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College admissions counselor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a college admissions counselor. College admissions counselors usually study psychology, business, or communication. 67% of college admissions counselors hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 150 real college admissions counselor resumes to see exactly what college admissions counselor education sections show.
The most common colleges for college admissions counselors are the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pennsylvania.
There are also many online college admissions counselor courses to help get the education required to be a college admissions counselor.
What education do you need to become a college admissions counselor?
What degree do you need to be a college admissions counselor?
- Bachelor's, 67%
- Master's, 20%
- Associate, 7%
- Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a college admissions counselor?
- Psychology, 14%
- Business, 13%
- Communication, 13%
- English, 9%
- Other Majors, 51%
Most common colleges for college admissions counselors
| College admissions counselor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Pennsylvania | 10.34% |
| University of North Texas | 6.90% |
| Nichols College | 6.90% |
| Harvard University | 6.90% |
| Hiram College | 6.90% |
Best majors for college admissions counselors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 13.8% |
| 2 | Business | 12.6% |
| 3 | Communication | 12.6% |
| 4 | English | 9.2% |
| 5 | History | 5.7% |
Best colleges for college admissions counselors
The best colleges for college admissions counselors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.
A college admissions 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 college admissions 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 college admissions 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. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
7. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
8. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
10. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
In-state tuition
$17,653
Enrollment
16,405
20 best online courses for college admissions counselors
Advertising disclosure
1. Graduate Admission Prediction with Pyspark ML
In this 1 hour long project-based course, you will learn to build a linear regression model using Pyspark ML to predict students' admission at the university. We will use the graduate admission 2 data set from Kaggle. Our goal is to use a Simple Linear Regression Machine Learning Algorithm from the Pyspark Machine learning library to predict the chances of getting admission. We will be carrying out the entire project on the Google Colab environment with the installation of Pyspark. You will...
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6. Canva for college students
In this project the learner will learn how to use Canva for their college journey. Canva is an online graphic design program that allows you to create and design all types of documents, graphic design compositions and more. Canva is a great option for those looking for a user-friendly and easy-to-use platform to create attractive designs for their resumes. Canva has many elements that are free and it gives you a lot of freedom when designing. In addition to this, Canva has paid content that...
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19. Kubernetes Certified Application Developer (CKAD) with Tests
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20. Professional Certification in Counseling - Fully Accredited
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Top 10 most affordable universities for college admissions counselors
The most affordable schools for college admissions counselors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for college admissions 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 college admissions 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. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
5. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
6. University of Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$6,491
Cost of attendance
19,075
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
9. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
10. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for college admissions counselors
The hardest universities for college admissions counselors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for college admissions 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 college admissions 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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
9. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
10. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for college admissions counselors
The easiest schools for college admissions counselors to get into are Gwynedd Mercy University, barry university, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a college admissions 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 college admissions counselors.
1. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
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. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
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. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
8. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
9. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
10. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
Average college admissions counselor salary by education level
| College admissions counselor education level | College admissions counselor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $44,489 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $39,614 |
| Doctorate Degree | $45,131 |
College admissions counselor education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025