Activities aide education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an activities aide. Activities aides usually study psychology, business, or nursing. 33% of activities aides hold a bachelor's degree, and 31% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 4,136 real activities aide resumes to see exactly what activities aide education sections show.

The most common colleges for activities aides are the University of Wisconsin Colleges and the University of Wisconsin Colleges.

There are also many online activities aide courses to help get the education required to be an activities aide.

There are certain activities aide certifications that you should consider. These activities aide certifications include Advanced First Aid & CPR and Activity Director Certified (ADC).

What education do you need to become an activities aide?

What degree do you need to be an activities aide?

The most common degree for activities aides is bachelor's degree, with 33% of activities aides earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 31% and high school diploma degree at 18%.

Bachelor's, 33%

High School Diploma, 31%

Associate, 18%

Diploma, 9%

Other Degrees, 9%

What should I major in to become an activities aide?

You should major in psychology to become an activities aide. 12% of activities aides major in psychology. Other common majors for an activities aide include business and nursing.

Psychology, 12%

Business, 11%

Nursing, 10%

General Studies, 9%

Other Majors, 58%

Most common colleges for activities aides

Activities aides often get their degrees at University of Wisconsin Colleges, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for activities aides in the US based on their resumes.

Activities aide common college	Percentages
University of Wisconsin Colleges	10.06%
University of Wisconsin - Whitewater	8.38%
Pennsylvania State University	6.70%
University of Phoenix	6.70%
Illinois State University	5.59%

Show more common activities aide colleges

Best majors for activities aides

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Psychology	12.4%
2	Business	10.7%
3	Nursing	10.3%
4	General Studies	9.0%
5	Criminal Justice	6.5%

Show more common activities aide majors

Best colleges for activities aides

The best colleges for activities aides are University of Rochester, University of Tulsa, and Vanderbilt University.

An activities aide with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for activities aides. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become activities aides.

1. Minnesota State University - Mankato

Mankato, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$8,184

Enrollment

11,675

2. Winona State University

Winona, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,425

Enrollment

7,052

3. University of Alaska Southeast

Juneau, AK • Private

In-state tuition

$7,092

Enrollment

1,216

4. Eastern Mennonite University

Harrisonburg, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$37,110

Enrollment

1,030

5. Plymouth State University

Plymouth, NH • Private

In-state tuition

$14,099

Enrollment

4,135

6. Murray State University

Murray, KY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,084

Enrollment

6,830

7. University of Alaska Anchorage

Anchorage, AK • Private

In-state tuition

$8,580

Enrollment

10,482

8. Northwest Nazarene University

Nampa, ID • Private

In-state tuition

$29,800

Enrollment

1,268

9. Toccoa Falls College

Toccoa Falls, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$22,744

Enrollment

884

10. Lubbock Christian University

Lubbock, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$22,440

Enrollment

1,393

20 best online courses for activities aides

Advertising disclosure

1. Sit Less, Get Active

Physical inactivity and sedentariness are “silent killers”. Do you feel like you spend too much time sitting? Do you feel like you would like to be more active? Are you unsure about how to incorporate physical activity into your daily life? We are here to help. Join us on a journey to learn about how to sit less and become more active. Use this FREE course to learn how to monitor your own activity and set physical activity goals. We will feature various examples of how physical activity could...

2. Active Directory & Group Policy Administration for IT Techs

4.5

(651)

Active Directory & Group Policy Administration Basics for Helpdesk and Desktop / IT Support Technicians...

3. Azure Active Directory Masterclass

4.6

(1,270)

Learn to be a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on Azure Active Directory...

4. Active Directory on Windows Server

4.6

(8,804)

Learn how to deploy and manage all aspects of Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS and many more technologies...

5. PowerShell for Active Directory Administrators

4.5

(5,027)

Use Power Shell to manage Active Directory users, computer, groups, security settings and more on Windows Server...

6. Azure - Active Directory

4.1

(1,363)

Learn Azure as it pertains to Active Directory...

7. [Active Directory] Management using Windows PowerShell

4.5

(1,078)

[Power Shell] Simplified practical knowledge for automation & management of [Active Directory] using Windows Power Shell...

8. Active Directory & Group Policy Lab

4.5

(11,596)

Learn REAL job skills and stack your resume with the experience you will gain in this course!...

9. Azure Active Directory And Azure AD Domain Services

4.5

(5,411)

Learn how Azure Active Directory, On-Premises Active directory and Azure AD Domain Services (AADDS) integrate together...

10. SAP Activate Project Manager Masterclass (C_ACTIVATE_22/13)

4.5

(1,983)

Learn SAP Activate Methodology (Act100) Learn Agile Methodology (Act200) Based on Activate 22 and Activate 13...

11. Identity & Access Management - Azure Active Directory

4.5

(636)

Learn about Identity, Directory , SAML , OAUTH , Open ID Connect , Identity Security and Azure Active Directory...

12. Active Directory Pentesting Full Course - Red Team Hacking

4.4

(546)

Attacking and Hacking Active Directory...

13. Active Directory and Windows Server 40+ Hour with Labs

4.4

(283)

Domain Controllers (DC), Global Catalog, FSMO, Groups, Users, Security, Domains and Forests ,Trusts, GPO, much more....

14. Become an expert in the NEW Agile SAP Activate Methodology

4.3

(397)

Learn how to successfully implement SAP projects using the NEW Agile SAP Activate Methodology from top SAP experts...

15. TOTAL: Active Directory with Windows Server 2016

4.6

(2,189)

Identity, Access, and Authentication with Microsoft AD and Identity with Windows Server 2016...

16. Active Directory Pentesting With Kali Linux - Red Team

4.4

(295)

Attacking and Hacking Active Directory With Kali Linux Full Course - Red Team Hacking Pentesting...

17. Azure Active Directory: An Introduction to Azure AD

4.5

(1,671)

An Intro to Azure AD through Interactive Labs, Video Demos, Lectures, Flashcards, & 200+ Downloadable Slides...

18. How to automate active directory labs for pentesting

4.2

(1,975)

How to automate active directory based demo labs for pentesting, hacking and training requirements...

19. Azure Active Directory for.NET Developers (AD and B2C)

4.3

(558)

Learn how to authenticate API and .NET Web Application with Azure Active Directory and B2C (external logins)...

20. Active Listening: A Practical Guide to Be an Active Listener

4.5

(294)

Become a Specialist Active Listener and Harness Your Charisma to Increase Your Impact Influence and Income Earn PDUs...

Top 10 most affordable universities for activities aides

The most affordable schools for activities aides are SUNY Farmingdale, brigham young university, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for activities aides are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for activities aides.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

5. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

6. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

9. University of Alaska Southeast

Juneau, AK • Private

In-state tuition

$7,092

Cost of attendance

16,853

10. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for activities aides

The hardest universities for activities aides to get into are University of Rochester, University of Tulsa, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for activities aides are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for activities aides based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

2. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

3. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

5. Clemson University

Clemson, SC • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,337

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

8. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

Admissions rate

58%

SAT average

1,309

9. Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

58%

SAT average

1,304

10. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,326

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for activities aides

The easiest schools for activities aides to get into are AdventHealth University, nyack college, and d'youville college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an activities aide without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for activities aides.

1. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

2. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

3. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

4. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

7. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

8. Aultman College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Canton, OH • Private

Admissions rate

75%

SAT average

1,085

9. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

10. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

Average activities aide salary by education level

Activities aides with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $31,328 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, activities aides earn a median annual income of $30,348 compared to $29,120 for activities aides with an Associate degree.

Activities aide education level	Activities aide salary
Master's Degree	$31,328
High School Diploma or Less	$27,084
Bachelor's Degree	$30,348
Some College/ Associate Degree	$29,120

Activities aide education FAQs

What is the best college for Activities Aides?

Have more questions? See all answers to common personal care and attendants questions.

Search for activities aide jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse personal care and attendants jobs