Clerical worker education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a clerical worker. Clerical workers usually study business, psychology, or criminal justice. 41% of clerical workers hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 6,236 real clerical worker resumes to see exactly what clerical worker education sections show.

The most common colleges for clerical workers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online clerical worker courses to help get the education required to be a clerical worker.

There are certain clerical worker certifications that you should consider. These clerical worker certifications include Word 2010 Certification and Microsoft Office Specialist: Expert (Office 365 and Office 2019).

What education do you need to become a clerical worker?

What degree do you need to be a clerical worker?

The most common degree for clerical workers is bachelor's degree, with 41% of clerical workers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 25% and high school diploma degree at 20%.

Bachelor's, 41%

High School Diploma, 25%

Associate, 20%

Diploma, 7%

Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become a clerical worker?

You should major in business to become a clerical worker. 20% of clerical workers major in business. Other common majors for a clerical worker include psychology and criminal justice.

Business, 20%

Psychology, 10%

Criminal Justice, 7%

Accounting, 6%

Other Majors, 57%

Most common colleges for clerical workers

Clerical workers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Monroe College, and City College of New York of the City University of New York, The. Here are the most common colleges for clerical workers in the US based on their resumes.

Clerical worker common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	18.88%
Monroe College	6.63%
City College of New York of the City University of New York, The	5.61%
Texas A&M University	5.61%
Pennsylvania State University	4.59%

Show more common clerical worker colleges

Best majors for clerical workers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	19.8%
2	Psychology	10.3%
3	Criminal Justice	6.5%
4	Accounting	6.4%
5	Liberal Arts	6.2%

Show more common clerical worker majors

Best colleges for clerical workers

The best colleges for clerical workers are University of Pennsylvania, Boston College, and Stanford University.

A clerical worker with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for clerical workers. 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 clerical workers.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

3. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

6. Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$11,105

Enrollment

13,729

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

8. Cedar Crest College

Allentown, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$39,216

Enrollment

1,303

9. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

10. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,464

Enrollment

9,639

20 best online courses for clerical workers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for clerical workers

The most affordable schools for clerical workers are SUNY Farmingdale, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for clerical workers 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 clerical workers.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

5. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Dickinson State University

Dickinson, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$6,768

Cost of attendance

15,506

8. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for clerical workers

The hardest universities for clerical workers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Boston College, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for clerical workers 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 clerical workers 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

2. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for clerical workers

The easiest schools for clerical workers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, d'youville college, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a clerical worker 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 clerical workers.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

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. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

7. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

10. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

Average clerical worker salary by education level

According to our data, clerical workers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $34,099 annually. Clerical workers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $33,528.

Clerical worker education level	Clerical worker salary
Master's Degree	$34,099
High School Diploma or Less	$31,931
Bachelor's Degree	$33,528
Some College/ Associate Degree	$32,572

Clerical worker education FAQs

What is the best college for Clerical Workers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common office and administrative 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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