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Eligibility specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an eligibility specialist. Eligibility specialists usually study business, psychology, or criminal justice. 49% of eligibility specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 9,541 real eligibility specialist resumes to see exactly what eligibility specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for eligibility specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online eligibility specialist courses to help get the education required to be an eligibility specialist.

There are certain eligibility specialist certifications that you should consider. These eligibility specialist certifications include Medical Assistant and Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA).

What education do you need to become an eligibility specialist?

What degree do you need to be an eligibility specialist?

The most common degree for eligibility specialists is bachelor's degree, with 49% of eligibility specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 23% and associate degree degree at 11%.
  • Bachelor's, 49%
  • Associate, 23%
  • High School Diploma, 11%
  • Master's, 7%
  • Other Degrees, 10%

What should I major in to become an eligibility specialist?

You should major in business to become an eligibility specialist. 25% of eligibility specialists major in business. Other common majors for an eligibility specialist include psychology and criminal justice.

Most common colleges for eligibility specialists

Eligibility specialists often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Indiana Wesleyan University, and Indiana State University. Here are the most common colleges for eligibility specialists in the US based on their resumes.
Eligibility specialist common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix24.56%
Indiana Wesleyan University6.04%
Indiana State University5.64%
Arkansas State University5.50%
Purdue University4.56%

Best majors for eligibility specialists

Best colleges for eligibility specialists

The best colleges for eligibility specialists are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Vanderbilt University.

An eligibility specialist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for eligibility specialists. 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 eligibility specialists.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

3. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

4. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

5. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

7. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Enrollment

13,871

9. Brandeis University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,395

Enrollment

3,627

10. Elon University

Elon, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$35,319

Enrollment

6,196

20 best online courses for eligibility specialists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for eligibility specialists

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

If the best universities for eligibility specialists 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 eligibility specialists.

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. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

6. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

7. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

8. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

9. Metropolitan State University

Saint Paul, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$7,879

Cost of attendance

21,223

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 eligibility specialists

The hardest universities for eligibility specialists to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for eligibility specialists 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 eligibility specialists 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

8. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

9. Brandeis University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

31%

SAT average

1,398

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for eligibility specialists

The easiest schools for eligibility specialists 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 an eligibility specialist 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 eligibility specialists.

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. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

7. Albertus Magnus College

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

58%

SAT average

931

8. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

9. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

10. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

Average eligibility specialist salary by education level

According to our data, eligibility specialists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $39,530 annually. Eligibility specialists with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $38,923.
Eligibility specialist education levelEligibility specialist salary
Master's Degree$39,530
High School Diploma or Less$36,176
Bachelor's Degree$38,923
Some College/ Associate Degree$37,212

Eligibility specialist education FAQs

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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.

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