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Compensation agent education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a compensation agent. Compensation agents usually study business, economics, or engineering. 64% of compensation agents hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 37 real compensation agent resumes to see exactly what compensation agent education sections show.
The most common colleges for compensation agents are the The University of Texas at Arlington and the The University of Texas at Arlington.
There are also many online compensation agent courses to help get the education required to be a compensation agent.
What education do you need to become a compensation agent?
What degree do you need to be a compensation agent?
- Bachelor's, 64%
- Associate, 18%
- High School Diploma, 9%
- Master's, 9%
What should I major in to become a compensation agent?
- Business, 14%
- Economics, 10%
- Engineering, 10%
- Accounting, 10%
- Other Majors, 56%
Most common colleges for compensation agents
| Compensation agent common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| The University of Texas at Arlington | 18.18% |
| The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler | 18.18% |
| Assumption College | 9.09% |
| University of Houston | 9.09% |
| The University of Alabama | 9.09% |
Best majors for compensation agents
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 14.3% |
| 2 | Economics | 9.5% |
| 3 | Engineering | 9.5% |
| 4 | Accounting | 9.5% |
| 5 | General Studies | 9.5% |
Best colleges for compensation agents
The best colleges for compensation agents are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A compensation 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 compensation 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 compensation agents.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
4. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
7. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
8. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
9. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
10. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
20 best online courses for compensation agents
Advertising disclosure
1. Managing Employee Compensation
Whether you're writing paychecks or wondering where yours comes from, this course is for you! We begin by asking: "To succeed, what kind of a person does your organization need to attract, retain, and motivate?" From there, we'll explain how to align your organization's objectives, its pay philosophy, and ultimately the way it designs and implements its salary structure, short-term incentives, long-term incentives, and benefits. Interested in learning more about the technical aspects of...
2. Adding a Phone Gateway to a Virtual Agent
This is a self-paced lab that takes place in the Google Cloud console. In this lab you will continue working on your Pigeon Travel virtual agent and add a phone gateway to allow users to call into your virtual agent...
3. Performance Management and Compensation Management in HRM
Performance Management and Compensation Management Complete Course...
4. Compensation and Benefits for Beginners
This course is a beginners guide to understanding compensation and benefits...
5. Financial Statement Analysis
Learn how to make understanding financial statements your superpower!...
6. Fundamentals of Insurance - 2
Part 2...
7. Fundamentals of Insurance - 1
Part 1...
8. Zendesk for Customer Service Agents-Complete Training Course
Learn how to use all available options of Zendesk and manage your tickets like a real PRO. This is a complete training...
9. Value-Based Healthcare: An Introduction (Premium Edition)
Scaling Healthcare ROI – Leveraging Value, Quality, and Cost to Improve Healthcare Delivery and Results...
10. Payment Risk 101
Learn the Payment 101, Payment Risk and Fraud 101. Learn common methods and prevention...
11. How to Become a Loan Signing Agent & Remote Online Notary
Learn how to become a profitable signing agent and RON step by step A to Z...
12. Ultimate Payroll Management with Income Tax & Year-End 23-24
Basic to Advanced: Certification in Payroll, Compensation Benefits, Income Tax,Year Ending for Payroll & Human Resources...
13. FinTech - Digital Payments (Card & POS) Tools and Strategies
Learn about Card and POS business. Basics to Advance of Card payments and backend processes. Digital Banking...
14. Zendesk for Customer Service Agents Training Course
How to provide great customer support using Zendesk, a course for beginners...
15. Your Customer Service Toolbox: Best Practices for Beginners
Excel as a front-line customer service agent using problem-solving & relationship-building skills, etiquette, and more...
16. Become a Notary Loan Signing Agent
Learn 27 NSA terms, learn 35 documents typically used in a loan signing, common types of signing packages, and more!...
17. Accounting & Financial Statement Analysis: Complete Training
Accounting & Financial Ratio Analysis made easy. Learn important accounting skills that will get your foot in the door!...
18. How to Become a Mobile Notary and Loan Signing Agent
Learn how to make over six figures as a Real Estate Loan Signing Agent and Mobile Notary...
19. FinTech - Payment Gateway Models and Strategies
Learn the business side of the Payment Gateway system. A practitioner's course on Payment Gateway. Digital Payments...
20. How to Read Financial Statements: Build Financial Literacy.
Read financial statements and speak the language of business without the drudgery of a traditional accounting course...
Top 10 most affordable universities for compensation agents
The most affordable schools for compensation agents are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for compensation 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 compensation agents.
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. 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. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
5. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
6. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
7. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
8. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
9. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
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 compensation agents
The hardest universities for compensation agents to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for compensation 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 compensation 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
8. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,448
9. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
10. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for compensation agents
The easiest schools for compensation agents to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, gwynedd mercy university, and barry university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a compensation 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 compensation agents.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
3. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
6. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
7. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
8. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
9. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
10. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
Average compensation agent salary by education level
| Compensation agent education level | Compensation agent salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $40,831 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $33,120 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $40,921 |
| Doctorate Degree | $38,157 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $32,998 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025