Post job

Credit investigator education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a credit investigator. Credit investigators usually study business, accounting, or finance. 57% of credit investigators hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 835 real credit investigator resumes to see exactly what credit investigator education sections show.

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

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

What education do you need to become a credit investigator?

What degree do you need to be a credit investigator?

The most common degree for credit investigators is bachelor's degree, with 57% of credit investigators earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 19% and associate degree degree at 16%.
  • Bachelor's, 57%
  • Associate, 19%
  • High School Diploma, 16%
  • Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a credit investigator?

You should major in business to become a credit investigator. 32% of credit investigators major in business. Other common majors for a credit investigator include accounting and finance.

Most common colleges for credit investigators

Credit investigators often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, University of Delaware, and Temple University. Here are the most common colleges for credit investigators in the US based on their resumes.
Credit investigator common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix14.75%
University of Delaware8.20%
Temple University6.56%
Saint Louis University6.56%
Indiana University of Pennsylvania6.56%

Best majors for credit investigators

RankMajorPercentages
1Business31.6%
2Accounting9.7%
3Finance8.6%
4Psychology5.6%
5Criminal Justice5.0%

Best colleges for credit investigators

The best colleges for credit investigators are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

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

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Maine Maritime Academy

Castine, ME • Private

In-state tuition

$13,478

Enrollment

979

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

8. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

10. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

20 best online courses for credit investigators

Advertising disclosure

1. GST - Using input tax credit

coursera

GST, if applicable, can be paid in cash or through the utilization of input tax credit, also commonly known as ITC. In this course, you will learn about the concept of the input tax credit, conditions , and restrictions on availing and utilizing ITC, legal requirements and procedures for reconciliation of ITC , and the concept of distribution of ITC. Input tax credits, along with valuations, play an important role in the pricing of goods and services. This course provides a platform for...

2. Intro to Commercial Credit Analysis, Credit Risk and Lending

udemy
4.4
(2,213)

Commercial Credit Underwriting Lending & Commercial Credit Financial Analysis Credit Risk Foundations...

3. Credit Repair: The Total Guide to a Great Credit Score

udemy
4
(673)

Credit Repair: A step-by-step plan to begin improving your credit within one hour of starting! Over 7,000 students!...

4. The Credit Analyst Training course

udemy
4.1
(3,058)

Learn the complete Credit Risk Analysis skills for jobs in Banks, Asset Management & Credit Rating Agencies...

5. Banking Credit Analysis Process (for Bankers)

udemy
4.5
(2,917)

Course for Bankers, Consultants and managers to Understand Credit Analysis Process from Indian Context...

6. Option Spreads and Credit Spreads Bundle

udemy
4.7
(947)

This 2-course bundle on Option spreads and Credit Spreads surgery is the bedrock of stable Monthly Strategies...

7. #1 Kick A#S Credit Repair Course - Fully Loaded 150+ Letters

udemy
4.6
(329)

Step By Step Course With 150+ Dispute Letter Templates, Dispute Flowchart,Diy Credit Repair Workbook, Ebooks And More!...

8. Step-by-Step Guide to Getting the Business Credit You Need

udemy
4.8
(324)

The most comprehensive, step-by-step course to set up any business with credit...

9. Credit Risk Modeling in Python

udemy
4.6
(5,629)

A complete data science case study: preprocessing, modeling, model validation and maintenance in Python...

10. Travel Hacking and Credit Card Reward Basics!

udemy
4.4
(263)

Credit cards offer HUGE sign up bonuses!...

11. Credit Card Security Basics

udemy
4.5
(7,143)

This brief course is designed to meet the PCI DSS requirements of frontline staff who handle payment cards...

12. International Trade Finance - Letter of Credit & UCP 600

udemy
4.2
(377)

Letter of Credit UCP 600 Articles Introductory Guide to CDCS Exam...

13. Get Credit for Your EIN That's Not Linked to Your SSN

udemy
4.9
(353)

How to Get Credit for Your Business Regardless of Cash Flow, Consumer Credit Quality, or Collateral...

14. Financial Accounting-Debits & Credits-Accounting Transaction

udemy
4.5
(781)

Masterclass: Learn Accounting Principles, Financial Statements, Transactions & More in this Comprehensive Course...

15. Real-time Credit card Fraud Detection using Spark 2.2

udemy
4.4
(706)

Real time Credit card Fraud detection using Spark Streaming, Spark ML, Kafka, Cassandra and Airflow...

16. Financial Accounting: The Complete Introductory Crash Course

udemy
4.5
(1,604)

Learn the Basics of Financial Accounting: Financial Statements, Debits and Credits, The Accounting Cycle and More!...

17. Weekly Options Trading - Credit Spreads & Iron Condors

udemy
4
(3,180)

My Blueprint for Trading Weekly Options...

18. IFCI Expert Cybercrime Investigator's Course

udemy
4.6
(649)

Protect your network - Put cybercriminals in jail. Learn computer forensics, malware analysis and hacker investigations...

19. Customer Service Fundamentals: Putting People First

udemy
4.4
(313)

Customer Care Listening Great Customer Service Concern for Others Company Culture Engaging People Responding...

20. PCI (Payment Card) Standards for Corporate Professionals

udemy
4.5
(804)

This course covers relevant aspects of the PCI Data Security Standard for processing credit card data...

Top 10 most affordable universities for credit investigators

The most affordable schools for credit investigators are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for credit investigators 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 credit investigators.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

8. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Cost of attendance

22,990

10. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for credit investigators

The hardest universities for credit investigators to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for credit investigators 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 credit investigators 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

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. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. Brandeis University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

31%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for credit investigators

The easiest schools for credit investigators to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a credit investigator 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 credit investigators.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

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. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

7. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

8. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

9. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

10. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

Average credit investigator salary by education level

Credit investigators with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $39,465 annually. With a High School Diploma degree, credit investigators earn a median annual income of $35,224 compared to $35,100 for credit investigators with an Associate degree.
Credit investigator education levelCredit investigator salary
High School Diploma or Less$35,224
Bachelor's Degree$39,465
Some College/ Associate Degree$35,100

Credit investigator education FAQs

Search for credit investigator jobs

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.

Browse office and administrative jobs