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Corporate paralegal education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a corporate paralegal. Corporate paralegals usually study legal support services, business, or political science. 61% of corporate paralegals hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 3,316 real corporate paralegal resumes to see exactly what corporate paralegal education sections show.
The most common colleges for corporate paralegals are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online corporate paralegal courses to help get the education required to be a corporate paralegal.
There are certain corporate paralegal certifications that you should consider. These corporate paralegal certifications include Certified Paralegal (CP) and Advanced Paralegal Certification (APC).
What education do you need to become a corporate paralegal?
What degree do you need to be a corporate paralegal?
- Bachelor's, 61%
- Associate, 19%
- Master's, 7%
- Doctorate, 5%
- Other Degrees, 8%
What should I major in to become a corporate paralegal?
- Business, 14%
- Political Science, 10%
- Law, 8%
- Other Majors, 42%
Most common colleges for corporate paralegals
| Corporate paralegal common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 10.00% |
| New York University | 8.85% |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 7.69% |
| Roosevelt University | 6.54% |
| University of California - Davis | 5.77% |
Best majors for corporate paralegals
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Legal Support Services | 26.4% |
| 2 | Business | 14.4% |
| 3 | Political Science | 10.2% |
| 4 | Law | 7.6% |
| 5 | Criminal Justice | 5.8% |
Best colleges for corporate paralegals
The best colleges for corporate paralegals are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.
A corporate paralegal with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for corporate paralegals. 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 corporate paralegals.
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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
4. Texas Wesleyan University
Fort Worth, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$30,300
Enrollment
1,445
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
7. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
8. Hamline University
Saint Paul, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$41,290
Enrollment
2,077
9. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
10. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
20 best online courses for corporate paralegals
Advertising disclosure
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This course picks up where Corporate Finance Essentials left, addressing other corporate finance issues not addressed in the previous course, such as market efficiency, bonds, stocks, capital structure, and dividend policy. This course will help you to: ● Understanding the concept of market efficiency. ● Get an overview in issues related to bonds, such as type of bonds, their return (yield to maturity) and default risk ● Getting to know the valuation of stocks through the method of relative...
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13. S Corporation Income Tax - Form 1120S
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14. Accounting for Corporations - Financial Accounting
Demystifying Corporate Accounting: An In-depth Exploration of Financial Transactions in Corporations...
15. Relationship Management in Corporate Banking
How to acquire and manage successful Corporate Client Relationships in Corporate Banking...
16. Lean Enterprise: Corporate Innovation Certification
New Best Practices for Corporate Innovation...
17. ESG & Sustainability: ESG Corporate Masterclass 2023
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18. Corporate Finance: Financial Analysis and Decision-Making
Unlocking Financial Insights for Informed Decision-Making and Valuation Strategies: An In-Depth Course...
19. MBA ASAP Corporate Finance Fundamentals for Career Success
Concepts & Tools of Financial Analysis, Valuation, Investing, Money Management, and Decision Making. DCF,NPV, IRR & more...
20. Corporate ESG Fundamental for Business leaders
An introductory course for entrepreneurs to understand ESG and start preparing for ESG reporting...
Top 10 most affordable universities for corporate paralegals
The most affordable schools for corporate paralegals are SUNY Farmingdale, university of florida, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for corporate paralegals 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 corporate paralegals.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
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. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. Clayton State University
Morrow, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$5,419
Cost of attendance
17,697
9. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Cost of attendance
25,275
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 corporate paralegals
The hardest universities for corporate paralegals to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.
Some great schools for corporate paralegals 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 corporate paralegals 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,456
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,448
10. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for corporate paralegals
The easiest schools for corporate paralegals to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and wayland baptist university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a corporate paralegal 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 corporate paralegals.
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. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
4. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
5. Manor College
Jenkintown, PA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
898
6. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
7. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
8. Thomas More University
Crestview Hills, KY • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,099
9. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
10. University of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,020
Average corporate paralegal salary by education level
| Corporate paralegal education level | Corporate paralegal salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $75,420 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $65,637 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $76,192 |
| Doctorate Degree | $80,520 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $67,867 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025