Animal rescuer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an animal rescuer. Animal rescuers usually study criminal justice, psychology, or medical assisting services. 41% of animal rescuers hold a bachelor's degree, and 33% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 97 real animal rescuer resumes to see exactly what animal rescuer education sections show.

The most common colleges for animal rescuers are the Willamette University and the Willamette University.

There are also many online animal rescuer courses to help get the education required to be an animal rescuer.

What education do you need to become an animal rescuer?

What degree do you need to be an animal rescuer?

The most common degree for animal rescuers is bachelor's degree, with 41% of animal rescuers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 33% and high school diploma degree at 19%.

Bachelor's, 41%

High School Diploma, 33%

Associate, 19%

Master's, 4%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become an animal rescuer?

You should major in criminal justice to become an animal rescuer. 10% of animal rescuers major in criminal justice. Other common majors for an animal rescuer include psychology and medical assisting services.

Criminal Justice, 10%

Psychology, 10%

Medical Assisting Services, 10%

Business, 7%

Other Majors, 63%

Most common colleges for animal rescuers

Animal rescuers often get their degrees at Willamette University, Drury University, and Eastern Michigan University. Here are the most common colleges for animal rescuers in the US based on their resumes.

Animal rescuer common college	Percentages
Willamette University	7.69%
Drury University	7.69%
Eastern Michigan University	7.69%
Illinois State University	7.69%
Johns Hopkins University	7.69%

Show more common animal rescuer colleges

Best majors for animal rescuers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Criminal Justice	10.3%
2	Psychology	10.3%
3	Medical Assisting Services	10.3%
4	Business	6.9%
5	Communication	6.9%

Show more common animal rescuer majors

Best colleges for animal rescuers

The best colleges for animal rescuers are Northwestern University, New York University, and University of Maryland - College Park.

An animal rescuer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for animal rescuers. 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 animal rescuers.

1. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

2. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Becker College

Worcester, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$39,200

Enrollment

1,725

5. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

8. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

9. Rhode Island College

Providence, RI • Private

In-state tuition

$8,929

Enrollment

6,480

10. Sacred Heart University

Fairfield, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$41,420

Enrollment

5,907

20 best online courses for animal rescuers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for animal rescuers

The most affordable schools for animal rescuers are California State University - Long Beach, usf sarasota-manatee, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for animal rescuers 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 animal rescuers.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

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. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. University of Missouri - Kansas City

Kansas City, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$8,178

Cost of attendance

20,934

10. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for animal rescuers

The hardest universities for animal rescuers to get into are Northwestern University, New York University, and University of Maryland - College Park.

Some great schools for animal rescuers 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 animal rescuers 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. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

3. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,390

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,465

7. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

8. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

9. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for animal rescuers

The easiest schools for animal rescuers to get into are Bluefield College, university of the incarnate word, and kean university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an animal rescuer 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 animal rescuers.

1. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

2. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

3. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

4. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

5. Pennsylvania State University - Fayette (The Eberly Campus)

Lemont Furnace, PA • Private

Admissions rate

80%

SAT average

1,067

6. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

7. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

8. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

9. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

10. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

Average animal rescuer salary by education level

Animal rescuers with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $32,634 annually. With a Associate degree, animal rescuers earn a median annual income of $31,070 compared to $29,417 for animal rescuers with an High School Diploma degree.

Animal rescuer education level	Animal rescuer salary
High School Diploma or Less	$29,417
Bachelor's Degree	$32,634
Some College/ Associate Degree	$31,070

Animal rescuer education FAQs

What is the best college for Animal Rescuers?

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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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