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Commercial agent education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a commercial agent. Commercial agents usually study business, marketing, or political science. 61% of commercial agents hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 566 real commercial agent resumes to see exactly what commercial agent education sections show.
The most common colleges for commercial agents are the Sam Houston State University and the Sam Houston State University.
There are also many online commercial agent courses to help get the education required to be a commercial agent.
What education do you need to become a commercial agent?
What degree do you need to be a commercial agent?
- Bachelor's, 61%
- Associate, 13%
- High School Diploma, 10%
- Master's, 6%
- Other Degrees, 10%
What should I major in to become a commercial agent?
- Business, 34%
- Marketing, 8%
- Accounting, 5%
- Other Majors, 46%
Most common colleges for commercial agents
| Commercial agent common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Sam Houston State University | 9.62% |
| University of Phoenix | 9.62% |
| University of the Sciences | 7.69% |
| Miami University | 5.77% |
| New York University | 5.77% |
Best majors for commercial agents
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 33.9% |
| 2 | Marketing | 8.5% |
| 3 | Political Science | 6.7% |
| 4 | Accounting | 5.4% |
| 5 | Finance | 4.9% |
Best colleges for commercial agents
The best colleges for commercial agents are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
A commercial agent with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for commercial agents. 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 commercial agents.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
3. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
4. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
5. SUNY College at Oswego
Oswego, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,440
Enrollment
7,039
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
7. Baylor University
Waco, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$45,542
Enrollment
14,159
8. University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Lafayette, LA • Private
In-state tuition
$9,912
Enrollment
14,245
9. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,896
Enrollment
15,529
10. Butler University
Indianapolis, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$41,120
Enrollment
4,553
20 best online courses for commercial agents
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Top 10 most affordable universities for commercial agents
The most affordable schools for commercial agents are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for commercial agents 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 commercial agents.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
3. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
4. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
7. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
8. SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Utica, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,238
Cost of attendance
21,567
9. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
10. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for commercial agents
The hardest universities for commercial agents to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for commercial agents 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 commercial agents 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
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
8. Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
51%
SAT average
1,395
9. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
10. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for commercial agents
The easiest schools for commercial agents to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a commercial agent 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 commercial agents.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
4. University of Houston - Downtown
Houston, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,012
5. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
6. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
7. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
8. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
9. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
10. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
Average commercial agent salary by education level
| Commercial agent education level | Commercial agent salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $56,775 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $45,072 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $56,914 |
| Doctorate Degree | $52,690 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $44,890 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025