Certified personal trainer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a certified personal trainer. Certified personal trainers usually study kinesiology, business, or psychology. 66% of certified personal trainers hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 6,402 real certified personal trainer resumes to see exactly what certified personal trainer education sections show.

The most common colleges for certified personal trainers are the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University.

There are also many online certified personal trainer courses to help get the education required to be a certified personal trainer.

There are certain certified personal trainer certifications that you should consider. These certified personal trainer certifications include Certified Personal Trainer and Advanced Personal Training Certification (APT).

What education do you need to become a certified personal trainer?

What degree do you need to be a certified personal trainer?

The most common degree for certified personal trainers is bachelor's degree, with 66% of certified personal trainers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 16% and associate degree degree at 8%.

Bachelor's, 66%

Associate, 16%

Master's, 8%

High School Diploma, 5%

Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a certified personal trainer?

You should major in kinesiology to become a certified personal trainer. 30% of certified personal trainers major in kinesiology. Other common majors for a certified personal trainer include business and psychology.

Kinesiology, 30%

Business, 15%

Psychology, 9%

Health Education, 4%

Other Majors, 42%

Most common colleges for certified personal trainers

Certified personal trainers often get their degrees at Pennsylvania State University, University of Maryland - College Park, and Arizona State University. Here are the most common colleges for certified personal trainers in the US based on their resumes.

Certified personal trainer common college	Percentages
Pennsylvania State University	6.90%
University of Maryland - College Park	6.40%
Arizona State University	6.16%
San Diego State University	6.16%
Florida State University	5.91%

Show more common certified personal trainer colleges

Best majors for certified personal trainers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Kinesiology	29.6%
2	Business	15.1%
3	Psychology	8.7%
4	Health Education	4.0%
5	Liberal Arts	3.7%

Show more common certified personal trainer majors

Best colleges for certified personal trainers

The best colleges for certified personal trainers are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and University of Southern California.

A certified personal trainer 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 trainers. 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 trainers.

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

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. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

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. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

8. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

9. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

10. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

20 best online courses for certified personal trainers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for certified personal trainers

The most affordable schools for certified personal trainers are California State University - Bakersfield, suny farmingdale, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for certified personal trainers 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 trainers.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

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. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

6. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

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. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

10. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for certified personal trainers

The hardest universities for certified personal trainers to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for certified personal trainers 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 trainers 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. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

5. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

9. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,307

10. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for certified personal trainers

The easiest schools for certified personal trainers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, wayland baptist university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a certified personal trainer 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 trainers.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

5. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

6. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

7. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

8. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

9. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

10. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

Average certified personal trainer salary by education level

According to our data, certified personal trainers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $34,045 annually. Certified personal trainers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $33,253.

Certified personal trainer education level	Certified personal trainer salary
Master's Degree	$34,045
High School Diploma or Less	$30,476
Bachelor's Degree	$33,253
Some College/ Associate Degree	$31,267

Certified personal trainer education FAQs

What is the best college for Certified Personal Trainers?

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

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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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