| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Private, for-profit career school; campus, hybrid and fully online programs |
| Campuses | 2, both in the Miami area, Florida: the main campus in Miami and an extension campus in Coral Gables for culinary and pastry |
| Credentials | Diplomas and Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degrees, measured in quarter credits |
| Programs | 11: 7 diplomas and 4 A.A.S. degrees |
| Typical length | 36 to 46 weeks for diplomas; 75 to 84 weeks for degrees |
| Accreditation | Council on Occupational Education (COE) since 2001; next visit 2028. No programmatic accreditation |
| Federal aid | Yes: Pell Grants, FSEOG and Direct Loans |
| Tuition | Not published; ask for a program cost sheet |
| Founded / owner | 1994; a privately held Florida corporation run by a board of directors |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
Florida Education Institute: a Miami career school for health, trades, food and business
Florida Education Institute (FEI) is a private career school in Miami, founded in 1994 and accredited by the Council on Occupational Education since 2001. It is a privately held Florida corporation and is not part of Florida Career College, a different school. FEI awards diplomas and Associate of Applied Science degrees in four areas: health careers (medical assisting, pharmacy technician, medical billing and coding, medical office administration), HVAC/R, culinary arts and pastry, and business.
Health, HVAC/R and business programs are based at the main campus on SW 8th Street in Miami, and the four culinary and pastry programs use kitchen labs at an extension campus in Coral Gables. Several programs are partly or fully online: Business Management is taught 100% online, and the medical assistant and pharmacy technician diplomas pair online courses with an externship.
FEI’s 11 programs
FEI’s program list has seven diplomas and four A.A.S. degrees. Program pages give the credential, length, format and course topics, but not credit totals, externship hours or schedules.
| Program | Credential | Length | Where and how | Prepares for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Assistant | Diploma | Under a year | Hybrid: online plus a supervised externship near the student | No exam named |
| Pharmacy Technician | Diploma | 46 weeks | Hybrid: online plus a supervised externship near home | Florida Board of Pharmacy registration (FEI offers registration support) |
| Medical Billing & Coding | Diploma | 45 weeks | Miami campus or 100% online | No exam named |
| Medical Office Administrator | A.A.S. | 82 weeks | Hybrid: online plus on-campus instruction in Miami | No exam named |
| HVAC/R | Diploma | 36 weeks | In person, hands-on lab in Miami | EPA and R-410A certification exams (preparation included) |
| Culinary Arts | Diploma | 36 weeks | In person, kitchen labs in Coral Gables | None named |
| Culinary & Hospitality Management | A.A.S. | Over 75 weeks | Hybrid: online plus kitchen labs in Coral Gables | None named |
| Pastry & Baking Arts | Diploma | 36 weeks | In person, Coral Gables | None named |
| Pastry & Baking Management | A.A.S. | 75 weeks | Hybrid: online plus kitchen labs in Coral Gables | None named |
| Business Management | Diploma | 45 weeks | 100% online | None named |
| Business Administration | A.A.S. | 84 weeks | In person in Miami, hybrid or fully online | None named |
None of the programs has programmatic accreditation: there is no ASHP accreditation for pharmacy technician, no CAAHEP or ABHES accreditation for medical assistant, and no ACF accreditation for culinary arts. The culinary and pastry A.A.S. degrees add customer service and leadership courses to the kitchen training, and the culinary degree adds restaurant and food service management.
What the main programs cover
HVAC/R
The 36-week HVAC/R diploma is taught in person around a hands-on lab at the Miami campus. Courses cover installing, maintaining and repairing residential and commercial heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration systems; diagnosing mechanical and performance problems; electrical systems, controls and basic system design; and safe work practices. The program includes preparation for the EPA and R-410A certification exams, so students still have to pass those exams to hold the certifications. FEI does not list HVAC Excellence or NATE credentials.
Medical Assistant
The Medical Assistant diploma takes under a year and is hybrid. Courses are online: phlebotomy, EKG/ECG, anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, medical office procedures, clinical procedures, and human disease and pathology. Students then complete a supervised externship at a healthcare site near them; FEI’s page does not say who arranges the placement, so ask. FEI names no certification exam for graduates, and FEI lists no CAAHEP or ABHES accreditation, which the AAMA’s Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) exam requires.
Pharmacy Technician
The 46-week Pharmacy Technician diploma is hybrid: online courses in prescription data collection and processing, assisting with medication preparation, measuring, packaging and labeling, inventory management and insurance processing, and pharmacy software systems, followed by a supervised externship near home. FEI says the training supports the requirements for Florida Board of Pharmacy registration and offers registration support. The Florida Board of Pharmacy treats training programs at COE-accredited institutions as approved without a separate application. FEI names no national exam such as the PTCB’s.
Medical Billing & Coding
The 45-week Medical Billing & Coding diploma can be taken in person in Miami or 100% online. Courses cover applied medical terminology, anatomy and physiology with human disease, ICD-10-CM, CPT and HCPCS coding, chart review for coding accuracy, insurance claims processing and reimbursement, and combined billing and coding training. FEI names no certification exam for graduates. The longer Medical Office Administrator A.A.S. (82 weeks, hybrid) covers office procedures, electronic health records and medical law, with one billing and coding course.
Culinary and pastry
The Culinary Arts and Pastry & Baking Arts diplomas run 36 weeks in person in the Coral Gables kitchens. Culinary Arts covers knife skills, international and Latin American cuisine, baking basics, kitchen management and food safety, menu development and plating, and culinary nutrition; Pastry & Baking Arts covers sugar arts and confection, artisan bread, international and modern pastries, chocolate art and dessert decorating. The A.A.S. versions, Culinary & Hospitality Management (over 75 weeks) and Pastry & Baking Management (75 weeks), mix online courses with kitchen labs and add restaurant operations, hospitality, customer service and leadership. FEI names no ServSafe credential or Culinary Arts externship.
Business
Business Management is a 45-week diploma taught entirely online, covering entrepreneurship, business principles, managing people and human resources, leadership styles, goals and strategy, marketing and sales, accounting and financial markets, business communication and technology, and legal and regulatory topics. The 84-week Business Administration A.A.S. can be taken in person in Miami, hybrid or fully online, and adds supervision, economics, computer applications, and business law and ethics. Neither program names a certification. FEI lists careers for the degree such as administrative supervisor and account coordinator.
FEI publishes no tuition: how to get a price
FEI does not publish tuition for any program. Every program page says tuition “varies and is best explained one-on-one,” and we found no 2026-27 catalog or tuition sheet; the current catalog is the 2025-26 edition. Before signing an enrollment agreement, ask admissions for a written cost sheet for your program that lists tuition, fees, books and supplies. The school’s net price calculator links to an outside estimating tool.
Federal data put FEI’s average net price at $36,273 a year in 2024, according to Niche, which re-publishes the federal figures. Net price includes books and living costs, not just tuition, and it barely changes with family income: $36,299 for students from families earning under $30,000 and $35,977 for $30,000 to $48,000.
The 2025-26 catalog lists a $100 registration fee, which is not refunded if a student cancels. Students who cancel within 72 hours of signing lose only that fee, and students who withdraw or are cancelled within the first 7 calendar days pay no tuition.
FEI takes federal student aid: Pell Grants, FSEOG, Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans and PLUS loans, plus its own FEI Institutional Loan. Its financial aid page lists a $2,500 High School Student Scholarship (four a year, for a GPA of 2.5 or higher), a CPA scholarship whose amount varies with funding, and an alumni tuition reduction. VA training benefits are accepted: Post-9/11 GI Bill students need a Certificate of Eligibility and Vocational Rehabilitation students need form VAF 28-1905. VA students lose benefits if absences pass 20% in a calendar month, according to the catalog.
Admission, formats and online study
Admission is open to applicants past Florida’s compulsory school age (16) who have a high-school diploma, a GED or an evaluated foreign equivalent, according to the 2025-26 FEI catalog. Applicants also need a government photo ID and an interview with an admissions advisor, and anyone under 18 needs a parent’s signature on the enrollment agreement.
FEI does not publish start dates or class times; every program page tells students to ask an advisor. Programs are offered in three formats: traditional (fully in person), hybrid and distance education (100% online). A full-time academic year is at least 30 weeks and 36 quarter credits.
Business Management is taught only online, and Business Administration and Medical Billing & Coding can be taken fully online. FEI is on Florida’s list of SARA-approved institutions, which allows it to enroll online students from SARA member states, which is every state except California. FEI’s pages do not say which states it enrolls from, so students outside Florida should confirm before applying.
Accreditation and results
FEI has been accredited by the Council on Occupational Education, a national accreditor, since 2001 (it was a candidate in 2000). COE’s September 2026 member list shows FEI as accredited with its next visit due in 2028, and FEI was not named in any COE warning, probation, show-cause or withdrawal notice in 2025 or 2026. FEI is also licensed by the Florida Commission for Independent Education.
Federal data show a 73.6% graduation rate for 2024, measured as first-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time, according to Data USA. The same 2024 data show Medical Assistant with the most completions (155), ahead of Pharmacy Technician (80) and HVAC/R (77). We found no program-level job placement rates or exam pass rates published by FEI.
Before you enroll
- FEI publishes no tuition. The federal average net price was $36,273 a year in 2024, so get a written cost sheet for your program before signing an enrollment agreement.
- FEI lists no CAAHEP or ABHES accreditation for the Medical Assistant diploma, which the AAMA’s CMA exam requires, and it names no other exam. Ask which certification graduates usually take and whether the program qualifies them for it.
- The medical assistant and pharmacy technician externships are at sites near the student. FEI does not say who finds the site, so ask before enrolling.
- COE is a national accreditor, not a regional one, so check with any college you might transfer to before counting on FEI credits.
- FEI also runs an ed2go catalog of open-enrollment, non-credit courses. These are not FEI diplomas or degrees.
Two campuses in the Miami area
| Campus | Address | Programs taught there |
|---|---|---|
| Miami (main) | 5818 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL 33144 | HVAC/R lab; on-campus parts of Medical Office Administrator, Business Administration and Medical Billing & Coding; home of the hybrid Medical Assistant and Pharmacy Technician diplomas |
| Coral Gables (extension) | 2151 S. LeJeune Rd., Coral Gables, FL 33134 | Culinary Arts, Pastry & Baking Arts, Culinary & Hospitality Management A.A.S., Pastry & Baking Management A.A.S. (kitchen labs) |
The Coral Gables extension campus is used only for the culinary and pastry programs. We found no other FEI campuses and no announced new ones.
Career help
FEI’s career services include job referrals and interview scheduling, career coaching before and after graduation, on-campus career fairs and community hiring events, an employer partner network and a job board. FEI says it cannot guarantee employment. The Medical Assistant and Pharmacy Technician diplomas include supervised externships at sites near the student.
What students say
We found no review platform with at least 25 reviews of FEI (checked October 2026), which is the minimum we use, so this page has no review summary or rating.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Healthcare
- Medical Assistant (diploma, hybrid)
- Pharmacy Technician (diploma, hybrid)
- Medical Billing and Coding (diploma, campus or online)
- Medical Office Administrator (A.A.S.)
Culinary and Pastry
- Culinary Arts (diploma)
- Culinary and Hospitality Management (A.A.S.)
- Pastry and Baking Arts (diploma)
- Pastry and Baking Management (A.A.S.)
Skilled Trades
- HVAC/R: Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (diploma)
Business
- Business Management (online diploma)
- Business Administration (A.A.S., campus, hybrid or online)
Campus Locations
Miami, FL 5818 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL 33144
Miami (Coral Gables), FL 2151 S. LeJeune Rd., Coral Gables, FL 33134