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Finance writer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a finance writer. Finance writers usually study journalism, english, or finance. 76% of finance writers hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 233 real finance writer resumes to see exactly what finance writer education sections show.

The most common colleges for finance writers are the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pennsylvania.

There are also many online finance writer courses to help get the education required to be a finance writer.

What education do you need to become a finance writer?

What degree do you need to be a finance writer?

The most common degree for finance writers is bachelor's degree, with 76% of finance writers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 15% and master's degree degree at 5%.
  • Bachelor's, 76%
  • Master's, 15%
  • Associate, 5%
  • Doctorate, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a finance writer?

You should major in journalism to become a finance writer. 16% of finance writers major in journalism. Other common majors for a finance writer include english and finance.

Most common colleges for finance writers

Finance writers often get their degrees at University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and New York University. Here are the most common colleges for finance writers in the US based on their resumes.
Finance writer common collegePercentages
University of Pennsylvania10.91%
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey9.09%
New York University9.09%
Temple University5.45%
Boston College5.45%

Best majors for finance writers

RankMajorPercentages
1Journalism16.1%
2English15.5%
3Finance14.2%
4Economics9.7%
5Business8.4%

Best colleges for finance writers

The best colleges for finance writers are Northwestern University, Washington University in St Louis, and University of Southern California.

A finance writer 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 writers. 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 writers.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

4. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

7. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

20 best online courses for finance writers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for finance writers

The most affordable schools for finance writers 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 writers 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 writers.

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. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

10. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for finance writers

The hardest universities for finance writers to get into are Northwestern University, Washington University in St Louis, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for finance writers 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 writers 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. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

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. 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. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

10. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for finance writers

The easiest schools for finance writers to get into are Holy Names University, mount saint mary's university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a finance writer 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 writers.

1. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

5. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

6. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

7. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

8. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

9. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

10. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

Average finance writer salary by education level

According to our data, finance writers with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $76,228 annually. Finance writers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $75,573.
Finance writer education levelFinance writer salary
Master's Degree$75,573
Bachelor's Degree$76,228

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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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