Best Medical Assistant Schools Near Bristol, TN (2026)

Bristol, Tennessee has 5 accredited schools offering medical assistant programs. Bristol has a population of about 27,490. Median household income is $55,007 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 29.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA metro area, the top-earning medical assistant-related role is Medical Assistant at a median $38,040 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Medical Assistant Schools to Bristol

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer medical assistant programs near Bristol, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Bristol city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Bristol. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score β€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Ross Medical Education Center-Johnson City

Johnson City, TN 16.5 miles from Bristol
  • 2 year
33.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $33,079
Avg net price $19,832/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 2

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

South College

Knoxville, TN 109.2 miles from Bristol
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
45.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 44%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,642
Avg net price $17,858/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 57%
  • Programs offered: 46

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Ross Medical Education Center-Knoxville

Knoxville, TN 114.1 miles from Bristol
  • 2 year
  • Accredited
38.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $30,072
Avg net price $20,277/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 2

Source:Accreditor: Accrediting Bureau of Health Education SchoolsIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Harriman

Harriman, TN 137.2 miles from Bristol
  • 2 year
52.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $31,591
Avg net price $11,148/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 22

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Cleveland State Community College

Cleveland, TN 176.2 miles from Bristol
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
45.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 33%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,671
Avg net price $6,384/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,762
Out‑of‑state$17,746
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 19

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Genesis Career College-Cookeville

Cookeville, TN 184.1 miles from Bristol
  • 2 year
27.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $22,652
Avg net price $12,321/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 14

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Fortis Institute-Cookeville

Cookeville, TN 185.0 miles from Bristol
  • 2 year
37.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,509
Avg net price $23,582/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 11

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Chattanooga College Medical Dental and & Technical Careers

Chattanooga, TN 196.0 miles from Bristol
  • 4 year
22.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $25,954
Avg net price $33,625/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 31%
  • Programs offered: 11

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Tennessee schools on the Tennessee medical assistant page.


Medical Assistant Wages Near Bristol

Bristol is part of the Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA metro area (BLS area code 28700). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Tennessee statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Medical Assistant$38,040Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA$44,028
Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant$36,800Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA$42,593
Healthcare Support Worker$37,190Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA$43,044

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Bristol at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population27,490Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$55,007Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+29.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)86.4 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Bristol-Area Cities With Medical Assistant Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited medical assistant schools are near Bristol, TN?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering medical assistant programs near Bristol. The closest is Northeast State Community College in Blountville, TN (7.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Mayland Community College (44.3 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying medical assistant roles near Bristol?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying medical assistant-related roles near Bristol are: Medical Assistant ($38,040), Healthcare Support Worker ($37,190), Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant ($36,800). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Tennessee statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Johnson City instead of Bristol?

Johnson City, TN is 17.6 miles from Bristol and has its own set of local medical assistant programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Bristol an affordable place to study medical assistant?

Bristol’s median household income of $55,007 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Bristol while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Tennessee public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Medical Assistant Programs

Other Programs Available in Bristol

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Bristol:

Data verified: August 25, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.