Customs compliance director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a customs compliance director. Customs compliance directors usually study business, marketing, or international business. 64% of customs compliance directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 108 real customs compliance director resumes to see exactly what customs compliance director education sections show.

The most common colleges for customs compliance directors are the Saint Joseph's University and the Saint Joseph's University.

There are also many online customs compliance director courses to help get the education required to be a customs compliance director.

What education do you need to become a customs compliance director?

What degree do you need to be a customs compliance director?

The most common degree for customs compliance directors is bachelor's degree, with 64% of customs compliance directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 15% and associate degree degree at 8%.

Bachelor's, 64%

Associate, 15%

Master's, 8%

High School Diploma, 8%

Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a customs compliance director?

You should major in business to become a customs compliance director. 29% of customs compliance directors major in business. Other common majors for a customs compliance director include marketing and international business.

Business, 29%

Marketing, 8%

International Business, 6%

Accounting, 6%

Other Majors, 51%

Most common colleges for customs compliance directors

Customs compliance directors often get their degrees at Saint Joseph's University, Illinois State University, and Ashford University. Here are the most common colleges for customs compliance directors in the US based on their resumes.

Customs compliance director common college	Percentages
Saint Joseph's University	12.00%
Illinois State University	8.00%
Ashford University	8.00%
University of Louisville	8.00%
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania	4.00%

Show more common customs compliance director colleges

Best majors for customs compliance directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	28.6%
2	Marketing	7.9%
3	International Business	6.3%
4	Accounting	6.3%
5	General Studies	6.3%

Show more common customs compliance director majors

Best colleges for customs compliance directors

The best colleges for customs compliance directors are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A customs compliance director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for customs compliance directors. 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 customs compliance directors.

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. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

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. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

10. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

20 best online courses for customs compliance directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for customs compliance directors

The most affordable schools for customs compliance directors are SUNY Farmingdale, university of florida, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for customs compliance directors 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 customs compliance directors.

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. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

10. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for customs compliance directors

The hardest universities for customs compliance directors to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for customs compliance directors 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 customs compliance directors 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

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,517

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for customs compliance directors

The easiest schools for customs compliance directors to get into are Barry University, university of north texas at dallas, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a customs compliance director 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 customs compliance directors.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

8. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

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 customs compliance director salary by education level

Customs compliance directors with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $162,720 annually. With a Master's degree, customs compliance directors earn a median annual income of $159,027 compared to $139,912 for customs compliance directors with an Bachelor's degree.

Customs compliance director education level	Customs compliance director salary
Master's Degree	$159,027
Bachelor's Degree	$139,912
Doctorate Degree	$162,720
Some College/ Associate Degree	$116,116

Customs compliance director education FAQs

What is the best college for Customs Compliance Directors?

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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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