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Child life therapist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a child life therapist. Child life therapists usually study psychology, business, or social work. 57% of child life therapists hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 342 real child life therapist resumes to see exactly what child life therapist education sections show.
The most common colleges for child life therapists are the Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
There are also many online child life therapist courses to help get the education required to be a child life therapist.
What education do you need to become a child life therapist?
What degree do you need to be a child life therapist?
- Bachelor's, 57%
- Associate, 14%
- Master's, 13%
- High School Diploma, 11%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become a child life therapist?
- Psychology, 15%
- Business, 10%
- Social Work, 10%
- Other Majors, 57%
Most common colleges for child life therapists
| Child life therapist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Southern Illinois University Carbondale | 69.35% |
| University of Massachusetts Dartmouth | 3.23% |
| University of North Texas | 2.42% |
| Wheelock College | 2.42% |
| University of Louisville | 2.42% |
Best majors for child life therapists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 15.3% |
| 2 | Business | 9.6% |
| 3 | Social Work | 9.6% |
| 4 | Rehabilitation Science | 7.6% |
| 5 | General Studies | 7.0% |
Best colleges for child life therapists
The best colleges for child life therapists are Northwestern University, Duke University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A child life therapist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for child life therapists. 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 child life therapists.
1. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
2. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
6. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
9. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
10. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
20 best online courses for child life therapists
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Top 10 most affordable universities for child life therapists
The most affordable schools for child life therapists are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and university of florida.
If the best universities for child life therapists 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 child life therapists.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
4. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
5. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
7. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
8. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
9. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
10. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for child life therapists
The hardest universities for child life therapists to get into are Northwestern University, Duke University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for child life therapists 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 child life therapists 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. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
8. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
9. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for child life therapists
The easiest schools for child life therapists to get into are D'Youville College, mount saint mary's university, and barry university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a child life therapist 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 child life therapists.
1. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
3. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
5. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
6. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
7. Bluefield College
Bluefield, VA • Private
Admissions rate
95%
SAT average
980
8. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
9. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
10. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
Average child life therapist salary by education level
| Child life therapist education level | Child life therapist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $55,085 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $51,721 |
| Doctorate Degree | $53,540 |
Child life therapist education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025