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Building principal education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a building principal. Building principals usually study educational leadership, elementary education, or education. 46% of building principals hold a bachelor's degree, and 37% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 173 real building principal resumes to see exactly what building principal education sections show.
The most common colleges for building principals are the Illinois State University and the Illinois State University.
There are also many online building principal courses to help get the education required to be a building principal.
What education do you need to become a building principal?
What degree do you need to be a building principal?
- Bachelor's, 46%
- Master's, 37%
- Associate, 6%
- Doctorate, 3%
- Other Degrees, 8%
What should I major in to become a building principal?
- Elementary Education, 14%
- Education, 13%
- Other Majors, 40%
Most common colleges for building principals
| Building principal common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Illinois State University | 8.11% |
| University of Pittsburgh | 5.41% |
| Alfred University | 5.41% |
| The University of Texas at El Paso | 5.41% |
| Indiana State University | 5.41% |
Best majors for building principals
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Educational Leadership | 26.8% |
| 2 | Elementary Education | 14.3% |
| 3 | Education | 13.4% |
| 4 | General Education, Specific Areas | 6.3% |
| 5 | Psychology | 5.4% |
Best colleges for building principals
The best colleges for building principals are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A building principal with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for building principals. 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 building principals.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
7. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
8. SUNY at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,099
Enrollment
21,404
9. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
10. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
20 best online courses for building principals
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Top 10 most affordable universities for building principals
The most affordable schools for building principals are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and usf sarasota-manatee.
If the best universities for building principals 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 building principals.
1. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
8. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
9. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
10. California State University - Northridge
Northridge, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,893
Cost of attendance
18,870
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for building principals
The hardest universities for building principals to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for building principals 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 building principals 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
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
4. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,398
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for building principals
The easiest schools for building principals to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, gwynedd mercy university, and barry university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a building principal 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 building principals.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
3. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
4. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
5. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
6. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
7. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
8. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
9. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
10. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
Average building principal salary by education level
| Building principal education level | Building principal salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $108,835 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $95,615 |
| Doctorate Degree | $119,186 |
Building principal education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025