Airline flight attendant education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an airline flight attendant. Airline flight attendants usually study business, psychology, or communication. 61% of airline flight attendants hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 183 real airline flight attendant resumes to see exactly what airline flight attendant education sections show.

The most common colleges for airline flight attendants are the Western Illinois University and the Western Illinois University.

There are also many online airline flight attendant courses to help get the education required to be an airline flight attendant.

What education do you need to become an airline flight attendant?

What degree do you need to be an airline flight attendant?

The most common degree for airline flight attendants is bachelor's degree, with 61% of airline flight attendants earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 16% and associate degree degree at 14%.

Bachelor's, 61%

Associate, 16%

High School Diploma, 14%

Master's, 6%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become an airline flight attendant?

You should major in business to become an airline flight attendant. 22% of airline flight attendants major in business. Other common majors for an airline flight attendant include psychology and communication.

Business, 22%

Psychology, 13%

Communication, 9%

Marketing, 5%

Other Majors, 51%

Most common colleges for airline flight attendants

Airline flight attendants often get their degrees at Western Illinois University, University of Florida, and New Mexico State University. Here are the most common colleges for airline flight attendants in the US based on their resumes.

Airline flight attendant common college	Percentages
Western Illinois University	7.69%
University of Florida	7.69%
New Mexico State University	7.69%
University of Houston	7.69%
University of Memphis	7.69%

Show more common airline flight attendant colleges

Best majors for airline flight attendants

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	22.1%
2	Psychology	13.0%
3	Communication	9.1%
4	Marketing	5.2%
5	Liberal Arts	5.2%

Show more common airline flight attendant majors

Best colleges for airline flight attendants

The best colleges for airline flight attendants are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.

An airline flight attendant with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for airline flight attendants. 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 airline flight attendants.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

4. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

6. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

7. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

8. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

9. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

10. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

20 best online courses for airline flight attendants

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Top 10 most affordable universities for airline flight attendants

The most affordable schools for airline flight attendants are SUNY Farmingdale, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for airline flight attendants 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 airline flight attendants.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

9. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

10. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for airline flight attendants

The hardest universities for airline flight attendants to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for airline flight attendants 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 airline flight attendants 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,516

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for airline flight attendants

The easiest schools for airline flight attendants to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and bluefield college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an airline flight attendant 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 airline flight attendants.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

4. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

5. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

6. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

7. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

8. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

9. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

10. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

Average airline flight attendant salary by education level

According to our data, airline flight attendants with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $32,363 annually. Airline flight attendants with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $32,093.

Airline flight attendant education level	Airline flight attendant salary
High School Diploma or Less	$31,853
Bachelor's Degree	$32,363
Some College/ Associate Degree	$32,093

Airline flight attendant education FAQs

What is the best college for Airline Flight Attendants?

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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

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