Community support worker education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a community support worker. Community support workers usually study psychology, social work, or criminal justice. 67% of community support workers hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,603 real community support worker resumes to see exactly what community support worker education sections show.

The most common colleges for community support workers are the Howard University and the Howard University.

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

There are certain community support worker certifications that you should consider. These community support worker certifications include First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor and Certification in Forensic Social Work (CFSW).

What education do you need to become a community support worker?

What degree do you need to be a community support worker?

The most common degree for community support workers is bachelor's degree, with 67% of community support workers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 13% and master's degree degree at 11%.

Bachelor's, 67%

Master's, 13%

Associate, 11%

High School Diploma, 5%

Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a community support worker?

You should major in psychology to become a community support worker. 31% of community support workers major in psychology. Other common majors for a community support worker include social work and criminal justice.

Psychology, 31%

Social Work, 18%

Criminal Justice, 8%

Sociology, 8%

Other Majors, 35%

Most common colleges for community support workers

Community support workers often get their degrees at Howard University, University of Phoenix, and Bowie State University. Here are the most common colleges for community support workers in the US based on their resumes.

Community support worker common college	Percentages
Howard University	10.22%
University of Phoenix	8.27%
Bowie State University	7.06%
University of New Mexico	6.81%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro	5.60%

Show more common community support worker colleges

Best majors for community support workers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Psychology	30.8%
2	Social Work	17.8%
3	Criminal Justice	8.4%
4	Sociology	7.7%
5	Human Services	6.3%

Show more common community support worker majors

Best colleges for community support workers

The best colleges for community support workers are Boston University, Northwestern University, and Washington University in St Louis.

A community support worker 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 support workers. 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 support workers.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

2. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

3. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Enrollment

13,871

4. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Enrollment

34,637

5. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Enrollment

31,321

8. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

9. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

10. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

20 best online courses for community support workers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for community support workers

The most affordable schools for community support workers are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for community support workers 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 support workers.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

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. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

5. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

9. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

10. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for community support workers

The hardest universities for community support workers to get into are Boston University, Northwestern University, and Washington University in St Louis.

Some great schools for community support workers 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 support workers 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. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

4. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

5. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

6. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

8. University of Chicago

Chicago, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

9. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,367

10. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

Admissions rate

49%

SAT average

1,347

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for community support workers

The easiest schools for community support workers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, wayland baptist 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 support worker 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 support workers.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

3. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

4. University of Houston - Downtown

Houston, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,012

5. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

6. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

7. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

8. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

9. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

10. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

Average community support worker salary by education level

Community support workers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $36,370 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, community support workers earn a median annual income of $33,773 compared to $30,716 for community support workers with an Associate degree.

Community support worker education level	Community support worker salary
Master's Degree	$36,370
High School Diploma or Less	$30,549
Bachelor's Degree	$33,773
Some College/ Associate Degree	$30,716

Community support worker education FAQs

What is the best college for Community Support Workers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common community and social services questions.

Search for community support worker jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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