Consumer credit counselor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a consumer credit counselor. Consumer credit counselors usually study business, psychology, or communication. 57% of consumer credit counselors hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 572 real consumer credit counselor resumes to see exactly what consumer credit counselor education sections show.

The most common colleges for consumer credit counselors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online consumer credit counselor courses to help get the education required to be a consumer credit counselor.

What education do you need to become a consumer credit counselor?

What degree do you need to be a consumer credit counselor?

The most common degree for consumer credit counselors is bachelor's degree, with 57% of consumer credit counselors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 18% and associate degree degree at 13%.

Bachelor's, 57%

Associate, 18%

High School Diploma, 13%

Master's, 4%

Other Degrees, 8%

What should I major in to become a consumer credit counselor?

You should major in business to become a consumer credit counselor. 25% of consumer credit counselors major in business. Other common majors for a consumer credit counselor include psychology and communication.

Business, 25%

Psychology, 9%

Communication, 7%

Nursing, 7%

Other Majors, 52%

Most common colleges for consumer credit counselors

Consumer credit counselors often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Minnesota State University - Mankato, and Bridgewater College. Here are the most common colleges for consumer credit counselors in the US based on their resumes.

Consumer credit counselor common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	13.70%
Minnesota State University - Mankato	12.33%
Bridgewater College	9.59%
Virginia Commonwealth University	8.22%
Indiana University Bloomington	5.48%

Show more common consumer credit counselor colleges

Best majors for consumer credit counselors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	24.8%
2	Psychology	8.7%
3	Communication	7.0%
4	Nursing	6.5%
5	Finance	5.7%

Show more common consumer credit counselor majors

Best colleges for consumer credit counselors

The best colleges for consumer credit counselors are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.

A consumer credit counselor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for consumer credit counselors. 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 consumer credit counselors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

4. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

5. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

6. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

9. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

10. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

20 best online courses for consumer credit counselors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for consumer credit counselors

The most affordable schools for consumer credit counselors are SUNY Farmingdale, baruch college of the city university of new york, and university of florida.

If the best universities for consumer credit counselors 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 consumer credit counselors.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

8. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for consumer credit counselors

The hardest universities for consumer credit counselors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for consumer credit counselors 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 consumer credit counselors 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

SAT average

1,492

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

6. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

9. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

10. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for consumer credit counselors

The easiest schools for consumer credit counselors to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, barry university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a consumer credit counselor 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 consumer credit counselors.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

6. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

7. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

8. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

9. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

10. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

Average consumer credit counselor salary by education level

According to our data, consumer credit counselors with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $75,618 annually. Consumer credit counselors with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $68,164.

Consumer credit counselor education level	Consumer credit counselor salary
Master's Degree	$75,618
High School Diploma or Less	$58,351
Bachelor's Degree	$68,164
Some College/ Associate Degree	$58,926

Consumer credit counselor education FAQs

What is the best college for Consumer Credit Counselors?

Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.

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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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