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Commercial representative education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a commercial representative. Commercial representatives usually study business, marketing, or accounting. 61% of commercial representatives hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 895 real commercial representative resumes to see exactly what commercial representative education sections show.
The most common colleges for commercial representatives are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online commercial representative courses to help get the education required to be a commercial representative.
What education do you need to become a commercial representative?
What degree do you need to be a commercial representative?
- Bachelor's, 61%
- Associate, 16%
- High School Diploma, 10%
- Master's, 8%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become a commercial representative?
- Business, 37%
- Marketing, 7%
- Accounting, 6%
- Psychology, 5%
- Other Majors, 45%
Most common colleges for commercial representatives
| Commercial representative common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 22.62% |
| University of North Texas | 7.14% |
| Indiana University of Pennsylvania | 5.95% |
| Kent State University | 4.76% |
| University of Houston | 4.76% |
Best majors for commercial representatives
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 37.1% |
| 2 | Marketing | 7.5% |
| 3 | Accounting | 6.4% |
| 4 | Psychology | 5.0% |
| 5 | Criminal Justice | 4.7% |
Best colleges for commercial representatives
The best colleges for commercial representatives are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
A commercial representative 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 representatives. 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 representatives.
1. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
Alfred, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,570
Enrollment
3,721
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
6. Baylor University
Waco, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$45,542
Enrollment
14,159
7. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,896
Enrollment
15,529
8. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
9. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi
Delhi, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,360
Enrollment
3,142
10. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
20 best online courses for commercial representatives
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Top 10 most affordable universities for commercial representatives
The most affordable schools for commercial representatives are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for commercial representatives 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 representatives.
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. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
5. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
8. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
9. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
10. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for commercial representatives
The hardest universities for commercial representatives to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for commercial representatives 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 representatives 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. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
5. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
6. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
8. Fordham University
Bronx, NY • Private
Admissions rate
46%
SAT average
1,354
9. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
Admissions rate
47%
SAT average
1,390
10. Clemson University
Clemson, SC • Private
Admissions rate
47%
SAT average
1,337
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for commercial representatives
The easiest schools for commercial representatives to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and lim college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a commercial representative 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 representatives.
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. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
4. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
5. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
6. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
7. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
8. Ursuline College
Pepper Pike, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,102
9. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
10. Cleary University
Howell, MI • Private
Admissions rate
58%
SAT average
1,039
Average commercial representative salary by education level
| Commercial representative education level | Commercial representative salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $74,105 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $42,258 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $63,225 |
| Doctorate Degree | $69,857 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $44,652 |
Commercial representative education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common sales questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025