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Finance aid director education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a finance aid director. Finance aid directors usually study business, accounting, or psychology. 63% of finance aid directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,759 real finance aid director resumes to see exactly what finance aid director education sections show.
The most common colleges for finance aid directors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online finance aid director courses to help get the education required to be a finance aid director.
There are certain finance aid director certifications that you should consider. These finance aid director certifications include Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP).
What education do you need to become a finance aid director?
What degree do you need to be a finance aid director?
- Bachelor's, 63%
- Master's, 16%
- Associate, 15%
- Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a finance aid director?
- Business, 42%
- Accounting, 13%
- Psychology, 5%
- Finance, 4%
- Other Majors, 36%
Most common colleges for finance aid directors
| Finance aid director common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 24.52% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 5.81% |
| DeVry University | 5.16% |
| American InterContinental University | 5.16% |
| Western Washington University | 5.16% |
Best majors for finance aid directors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 41.7% |
| 2 | Accounting | 13.0% |
| 3 | Psychology | 5.3% |
| 4 | Finance | 4.4% |
| 5 | Political Science | 3.6% |
Best colleges for finance aid directors
The best colleges for finance aid directors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.
A finance aid director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for finance aid directors. 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 finance aid directors.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
10. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
20 best online courses for finance aid directors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for finance aid directors
The most affordable schools for finance aid directors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for finance aid directors 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 finance aid directors.
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. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
5. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
6. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
9. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
10. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for finance aid directors
The hardest universities for finance aid directors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.
Some great schools for finance aid directors 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 finance aid directors 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. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
5. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
8. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
9. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
10. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for finance aid directors
The easiest schools for finance aid directors to get into are D'Youville College, gwynedd mercy university, and mount saint mary's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a finance aid director 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 finance aid directors.
1. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
2. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
3. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
4. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
5. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
6. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
7. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
8. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
9. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
10. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
Average finance aid director salary by education level
| Finance aid director education level | Finance aid director salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $69,253 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $57,544 |
| Doctorate Degree | $78,920 |
Finance aid director education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025