Forest Hills, NYprivate forprofitamat.edu
Austin Medical Assistant Training (AMAT) is a hyper-practical, no-frills career school in Forest Hills, New York, that operates with the single-minded efficiency of a medical clinic. It exists to get students certified and into healthcare jobs as fast as possible, boasting a 100% graduation rate and an open admissions policy that welcomes anyone 18 or older who completes an interview. This isn't a place for campus life or general education; it's a focused, hands-on training ground where the curriculum is the career.
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Outcomes & value
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
Campus & location
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
AMAT's admissions process is straightforward and designed for accessibility, not selectivity. The school maintains an open admissions policy, accepting virtually all applicants who meet the basic requirements. The is 100%, a figure confirmed by multiple external sources. To apply, a prospective student must be at least 18 years of age and have completed compulsory schooling. The key step is completing an interview as part of the application process. There is no mention of SAT/ACT requirements, and the College Scorecard lists the admission test score policy as "unknown." The process is pragmatic: if you're of age, have a high school diploma or GED, and can articulate your interest in a healthcare career in an interview, you're in. The school's catalog and admissions policy documents outline these requirements clearly, emphasizing that enrollment is confirmed only after all required documents are submitted.
The academic model is pure vocational training, laser-focused on the skills needed to work as a medical assistant. Programs are accredited and blend online learning with practical, hands-on experience in medical office settings. The curriculum covers the technical pillars of the profession: phlebotomy, EKG, patient intake, administration, and vital signs. Training is conducted using real clinical equipment under supervision, aiming to graduate students who are confident and job-ready, not just certified. The Medical Assisting Program requires students to maintain a grade point average of 2.0 (C) or above in all program requirements to succeed. There is no mention of broader liberal arts coursework; every class is directly tied to the profession. The school's mission is explicitly to "provide students with the skills, abilities, & technical professions" needed to start a career in the medical field.
Don't expect a traditional college experience. AMAT is a commuter career school located at 109-15 72nd Rd in Forest Hills. There is no on-campus housing, athletics, or a typical roster of student clubs. The "campus life" is the classroom and the practical lab. The environment is described as a supportive learning community that promotes academic excellence and professional development. The school fosters interaction among students, emphasizing that they learn "on each other, on your classmates," which provides real-life experience and builds a peer network within the healthcare field. The student handbook outlines standards for community engagement, but the primary social and professional bonds are formed through the intense, shared focus on mastering clinical skills.
Outcomes are the entire point of AMAT, and the numbers are striking. The graduation rate is 100%, a figure reported by the College Scorecard, Niche, and other evaluators, which is dramatically higher than the midpoint for certificate colleges (68%). This suggests an exceptionally high rate of program completion. For earnings, data shows median earnings one year after graduation are $36,427, rising to $45,519 years after graduation. Contextual articles about medical assistant training ROI suggest that certified MAs can earn $2,000–$6,000 more per year than non-certified counterparts, and that the accelerated training path allows graduates to start earning an income—estimated at $28,000–$34,000 in the first year—much sooner than those in longer degree programs. The school's value proposition is clear: rapid, near-guaranteed completion leading directly to entry-level healthcare employment.
The average net price after aid is $22,793, as per the canonical figure (which overrides any source). External sources provide additional, sometimes conflicting detail: one lists tuition and fees at $15,289, with an average student grant aid of $6,618, and notes that 33% of students receive grant aid. The school itself offers a Net Price Calculator for prospective students to estimate costs and promotes various financial aid options, including federal aid and scholarships. A Provisional Program Participation Agreement (PPA) with the federal government indicates the school is eligible to offer federal student loans. The policy on aid is uniformly applied to all students, regardless of payment method. The focus is on making the training financially accessible, with the understanding that the investment is meant to be quickly recouped through employment.
AMAT stands out for its ruthless, almost surgical focus on a single outcome: turning students into employed medical assistants in the shortest possible time. It rejects the model of a broad college education. Instead, it operates like a highly effective trade apprenticeship. The 100% graduation rate is virtually unheard of and speaks to a combination of selective student motivation (self-selected into a fast-track career path) and a program structure designed for completion. The 100% acceptance rate underscores its mission of access. It serves a student body that is 94% minority enrollment, providing a critical career on-ramp in a diverse urban setting. There are no dorms, no football games, and no philosophy electives—just a clinic-like environment at 109-15 72nd Rd where students learn phlebotomy on each other and walk out with a certificate and a statistically strong shot at a job. In a higher education landscape often critiqued for being slow and expensive, AMAT is the antithesis: fast, cheap, and hyper-specific.

