Customer success manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a customer success manager. Customer success managers usually study business, marketing, or communication. 78% of customer success managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,590 real customer success manager resumes to see exactly what customer success manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for customer success managers are the University of California - Davis and the University of California - Davis.

There are also many online customer success manager courses to help get the education required to be a customer success manager.

What education do you need to become a customer success manager?

What degree do you need to be a customer success manager?

The most common degree for customer success managers is bachelor's degree, with 78% of customer success managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 12% and master's degree degree at 7%.

Bachelor's, 78%

Master's, 12%

Associate, 7%

High School Diploma, 1%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a customer success manager?

You should major in business to become a customer success manager. 27% of customer success managers major in business. Other common majors for a customer success manager include marketing and communication.

Business, 27%

Marketing, 10%

Communication, 8%

Political Science, 7%

Other Majors, 48%

Most common colleges for customer success managers

Customer success managers often get their degrees at University of California - Davis, San Jose State University, and University of Phoenix. Here are the most common colleges for customer success managers in the US based on their resumes.

Customer success manager common college	Percentages
University of California - Davis	10.00%
San Jose State University	9.17%
University of Phoenix	8.33%
University of California, Santa Barbara	7.08%
Arizona State University	6.67%

Show more common customer success manager colleges

Best majors for customer success managers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	26.8%
2	Marketing	9.8%
3	Communication	8.1%
4	Political Science	6.8%
5	Psychology	6.0%

Show more common customer success manager majors

Best colleges for customer success managers

The best colleges for customer success managers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

A customer success manager with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for customer success managers. 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 customer success managers.

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. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

6. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

7. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

9. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

10. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

20 best online courses for customer success managers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for customer success managers

The most affordable schools for customer success managers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for customer success managers 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 customer success managers.

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. 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. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

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. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for customer success managers

The hardest universities for customer success managers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for customer success managers 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 customer success managers 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

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

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. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

10. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for customer success managers

The easiest schools for customer success managers to get into are Gwynedd Mercy University, mount saint mary's university, and felician university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a customer success manager 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 customer success managers.

1. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

4. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

5. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

6. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

7. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

8. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

9. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

10. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

Average customer success manager salary by education level

Customer success managers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $117,869 annually. With a Doctorate degree, customer success managers earn a median annual income of $111,812 compared to $105,170 for customer success managers with an Bachelor's degree.

Customer success manager education level	Customer success manager salary
Master's Degree	$117,869
High School Diploma or Less	$81,900
Bachelor's Degree	$105,170
Doctorate Degree	$111,812
Some College/ Associate Degree	$81,841

Customer success manager education FAQs

What is the best college for Customer Success Managers?

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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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