Stepful's own school catalog puts its Clinical Medical Assistant program at $4,048. Preppy charges $1,899, prepares you for the same CCMA exam from the same awarding body, and the certificate is issued by Champlain College Online rather than the company that trained you.
The winner
Preppy wins five of the seven categories we scored.
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The Verdict on Medical Assistant Training
Seven categories decide which medical assistant program is the better buy. Preppy takes five, Stepful takes one, and the five Preppy wins are the ones that determine whether your certificate turns into a job.
Final score across the seven medical assistant program categories above.
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Your medical assistant certificate comes from a university
Preppy's Medical Assistant program is delivered with Champlain College Online, a regionally accredited nonprofit. Your Certificate of Completion carries the institution's name — a credential you frame, and one that lets you tell a hiring manager you trained through a university.
Stepful issues its own certificate. It is a licensed training provider with employer relationships of its own, but that certificate is only ever worth what the name "Stepful" means to the person reading your résumé.
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Preppy publishes its price. Stepful does not.
Preppy lists $1,899 on the program page, before you give anyone your phone number. Stepful's marketing pages say tuition varies with the grants you qualify for and quote no number at all.
The $4,048 on this page is not a guess: it is Stepful's own figure, from the Stepful School Catalog, Volume 4 (July 2026) — a disclosure document a school has to publish. It matches the tuition Stepful filed with the State of New Jersey.
We had to read a regulatory filing to find out what a course costs. You would have had to book a call.
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Externship placement, not an interview queue
Preppy runs an Externship Match Program into its healthcare employer network. Stepful runs an Externship Booking Platform that secures interview opportunities rather than a placement. Those are different products: one puts you in a clinic, the other puts you in a hiring pipeline.
Sites hire their own externs often enough that the externship is frequently the interview. With Preppy you also get the choice — externship placement or direct job placement assistance, at no extra cost.
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Self-paced medical assistant training, with no fixed class nights
You cover clinical procedures, vital signs, phlebotomy basics, EKG, pharmacology and medical office administration on your own clock. Preppy's program is 100% self-paced across 3–6 months with a full year of access.
Stepful teaches four live online classes a week on a fixed cohort schedule, and its medical assistant program runs 5 months (20 weeks). If you work shifts, or have children, or your week is not the same twice, that is the whole decision — a class you cannot attend is a course you do not finish.
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Thirty days to change your mind, not fourteen
Preppy gives you 30 days if under 10 hrs in course. Stepful's catalog says a student who cancels before instruction begins, or during the first two weeks of class, gets their money back minus the registration fee — and that fee stops being refundable after three days.
So the real comparison is 30 days against 14, with Stepful keeping $49 either way. Two weeks into a live cohort course is not long to work out whether the schedule is survivable.
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Live instructor-led classes
Stepful teaches live, four times a week, with an instructor and a cohort. If you learn better with someone in front of you and a room of people in the same week of the same course, that is worth real money — and it is the one thing a self-paced program cannot give you.
Preppy wins the medical assistant package, not just the price
It would be easy to read this as a price comparison. It isn't. Preppy is cheaper — $1,899 against $4,048 — but the reason it wins the medical assistant comparison is what that buys alongside the coursework: a certificate issued by Champlain College Online, a match into its clinical employer network, a schedule that bends around a working week, and twice the refund window.
What each Medical Assistant program actually costs
Published tuition on one side and a regulatory filing on the other, because that is the only place one of these prices exists.
Photo: student studying online
The comparison
Stepful charges $4,048 — $3,999 tuition plus a $49 registration fee — and does not print either number on its medical assistant page. Preppy charges $1,899, printed on its program page.
Neither qualifies for federal financial aid. Preppy offers an interest-free monthly plan at $349 × 6.
The OnlineDegree.com reader discount is applied by Preppy at checkout and is not counted here.
Total to certified
- Stepful tuition
- $3,999
- Stepful registration fee
- + $49
- Stepful total
- $4,048
- Preppy tuition, paid in full
- $1,899
- You could save choosing Preppy
- $2,149
Stepful tuition and the $49 registration fee are from the Stepful School Catalog, Volume 4 (July 2026); Stepful waives the registration fee for students who pay upfront, and it is not refundable after three days. Preppy tuition is published on its program page. The NHA does not publish the CCMA fee; it is taken when you schedule the exam. Neither program includes it. Excludes scrubs and any background check a clinical site requires.
Key facts about becoming a Medical Assistant
Photo: medical assistant at work
Stepful's own catalog price, $4,048 all in, against Preppy's published $1,899.
Stepful gives fourteen days from the start of class, less a non-refundable registration fee.
Stepful runs 5 months (20 weeks) with four live classes a week.
Both programs prepare you for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant from the NHA.
- Preppy's certificate is issued by Champlain College Online, a regionally accredited nonprofit. Stepful issues its own credential.
- Stepful does not publish tuition on its medical assistant page. The $4,048 used here is Stepful's own figure from the Stepful School Catalog, Volume 4 (July 2026). Stepful filed the same tuition on New Jersey’s Eligible Training Provider List.
- Both programs prepare you for the same credential: the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) from the NHA. Neither includes the exam fee.
- Preppy is 100% self-paced. Stepful teaches four live online classes a week on a fixed cohort schedule, so you need the same hours free every week.
- Neither program requires prior healthcare experience. Preppy asks for a high school diploma or GED; Stepful also requires that you be 18 or over and show a government ID.
Facts verified October 6, 2026 against the sources at the bottom of this page.
Side-by-side Medical Assistant comparison
| Category | Preppy | Stepful |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition, all in | $1,899 or $349 × 6 | $4,048 $3,999 tuition + $49 registration |
| Price published online | Yes on the program page | No only in its school catalog and state filings |
| Length | 3–6 months, fully self-paced | 5 months (20 weeks), four live online classes a week on a fixed cohort schedule |
| Certificate issued by | Champlain College Online a regionally accredited nonprofit | Stepful — no university partner |
| Exam prepared for | CCMA (NHA) | CCMA (NHA) — the same credential |
| Exam fee | Not included paid to the NHA; fee not published | Not included |
| Clinical hours | None required for certification | 80 to 160 externship hours, optional |
| Externship placement | Included Externship Match Program; choose externship or job placement | An Externship Booking Platform that secures interview opportunities rather than a placement |
| Job support | Employer job board, résumé support, interview prep, advisors | An 8-week Job Coaching Program with weekly job leads |
| Refund policy | 30 days if under 10 hrs in course | fourteen days from the start of class less the $49 registration fee |
| Admission requirements | HS diploma or GED | HS diploma or GED, 18 or over, government ID |
| State availability | All states except ct, ga and wa | Stepful says its program “isn’t available in every state or zip code” without naming which |
Verified October 6, 2026 against each provider’s own program pages and Stepful’s published school catalog, linked below. Terms change; confirm before you enroll.
How to enroll with Preppy
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1Reveal your code and open Preppy
The code applies at checkout on either payment option. No application, no prerequisites, no sales call.
—— $150 off coupon code copied · Preppy opened in a new tab -
2Work the medical assistant coursework at your pace
Self-paced across 3–6 months, with a full year of access if you need it. No fixed class nights to miss.
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3Register for the CCMA and sit it
You book directly with the NHA, not through your program. Take the practice exams until you're consistently passing, then schedule. The fee is paid separately.
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4Do your externship, then apply
Clear your balance and finish the program, and Preppy's Externship Match Program connects you with sites in its employer network. Sites hire their own externs often enough to ask directly.
Preppy vs Stepful: Medical Assistant questions
Is Preppy or Stepful better for medical assistant training?
Preppy, for most people. It costs $1,899 against Stepful's $4,048, the certificate is issued by Champlain College Online rather than the training company, it is fully self-paced instead of four live online classes a week on a fixed cohort schedule, and the refund window is 30 days against Stepful's 14. Stepful's advantage is live teaching, which matters if you need a fixed schedule and an instructor to finish.
How much does the Stepful medical assistant program cost?
$4,048 — $3,999 tuition plus a $49 registration fee, which Stepful waives if you pay upfront. Stepful does not publish this on its medical assistant page, which says tuition varies with the grants you qualify for. The figure comes from the Stepful School Catalog, Volume 4 (July 2026), and Stepful filed the same tuition with New Jersey's Eligible Training Provider List.
Does Stepful publish its tuition?
Not on its marketing pages. Stepful's program pages say the price varies depending on the grants you qualify for and quote no figure, so you learn the number by applying or booking a call. The tuition is published in the Stepful School Catalog, Volume 4 (July 2026), a disclosure document a licensed school has to produce, and in state training-provider filings. Preppy lists $1,899 on the program page.
Is Preppy cheaper than Stepful for medical assistant training?
Yes. Preppy's Medical Assistant program is $1,899 paid in full, or $349 × 6. Stepful is $4,048 all in. That is $2,149 less. Neither includes the exam fee, so that does not change the gap.
Is the Stepful medical assistant program self-paced?
No. Stepful teaches four live online classes a week on a fixed cohort schedule, and its medical assistant program runs 5 months (20 weeks). You need the same hours free every week for the length of the course. Preppy's program is 100% self-paced across 3–6 months with a full year of access and no weekly hour expectation.
Do Preppy and Stepful prepare you for the same medical assistant certification?
Yes. Both prepare you for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) from the NHA. The credential is identical whichever program you take, which is why the comparison comes down to price, who issues the certificate, the schedule and the support around it.
What is Stepful's refund policy?
Stepful's catalog states that a student who cancels before instruction begins, or during the first two weeks of class, receives all monies returned minus the registration fee — and that the $49 registration fee is not refundable after three days. Preppy offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if under 10 hrs in course.
Does the Stepful medical assistant program include an externship?
Stepful provides an Externship Booking Platform that secures interview opportunities rather than a placement. That is not the same as a placement: Preppy's Externship Match Program connects students with sites inside its healthcare employer network, and every student chooses between externship placement and direct job placement assistance at no extra cost.
How long does each medical assistant program take, Preppy or Stepful?
Stepful's medical assistant program is 5 months (20 weeks) on a fixed schedule of four live classes a week. Preppy's runs 3–6 months and is fully self-paced with a full year of access, so motivated students finish faster and people juggling a job can take longer without penalty.
Is Stepful accredited?
Stepful is a licensed training provider, not a university, and the certificate for its medical assistant program is issued by Stepful itself. Preppy's Medical Assistant program is delivered in partnership with Champlain College Online, a regionally accredited nonprofit, which issues the Certificate of Completion. Neither program is a degree.
Is the CCMA exam fee included in Preppy or Stepful tuition?
The NHA does not publish the CCMA fee; it is taken when you schedule the exam. Neither program includes it. Budget for it on top of tuition whichever program you pick.
Does Preppy include job placement for medical assistant graduates?
Preppy includes career support in tuition: a platform where healthcare employers post medical assistant roles, résumé feedback, interview preparation and course advisors. Students also choose between externship placement support and direct job placement assistance. Stepful provides an 8-week Job Coaching Program with weekly job leads. Employment is not guaranteed by either provider.
Is Preppy's medical assistant program legit?
Preppy is a StraighterLine company that partners with accredited nonprofit universities to deliver its certification training. The Medical Assistant program is offered with Champlain College Online and prepares students for the CCMA exam. It carries a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Can you get financial aid for the Preppy or Stepful medical assistant program?
Neither qualifies for federal student aid, which generally requires an accredited degree or certificate program. What often does apply to both: WIOA workforce grants, MyCAA for military spouses, and employer tuition reimbursement. Stepful's own pages say its tuition varies with the grants you qualify for, which is why no figure appears on them. Preppy offers an interest-free monthly plan at $349 × 6.
What programs does Stepful not offer?
Stepful's catalog covers medical assistant, dental assistant, medical administrative assistant, patient care technician, pharmacy technician and practical nursing. It does not offer phlebotomy, sterile processing, EKG technician or electronic health records training, medical billing and coding is listed as coming soon, and its surgical technologist program is sold to employer customers rather than individuals. Preppy offers all of those.
Is the Stepful medical assistant program available in every state?
No. Stepful says its program "isn't available in every state or zip code" without naming which. Preppy does not offer this program in CT, GA and WA.
Sources and verification
Checked October 6, 2026. We re-verify monthly.
- Preppy — Medical Assistant program and tuition
- Stepful — Clinical Medical Assistant program page
- Stepful — Stepful School Catalog, Volume 4 (July 2026), the published tuition and refund terms
- New Jersey Eligible Training Provider List — Stepful tuition filing
- NHA — CCMA exam registration and fee
- BLS — Healthcare Occupational Outlook