after an associate degree
- 2017-18 and 2018-19 graduates earned a $58,716 median four years out
- Median pay ran from $48,816 to $82,644 for 2017-18 and 2018-19 grads at 10 schools
- Health services managers earned a $123,860 median in May 2025
- Managers may start as records specialists, assistants or clerks
- Federal aid and your employer can lower the price
- Four checks before you enroll
- Frequently asked questions
- Next step: see your cost after aid
Healthcare administration bachelor’s graduates who finished in 2017-18 and 2018-19 earned a median $58,716 in 2022 and 2023, and one year of online tuition at the four schools that awarded the most of these degrees in 2023-24 (our count from the Scorecard file) runs from $7,700 to $16,695 at October 2026 rates.
Recommended next step
See whether the degree pays off at your pay
Pick Nursing / Healthcare, then healthcare administrators, and enter your pay and the yearly tuition. It uses the BLS May 2025 manager median, a manager's pay, not a new graduate's. Free.
See my break-even yearThe pay figure is College Scorecard’s October 2026 national figure for its field “Health and Medical Administrative Services,” which also takes in medical office, medical records and health information management programs.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says medical and health services managers, which it also calls healthcare administrators, “typically need a bachelor’s degree” and “also typically need work experience in an administrative or clinical role in a hospital or other healthcare facility.”
Paying with your own money this time means a wrong pick costs you directly. Three numbers cut that risk: the price as each school states it, what past graduates earned and borrowed, and what the manager job takes besides the degree.
This page covers the bachelor’s. For more programs by field, see the online degrees hub.
Tuition runs $354 a credit at SNHU or a flat $3,850 term at WGU
Each school states its price its own way. The table shows 30 semester credits (45 quarter credits at Purdue Global), or two six-month terms at WGU, which charges by the term instead of the credit.
| School | Rate the school states | 30 credits or two WGU terms |
|---|---|---|
| Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) | $354 per credit, online undergraduate, 2026-27 | $10,620 |
| Western Governors University (WGU) | B.S. Healthcare Administration: $3,850 per six-month term from October 1, 2026 | $7,700 |
| Purdue Global | $371 per quarter credit, published September 16, 2026 (45 = 30 semester credits) | $16,695 |
| University of Phoenix | $398 per credit plus a $170 resource fee per 3-credit course | $13,640 with the fee |
WGU charges the flat rate to undergraduates taking 12 or more units in a term (WGU calls them CUs) and prorates tuition below that. It lists an e-books and resources fee of $200 a term (its January 2026 business school rates).
Purdue Global bills by the quarter credit, and one semester credit equals 1.5 quarter credits, so $371 works out to $556.50 per semester credit. Its standard undergraduate programs add a $345 resource fee per term.
Purdue Global’s ExcelTrack bachelor’s in health care administration charges $2,500 a term, plus the same $345 fee.
Purdue Global offers a 3-week trial. If you continue after it, Purdue Global bills the full first term’s tuition, including the trial weeks.
For the whole degree, SNHU lists $42,480 in tuition for 120 credits and adds a $100 conferral fee when you graduate. Phoenix’s 120 credits are 40 courses at its estimated $1,364 each, or $54,560. Purdue Global’s 180 quarter credits come to $66,780 in tuition before its resource fees.
WGU costs less than SNHU through five terms after an associate degree
At WGU the total depends on how many terms you need, because each full-rate term costs the same however many courses you pass.
What transfers is each school’s decision. SNHU accepts up to 90 transfer credits toward this bachelor’s and requires at least 30 at SNHU.
Course length differs too: 5-week courses at Phoenix, 8-week terms at SNHU, six-month terms at WGU. For how term length changes the math, see how accelerated online degrees work.
2017-18 and 2018-19 graduates earned a $58,716 median four years out
College Scorecard’s October 15, 2026 release reports pay for this field’s bachelor’s graduates nationwide. The median covers graduates who finished in 2017-18 and 2018-19, were working and not enrolled, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Scorecard lists 639 schools with the field at the bachelor’s level, and 300 of them have a published earnings figure. At 210, the school reports that every credential in the field can be finished fully online.
For master’s graduates of the field who finished in 2017-18 and 2018-19, the same national median was $89,981. Scorecard does not separate online graduates from campus graduates.
To see one school’s own row, search the school on College Scorecard, open its page and scroll to the fields of study. For how to read the figures, see how to check what a college’s graduates earn.
Median pay ran from $48,816 to $82,644 for 2017-18 and 2018-19 grads at 10 schools
These are the 10 schools with the most bachelor’s awards in this field in 2023-24 among those reporting that every credential in it can be finished fully online. It is our selection from the Scorecard file, not a ranking, and each row covers online and campus graduates together.
| School | Median pay, 4 years out | Median federal debt | Awards 2023-24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capella University | $76,334 | $21,112 | 349 |
| Colorado Technical University | $48,816 | $37,387 | 247 |
| Grand Canyon University | $60,328 | $31,504 | 348 |
| Purdue University Global | $57,546 | $22,027 | 659 |
| Southern New Hampshire University | $63,292 | $24,000 | 1,135 |
| University of Arizona Global Campus | $53,801 | $29,688 | 400 |
| University of Central Florida | $56,075 | $17,412 | 292 |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte | $52,400 | $19,907 | 273 |
| University of Phoenix | $54,365 | $34,451 | 1,418 |
| Western Governors University | $82,644 | $15,809 | 1,078 |
Pay is for graduates who finished in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Debt is for graduates who finished in 2022-23 and 2023-24 and counts federal loans only.
By our count from the table, four of the 10 sit above the $58,716 national median. Median debt for 2022-23 and 2023-24 graduates ran from $15,809 to $37,387, so the highest is more than twice the lowest.
A school’s median covers its past graduates of the field, in whatever jobs they took. It is not a forecast of your pay.
Health services managers earned a $123,860 median in May 2025
BLS, Bureau of Labor Statistics. The U.S. Department of Labor agency that publishes pay and job outlook figures for each occupation. put the median for medical and health services managers at $123,860 in May 2025 (OEWS, 11-9111), against $50,980 for all occupations.
A median is the middle manager, not a starting salary. One in ten earned less than $73,390, and one in four less than $94,700 (May 2025).
Pay differed by where they worked. In May 2025, the median was $133,580 in hospitals, $116,060 in outpatient care centers, $105,770 in offices of physicians and $100,520 in nursing and residential care facilities.
BLS projects 24 percent growth in these jobs from 2025 to 2035, against 3 percent for all occupations, with about 62,300 openings a year.
Managers may start as records specialists, assistants or clerks
BLS lists a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry education, plus less than 5 years of work experience in a related job. Its route to the job, in its own words:
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Work in a healthcare office or clinical role
“Other managers may begin their careers as medical records specialists, administrative assistants, or financial clerks in a healthcare office.” Nursing home administrators “may have years of experience working as a registered nurse.”
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Earn the bachelor's
Managers “typically need a bachelor’s degree,” and common majors include health administration, nursing and business (see the online business administration degree). BLS adds that “some employers hire candidates with an associate’s degree; others prefer to hire those with a master’s degree.”
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Get a state license if you run a nursing home
BLS: “all states require licensure for nursing home administrators; requirements vary by state.” Some positions “may require candidates to be licensed as a registered nurse or social worker.”
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Plan a master's for executive roles
“Advancement to top level executive positions may require a master’s degree.”
For other health care paths and what each one requires in person, see health care careers you can start online.
Federal aid and your employer can lower the price
Pell Grants pay up to $7,395 for 2026-27 to undergraduates who qualify. That maximum is $305 less than two WGU terms and $3,225 less than 30 credits at SNHU.
Federal Student Aid caps Direct Loans for an independent undergraduate at $9,500 in the first year, rising to $12,500 from the third year, with $57,500 in total. Undergraduate Direct Loans first paid out in 2026-27 carry a 6.52% fixed rate.
If you already work in a hospital or clinic, up to $5,250 of employer-paid tuition in 2026 can be tax-free under IRS Section 127. Ask HR which schools the plan accepts before you apply.
Four checks before you enroll
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Confirm the school's accreditation
Federal aid depends on the school’s institutional accreditor. See how to check whether an online school is legit.
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Convert the credits
Semester credits, quarter credits and flat terms price differently. Put them on one basis before you compare.
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Get a transfer evaluation in writing
Ask how many of your earlier credits count and how many courses are left.
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Look up the school's own row
Check the field’s pay and debt for that school on College Scorecard, not just the national median.
Frequently asked questions
Is an online healthcare administration degree worth it?
It depends on the price you pay and the job you move into. Bachelor’s graduates of the field (health admin, medical office and records programs) who finished in 2017-18 and 2018-19 earned a median $58,716 in 2022 and 2023 (College Scorecard, October 2026). Compare that with your pay now and the price for the credits you have left.
Can you become a healthcare manager with only a bachelor’s?
BLS says medical and health services managers typically need a bachelor’s degree and “also typically need work experience in an administrative or clinical role in a hospital or other healthcare facility.” It names medical records specialist, administrative assistant and financial clerk in a healthcare office as jobs where some managers began.
How much does an online healthcare administration degree cost?
SNHU lists $42,480 in tuition for its 120-credit bachelor’s at $354 a credit, and WGU charges $3,850 per six-month term for its B.S. Healthcare Administration from October 1, 2026. Purdue Global’s rate is $371 a quarter credit, and Phoenix lists $398 a credit plus a $170 resource fee per course.
Next step: see your cost after aid
Pick two schools from the tables and get each one’s transfer evaluation. Then run the aid check: it shows your estimated Pell Grant and federal loans under the rules for the year you plan to start (2026-27 or 2027-28), so you can subtract them from each school’s price. School matching comes after your result, and it is optional.
Degree Sources is not affiliated with any school listed or with any government agency.
See what aid applies before you pick a school
Free. Your estimated Pell Grant and federal loans show on screen, with no name, email or phone. School matching after your result is optional.
Check my aidSources
Every figure in this guide comes from one of these pages. How we check sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard data files, October 15, 2026 release (field of study: Health and Medical Administrative Services, CIP 51.07)
- College Scorecard data dictionary, October 15, 2026 release (FieldOfStudy_Cohort_Map: cohort years)
- College Scorecard, school search
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Medical and Health Services Managers (May 2025 pay, 2025-35 outlook)
- BLS OEWS May 2025, Medical and Health Services Managers (11-9111)
- BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, occupational projections and worker characteristics
- Southern New Hampshire University, online BS in Healthcare Administration
- Southern New Hampshire University, online tuition 2026-2027
- Western Governors University, 2026-2027 tuition (terms starting October 1, 2026)
- Western Governors University, B.S. Healthcare Administration
- Western Governors University, School of Business tuition and fees
- Purdue Global, online BS in Health Care Administration
- Purdue Global, undergraduate and graduate tuition and fees (published September 16, 2026)
- University of Phoenix, online Bachelor of Science in Health Administration
- Federal Student Aid, 2026-27 Federal Pell Grant maximum and minimum award amounts
- Federal Student Aid, Direct Loan interest rates and limits
- IRS Publication 5993, employer educational assistance
Related Resources
Health care careers you can start online in 2026
Health administration, medical records, RN-to-BSN and nurse practitioner programs offer online classes. Pay, growth and what must be in person.
How to check what a college's graduates earn (2026)
The College Scorecard shows graduates' median pay by program, 1 and 4 years out. The FAFSA flags schools whose graduates earn less than high school graduates.
Online business administration degree: cost and pay (2026)
Business administration bachelor's grads earned a $68,257 median 4 years out (finished 2017-19). 2026-27 tuition: $354 a credit at SNHU, $3,850 a WGU term.