Fraud analyst education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a fraud analyst. Fraud analysts usually study business, criminal justice, or accounting. 52% of fraud analysts hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 8,106 real fraud analyst resumes to see exactly what fraud analyst education sections show.

The most common colleges for fraud analysts are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online fraud analyst courses to help get the education required to be a fraud analyst.

There are certain fraud analyst certifications that you should consider. These fraud analyst certifications include Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and International Accredited Business Accountant (IABA).

What education do you need to become a fraud analyst?

What degree do you need to be a fraud analyst?

The most common degree for fraud analysts is bachelor's degree, with 52% of fraud analysts earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 19% and associate degree degree at 16%.

Bachelor's, 52%

Associate, 19%

High School Diploma, 16%

Master's, 5%

Other Degrees, 8%

What should I major in to become a fraud analyst?

You should major in business to become a fraud analyst. 29% of fraud analysts major in business. Other common majors for a fraud analyst include criminal justice and accounting.

Business, 29%

Criminal Justice, 15%

Accounting, 7%

Psychology, 5%

Other Majors, 44%

Most common colleges for fraud analysts

Fraud analysts often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, University of Delaware, and Wilmington University. Here are the most common colleges for fraud analysts in the US based on their resumes.

Fraud analyst common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	22.83%
University of Delaware	9.10%
Wilmington University	7.47%
Arizona State University	7.47%
Delaware Technical Community College	5.03%

Show more common fraud analyst colleges

Best majors for fraud analysts

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	29.4%
2	Criminal Justice	15.0%
3	Accounting	6.8%
4	Psychology	5.2%
5	Finance	5.0%

Show more common fraud analyst majors

Best colleges for fraud analysts

The best colleges for fraud analysts are Boston University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

A fraud analyst with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for fraud analysts. 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 fraud analysts.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

2. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

3. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

4. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

6. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

7. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

8. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

9. SUNY College at Plattsburgh

Plattsburgh, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,369

Enrollment

5,229

10. SUNY College at Oswego

Oswego, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,440

Enrollment

7,039

20 best online courses for fraud analysts

Advertising disclosure

1. Fraud Detection on Financial Transactions with Machine Learning on Google Cloud

This is a self-paced lab that takes place in the Google Cloud console. Explore financial transactions data for fraud analysis, apply feature engineering and machine learning techniques to detect fraudulent activities using BigQuery ML...

2. Financial Accounting-Debits & Credits-Accounting Transaction

4.5

(781)

Masterclass: Learn Accounting Principles, Financial Statements, Transactions & More in this Comprehensive Course...

3. Forensic accounting, fraud investigation and fraud analytics

4.3

(657)

The 14 hour course(50casestudies) helps to understand fraud examination, forensic audit,financial crime, data analytics...

4. Financial Accounting: The Complete Introductory Crash Course

4.5

(1,604)

Learn the Basics of Financial Accounting: Financial Statements, Debits and Credits, The Accounting Cycle and More!...

5. Principles of Financial Accounting

4.5

(875)

Learn the complete accounting cycle -recording business transactions to presenting the Balance Sheet & Income Statement...

6. Financial Accounting-Adjusting Entries & Financial Statement

4.6

(930)

Master Adjusting Entries & Financial Statements: A Comprehensive Guide for Accurate Accounting and Reporting...

7. Financial Accounting-Inventory & Merchandising Transactions

4.8

(267)

Mastering Inventory Accounting: From Merchandising Transactions to Cost Flow Assumptions...

8. Financial Accounting & Excel-Comprehensive Accounting Course

4.3

(736)

Comprehensive accounting course to learn the accounting cycle in a practical way and pick up critical Excel fundamentals...

9. Accounting Made Easy: A Quick Guide to Financial Accounting

4.5

(2,757)

Accounting is not about Math, it is about concepts. And no one said it has to be hard. Learn the basics in just 2 hours!...

10. Accounting for Corporations - Financial Accounting

4.8

(281)

Demystifying Corporate Accounting: An In-depth Exploration of Financial Transactions in Corporations...

11. Financial Accounting: A Comprehensive Guide with E-book

4.5

(3,466)

Unlock Financial Accounting Mastery: Comprehensive Course for Students, Professionals, and Business Owners...

12. Introductory Financial Accounting

4.7

(666)

Learn the basics of Accounting including: the accounting cycle, inventory, depreciation, receivables, and more!...

13. Advanced Financial Accounting: Acquisitions & Consolidations

4.1

(703)

Acquisitions, Consolidations, and Reporting. Master complex concepts and applications...

14. Forensic Accounting: Fraud Investigation! (Course 1 of 4)

4.5

(2,334)

Fraud Examination, Fraud Prevention, Fraud Detection, and Fraud Correction...

15. Governmental Accounting 100

4.6

(355)

Fund accounting-governmental accounting-General Fund & government-wide activity transactions-modified accrual method...

16. Accounting & Financial Statement Analysis: Complete Training

4.6

(16,804)

Accounting & Financial Ratio Analysis made easy. Learn important accounting skills that will get your foot in the door!...

17. Fraud Prevention, Dispute Resolution and PCI-DSS Masterclass

4.4

(827)

The fundamentals of fraud prevention and monitoring + dispute resolution + PCI-DSS requirements - now in one course...

18. Financial Accounting-Depreciation Calculation & Fixed Assets

4.5

(341)

Optimizing Asset Management: Comprehensive Guide to Property, Plant, and Equipment Accounting...

19. Payroll Accounting: Laws, Calculations, and Journal Entries

4.4

(1,649)

Master the complex world of payroll with practical examples, legislation insights, and comprehensive problems...

20. Financial Bookkeeping and Accountancy: Complete Accounting

4.3

(501)

A Complete Course on Book-keeping & Accounting Course For Level 1 & 2 aspirants...

Top 10 most affordable universities for fraud analysts

The most affordable schools for fraud analysts are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and usf sarasota-manatee.

If the best universities for fraud analysts 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 fraud analysts.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for fraud analysts

The hardest universities for fraud analysts to get into are Boston University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for fraud analysts 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 fraud analysts 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. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

4. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

5. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

6. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

7. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

Admissions rate

50%

SAT average

1,284

8. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

9. University of Denver

Denver, CO • Private

Admissions rate

56%

SAT average

1,300

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for fraud analysts

The easiest schools for fraud analysts to get into are Nyack College, notre dame college, and gwynedd mercy university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a fraud analyst 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 fraud analysts.

1. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

2. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

5. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

6. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

7. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

8. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

9. Manor College

Jenkintown, PA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

898

10. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

Average fraud analyst salary by education level

According to our data, fraud analysts with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $71,183 annually. Fraud analysts with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $54,331.

Fraud analyst education level	Fraud analyst salary
Master's Degree	$71,183
Bachelor's Degree	$54,331
Some College/ Associate Degree	$42,697

Fraud analyst education FAQs

What is the best college for Fraud Analysts?

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Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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