Fundraising internship education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a fundraising internship. Fundraising interns usually study political science, business, or communication. 83% of fundraising interns hold a bachelor's degree, and 8% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,393 real fundraising internship resumes to see exactly what fundraising internship education sections show.

The most common colleges for fundraising interns are the George Washington University, The and the George Washington University, The.

There are also many online fundraising internship courses to help get the education required to be a fundraising internship.

What education do you need to become a fundraising internship?

What degree do you need to be a fundraising internship?

The most common degree for fundraising interns is bachelor's degree, with 83% of fundraising interns earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 8% and master's degree degree at 6%.

Bachelor's, 83%

Master's, 8%

Associate, 6%

High School Diploma, 2%

Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a fundraising internship?

You should major in political science to become a fundraising internship. 17% of fundraising interns major in political science. Other common majors for a fundraising internship include business and communication.

Political Science, 17%

Business, 14%

Communication, 11%

Public Relations, 6%

Other Majors, 52%

Most common colleges for fundraising interns

Fundraising interns often get their degrees at George Washington University, The, Boston University, and Florida State University. Here are the most common colleges for fundraising interns in the US based on their resumes.

Fundraising internship common college	Percentages
George Washington University, The	10.90%
Boston University	7.05%
Florida State University	6.41%
George Mason University	6.41%
University of California - Davis	6.41%

Show more common fundraising internship colleges

Best majors for fundraising interns

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Political Science	17.0%
2	Business	14.3%
3	Communication	10.7%
4	Public Relations	6.3%
5	Psychology	5.4%

Show more common fundraising internship majors

Best colleges for fundraising interns

The best colleges for fundraising interns are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and University of Southern California.

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

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

10. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

20 best online courses for fundraising interns

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Top 10 most affordable universities for fundraising interns

The most affordable schools for fundraising interns are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for fundraising interns 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 fundraising interns.

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. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

7. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

8. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

9. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for fundraising interns

The hardest universities for fundraising interns to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for fundraising interns 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 fundraising interns 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

SAT average

1,508

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

7. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

8. Tulane University

New Orleans, LA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,428

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

10. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for fundraising interns

The easiest schools for fundraising interns to get into are Barry University, holy names university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a fundraising internship 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 fundraising interns.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

6. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

7. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

8. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

9. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

10. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

Average fundraising internship salary by education level

According to our data, fundraising interns with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $39,086 annually. Fundraising interns with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $37,975.

Fundraising internship education level	Fundraising internship salary
Master's Degree	$39,086
Bachelor's Degree	$37,975

Fundraising internship education FAQs

What is the best college for Fundraising Interns?

Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.

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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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