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Certified personal finance counselor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a certified personal finance counselor. Certified personal finance counselors usually study business, communication, or accounting. 46% of certified personal finance counselors hold a bachelor's degree, and 30% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 81 real certified personal finance counselor resumes to see exactly what certified personal finance counselor education sections show.
The most common colleges for certified personal finance counselors are the Norfolk State University and the Norfolk State University.
There are also many online certified personal finance counselor courses to help get the education required to be a certified personal finance counselor.
What education do you need to become a certified personal finance counselor?
What degree do you need to be a certified personal finance counselor?
- Bachelor's, 46%
- Associate, 30%
- High School Diploma, 10%
- Master's, 4%
- Other Degrees, 10%
What should I major in to become a certified personal finance counselor?
- Business, 24%
- Communication, 15%
- Accounting, 7%
- Finance, 5%
- Other Majors, 49%
Most common colleges for certified personal finance counselors
| Certified personal finance counselor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Norfolk State University | 11.54% |
| Bowie State University | 7.69% |
| Florida Atlantic University | 7.69% |
| Hagerstown | 7.69% |
| University of Nebraska - Kearney | 7.69% |
Best majors for certified personal finance counselors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 24.4% |
| 2 | Communication | 14.6% |
| 3 | Accounting | 7.3% |
| 4 | Finance | 4.9% |
| 5 | Economics | 4.9% |
Best colleges for certified personal finance counselors
The best colleges for certified personal finance counselors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.
A certified personal finance counselor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for certified personal finance counselors. 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 certified personal finance counselors.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
5. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
7. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
20 best online courses for certified personal finance counselors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for certified personal finance counselors
The most affordable schools for certified personal finance counselors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for certified personal finance counselors 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 certified personal finance counselors.
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. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
4. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
7. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
9. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
10. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for certified personal finance counselors
The hardest universities for certified personal finance counselors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.
Some great schools for certified personal finance counselors 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 certified personal finance counselors 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
9. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
10. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for certified personal finance counselors
The easiest schools for certified personal finance counselors to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, barry university, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a certified personal finance counselor 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 certified personal finance counselors.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
6. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
7. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
8. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
9. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
10. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
Average certified personal finance counselor salary by education level
| Certified personal finance counselor education level | Certified personal finance counselor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $59,363 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $47,689 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $54,380 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $48,085 |
Certified personal finance counselor education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025