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Estate planning attorney education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an estate planning attorney. Estate planning attorneys usually study law, legal research and advanced professional studies, or psychology. 47% of estate planning attorneys hold a doctoral degree, and 46% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 139 real estate planning attorney resumes to see exactly what estate planning attorney education sections show.

The most common colleges for estate planning attorneys are the Santa Clara University and the Santa Clara University.

There are also many online estate planning attorney courses to help get the education required to be an estate planning attorney.

What education do you need to become an estate planning attorney?

What degree do you need to be an estate planning attorney?

The most common degree for estate planning attorneys is doctoral degree, with 47% of estate planning attorneys earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 46% and bachelor's degree degree at 4%.
  • Doctorate, 47%
  • Bachelor's, 46%
  • Master's, 4%
  • Associate, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 0%

What should I major in to become an estate planning attorney?

You should major in law to become an estate planning attorney. 42% of estate planning attorneys major in law. Other common majors for an estate planning attorney include legal research and advanced professional studies and psychology.

Most common colleges for estate planning attorneys

Estate planning attorneys often get their degrees at Santa Clara University, Western New England University, and Oklahoma City University. Here are the most common colleges for estate planning attorneys in the US based on their resumes.
Estate planning attorney common collegePercentages
Santa Clara University9.76%
Western New England University7.32%
Oklahoma City University7.32%
Michigan State University College of Law4.88%
Kansas State University4.88%

Best majors for estate planning attorneys

Best colleges for estate planning attorneys

The best colleges for estate planning attorneys are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

An estate planning attorney with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for estate planning attorneys. 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 estate planning attorneys.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

2. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

3. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

4. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

6. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

7. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

8. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

9. University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$50,226

Enrollment

10,873

10. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

20 best online courses for estate planning attorneys

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Top 10 most affordable universities for estate planning attorneys

The most affordable schools for estate planning attorneys are Florida International University, brigham young university, and university of florida.

If the best universities for estate planning attorneys 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 estate planning attorneys.

1. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

2. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Cost of attendance

25,275

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

8. University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus

San Juan, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

11,299

9. University of Missouri - Kansas City

Kansas City, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$8,178

Cost of attendance

20,934

10. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Cost of attendance

25,228

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for estate planning attorneys

The hardest universities for estate planning attorneys to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for estate planning attorneys 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 estate planning attorneys 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

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

6. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

7. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

10. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for estate planning attorneys

The easiest schools for estate planning attorneys to get into are University of Baltimore, suffolk university, and widener university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an estate planning attorney 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 estate planning attorneys.

1. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

2. Suffolk University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,131

3. Widener University

Chester, PA • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,115

4. Saint Thomas University

Miami Gardens, FL • Private

Admissions rate

52%

SAT average

1,031

5. Pace University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

76%

SAT average

1,154

6. Nova Southeastern University

Fort Lauderdale, FL • Private

Admissions rate

79%

SAT average

1,196

7. University of Southern Maine

Portland, ME • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,050

8. Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,111

9. Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis

Indianapolis, IN • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,111

10. Western New England University

Springfield, MA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,160

Average estate planning attorney salary by education level

Estate planning attorney education levelEstate planning attorney salary
Doctorate Degree$84,110

Estate planning attorney 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.