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Esol instructor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an esol instructor. Esol instructors usually study english, education, or business. 63% of esol instructors hold a bachelor's degree, and 27% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 673 real esol instructor resumes to see exactly what esol instructor education sections show.

The most common colleges for esol instructors are the Florida International University and the Florida International University.

There are also many online esol instructor courses to help get the education required to be an esol instructor.

What education do you need to become an esol instructor?

What degree do you need to be an esol instructor?

The most common degree for esol instructors is bachelor's degree, with 63% of esol instructors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 27% and master's degree degree at 4%.
  • Bachelor's, 63%
  • Master's, 27%
  • Associate, 4%
  • Doctorate, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become an esol instructor?

You should major in english to become an esol instructor. 17% of esol instructors major in english. Other common majors for an esol instructor include education and business.

Most common colleges for esol instructors

Esol instructors often get their degrees at Florida International University, University of Central Florida, and University of South Florida. Here are the most common colleges for esol instructors in the US based on their resumes.
Esol instructor common collegePercentages
Florida International University9.68%
University of Central Florida7.26%
University of South Florida6.45%
Ohio State University6.45%
University of Massachusetts Boston6.45%

Best majors for esol instructors

RankMajorPercentages
1English17.0%
2Education11.6%
3Business8.5%
4Linguistics8.2%
5Elementary Education8.2%

Best colleges for esol instructors

The best colleges for esol instructors are Harvard University, Vanderbilt University, and Boston University.

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

1. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

2. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

5. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Enrollment

34,637

6. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Enrollment

15,645

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

10. University of Nevada - Reno

Reno, NV • Private

In-state tuition

$7,599

Enrollment

17,513

20 best online courses for esol instructors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for esol instructors

The most affordable schools for esol instructors are Hunter College of the City University of New York, queens college of the city university of new york, and california state university - fullerton.

If the best universities for esol instructors 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 esol instructors.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

3. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

4. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

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. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

7. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

10. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for esol instructors

The hardest universities for esol instructors to get into are Harvard University, Vanderbilt University, and Boston University.

Some great schools for esol instructors 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 esol instructors 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. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

2. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

7. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

14%

SAT average

1,423

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

9. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

10. Brown University

Providence, RI • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for esol instructors

The easiest schools for esol instructors to get into are D'Youville College, felician university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an esol instructor 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 esol instructors.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

5. College of Mount Saint Vincent

Bronx, NY • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,021

6. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

7. College of New Rochelle, The

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

982

8. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

9. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

10. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

Average esol instructor salary by education level

Esol instructors with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $73,347 annually. With a Master's degree, esol instructors earn a median annual income of $68,166 compared to $63,521 for esol instructors with an Bachelor's degree.
Esol instructor education levelEsol instructor salary
Master's Degree$68,166
High School Diploma or Less$57,603
Bachelor's Degree$63,521
Doctorate Degree$73,347
Some College/ Associate Degree$61,688

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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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