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Community advisor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a community advisor. Community advisors usually study psychology, business, or communication. 75% of community advisors hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,284 real community advisor resumes to see exactly what community advisor education sections show.

The most common colleges for community advisors are the Northern Illinois University and the Northern Illinois University.

There are also many online community advisor courses to help get the education required to be a community advisor.

There are certain community advisor certifications that you should consider. These community advisor certifications include Advanced First Aid & CPR and Certified in Public Health (CPH).

What education do you need to become a community advisor?

What degree do you need to be a community advisor?

The most common degree for community advisors is bachelor's degree, with 75% of community advisors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 11% and master's degree degree at 6%.
  • Bachelor's, 75%
  • Master's, 11%
  • Associate, 6%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a community advisor?

You should major in psychology to become a community advisor. 12% of community advisors major in psychology. Other common majors for a community advisor include business and communication.

Most common colleges for community advisors

Community advisors often get their degrees at Northern Illinois University, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh, and Saint Cloud State University. Here are the most common colleges for community advisors in the US based on their resumes.
Community advisor common collegePercentages
Northern Illinois University13.66%
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh8.04%
Saint Cloud State University7.28%
University of Central Missouri6.83%
Minnesota State University - Mankato6.53%

Best majors for community advisors

RankMajorPercentages
1Psychology12.4%
2Business12.0%
3Communication11.4%
4Political Science7.8%
5English6.4%

Best colleges for community advisors

The best colleges for community advisors are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.

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

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

3. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

5. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

7. SUNY College at Oswego

Oswego, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,440

Enrollment

7,039

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

9. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

20 best online courses for community advisors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for community advisors

The most affordable schools for community advisors are California State University - Bakersfield, california state university - long beach, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for community advisors 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 community advisors.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

6. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for community advisors

The hardest universities for community advisors to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for community advisors 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 community advisors 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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

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. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for community advisors

The easiest schools for community advisors to get into are Gwynedd Mercy University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and university of north texas at dallas.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a community advisor 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 community advisors.

1. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

4. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

5. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

6. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

7. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

8. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

9. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

10. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

Average community advisor salary by education level

Community advisors with a Associate degree earn more than those without, at $71,670 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, community advisors earn a median annual income of $70,510 compared to $60,976 for community advisors with an High School Diploma degree.
Community advisor education levelCommunity advisor salary
High School Diploma or Less$60,976
Bachelor's Degree$70,510
Some College/ Associate Degree$71,670

Community advisor education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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