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Estate planning counselor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an estate planning counselor. Estate planning counselors usually study business, law, or psychology. 41% of estate planning counselors hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 505 real estate planning counselor resumes to see exactly what estate planning counselor education sections show.

The most common colleges for estate planning counselors are the Valencia College and the Valencia College.

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

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

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

The most common degree for estate planning counselors is bachelor's degree, with 41% of estate planning counselors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 20% and high school diploma degree at 19%.
  • Bachelor's, 41%
  • High School Diploma, 20%
  • Associate, 19%
  • Master's, 7%
  • Other Degrees, 13%

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

You should major in business to become an estate planning counselor. 34% of estate planning counselors major in business. Other common majors for an estate planning counselor include law and psychology.

Most common colleges for estate planning counselors

Estate planning counselors often get their degrees at Valencia College, University of Central Florida, and University of Phoenix. Here are the most common colleges for estate planning counselors in the US based on their resumes.
Estate planning counselor common collegePercentages
Valencia College21.79%
University of Central Florida10.26%
University of Phoenix8.97%
University of Utah6.41%
Missouri State University5.13%

Best majors for estate planning counselors

RankMajorPercentages
1Business34.4%
2Law9.7%
3Psychology6.7%
4General Studies6.2%
5Marketing4.1%

Best colleges for estate planning counselors

The best colleges for estate planning counselors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University.

An estate planning counselor 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 counselors. 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 counselors.

1. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

2. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

5. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

6. University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Lincoln, NE • Private

In-state tuition

$9,242

Enrollment

20,592

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

9. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

10. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

20 best online courses for estate planning counselors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for estate planning counselors

The most affordable schools for estate planning counselors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and usf sarasota-manatee.

If the best universities for estate planning counselors 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 counselors.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

8. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for estate planning counselors

The hardest universities for estate planning counselors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University.

Some great schools for estate planning counselors 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 counselors 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

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. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

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

The easiest schools for estate planning counselors to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, holy names university, and barry university.

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

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

6. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

7. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

8. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

9. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

10. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

Average estate planning counselor salary by education level

According to our data, estate planning counselors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $99,924 annually. Estate planning counselors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $89,946.
Estate planning counselor education levelEstate planning counselor salary
Master's Degree$89,946
Bachelor's Degree$80,270
Doctorate Degree$99,924

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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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