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College librarian education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a college librarian. College librarians usually study library science, business, or information sciences. 54% of college librarians hold a bachelor's degree, and 32% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 69 real college librarian resumes to see exactly what college librarian education sections show.
The most common colleges for college librarians are the Marist College and the Marist College.
There are also many online college librarian courses to help get the education required to be a college librarian.
What education do you need to become a college librarian?
What degree do you need to be a college librarian?
- Bachelor's, 54%
- Master's, 32%
- High School Diploma, 8%
- Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a college librarian?
- Library Science, 23%
- Business, 8%
- Communication, 8%
- Other Majors, 53%
Most common colleges for college librarians
| College librarian common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Marist College | 13.04% |
| City College of New York of the City University of New York, The | 8.70% |
| University of Northern Iowa | 4.35% |
| Western Colorado University | 4.35% |
| Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | 4.35% |
Best majors for college librarians
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Library Science | 23.1% |
| 2 | Business | 7.7% |
| 3 | Information Sciences | 7.7% |
| 4 | Communication | 7.7% |
| 5 | Education | 7.7% |
Best colleges for college librarians
The best colleges for college librarians are Northwestern University, Duke University, and Johns Hopkins University.
A college librarian 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 librarians. 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 librarians.
1. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
2. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
6. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Enrollment
31,321
7. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
9. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
10. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
20 best online courses for college librarians
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Top 10 most affordable universities for college librarians
The most affordable schools for college librarians are Baruch College of the City University of New York, hunter college of the city university of new york, and florida state university.
If the best universities for college librarians 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 librarians.
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. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
4. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
6. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
7. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
9. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
10. University of Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$6,491
Cost of attendance
19,075
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for college librarians
The hardest universities for college librarians to get into are Northwestern University, Duke University, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for college librarians 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 librarians 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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,434
8. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
14%
SAT average
1,423
9. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
10. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for college librarians
The easiest schools for college librarians to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and life university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a college librarian 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 librarians.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
3. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
4. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
5. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
6. Pennsylvania State University - Worthington Scranton
Dunmore, PA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
1,056
7. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
8. Bluefield College
Bluefield, VA • Private
Admissions rate
95%
SAT average
980
9. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
10. University of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,020
Average college librarian salary by education level
| College librarian education level | College librarian salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $63,105 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $51,317 |
| Doctorate Degree | $68,928 |
College librarian education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025