Damage appraiser education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a damage appraiser. Damage appraisers usually study business, automotive technology, or criminal justice. 53% of damage appraisers hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 933 real damage appraiser resumes to see exactly what damage appraiser education sections show.

The most common colleges for damage appraisers are the Northeastern University and the Northeastern University.

There are also many online damage appraiser courses to help get the education required to be a damage appraiser.

What education do you need to become a damage appraiser?

What degree do you need to be a damage appraiser?

The most common degree for damage appraisers is bachelor's degree, with 53% of damage appraisers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 18% and associate degree degree at 15%.

Bachelor's, 53%

Associate, 18%

High School Diploma, 15%

Master's, 6%

Other Degrees, 8%

What should I major in to become a damage appraiser?

You should major in business to become a damage appraiser. 30% of damage appraisers major in business. Other common majors for a damage appraiser include automotive technology and criminal justice.

Business, 30%

Automotive Technology, 13%

Criminal Justice, 8%

Management, 5%

Other Majors, 44%

Most common colleges for damage appraisers

Damage appraisers often get their degrees at Northeastern University, University of Phoenix, and Radford University. Here are the most common colleges for damage appraisers in the US based on their resumes.

Damage appraiser common college	Percentages
Northeastern University	11.11%
University of Phoenix	7.41%
Radford University	5.56%
College of Charleston	5.56%
Strayer University	5.56%

Show more common damage appraiser colleges

Best majors for damage appraisers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	29.8%
2	Automotive Technology	13.5%
3	Criminal Justice	7.6%
4	Management	5.5%
5	Marketing	5.1%

Show more common damage appraiser majors

Best colleges for damage appraisers

The best colleges for damage appraisers are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

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

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

4. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

5. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

6. SUNY College at Oswego

Oswego, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,440

Enrollment

7,039

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

8. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$45,542

Enrollment

14,159

9. University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Lafayette, LA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,912

Enrollment

14,245

10. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Alfred, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,570

Enrollment

3,721

20 best online courses for damage appraisers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for damage appraisers

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

If the best universities for damage appraisers 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 damage appraisers.

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. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

8. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

9. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

10. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for damage appraisers

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

Some great schools for damage appraisers 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 damage appraisers 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

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. Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

51%

SAT average

1,395

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

9. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

10. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for damage appraisers

The easiest schools for damage appraisers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and notre dame college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a damage appraiser 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 damage appraisers.

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. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. University of Houston - Downtown

Houston, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,012

7. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

8. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

9. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

10. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

Average damage appraiser salary by education level

According to our data, damage appraisers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $59,503 annually. Damage appraisers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $57,311.

Damage appraiser education level	Damage appraiser salary
Master's Degree	$59,503
High School Diploma or Less	$46,425
Bachelor's Degree	$57,311
Some College/ Associate Degree	$45,757

Damage appraiser education FAQs

What is the best college for Damage Appraisers?

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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