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General merchandise sales representative education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a general merchandise sales representative. General merchandise sales representatives usually study business, criminal justice, or music. 32% of general merchandise sales representatives hold a bachelor's degree, and 27% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 41 real general merchandise sales representative resumes to see exactly what general merchandise sales representative education sections show.
The most common colleges for general merchandise sales representatives are the DeVry University and the DeVry University.
There are also many online general merchandise sales representative courses to help get the education required to be a general merchandise sales representative.
What education do you need to become a general merchandise sales representative?
What degree do you need to be a general merchandise sales representative?
- Bachelor's, 32%
- High School Diploma, 27%
- Associate, 23%
- Master's, 5%
- Other Degrees, 13%
What should I major in to become a general merchandise sales representative?
- Business, 17%
- Criminal Justice, 9%
- Music, 9%
- Other Majors, 61%
Most common colleges for general merchandise sales representatives
| General merchandise sales representative common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| DeVry University | 7.69% |
| Community College of Denver | 7.69% |
| The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler | 7.69% |
| Missouri Southern State University | 7.69% |
| Illinois State University | 7.69% |
Best majors for general merchandise sales representatives
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 17.4% |
| 2 | Criminal Justice | 8.7% |
| 3 | Music | 8.7% |
| 4 | Medical Clinical Sciences | 4.3% |
| 5 | Biology | 4.3% |
Best colleges for general merchandise sales representatives
The best colleges for general merchandise sales representatives are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Washington University in St Louis.
A general merchandise sales representative with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for general merchandise sales representatives. 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 general merchandise sales representatives.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
3. Baylor University
Waco, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$45,542
Enrollment
14,159
4. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
Alfred, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,570
Enrollment
3,721
5. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,896
Enrollment
15,529
6. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
7. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
8. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
9. Clemson University
Clemson, SC • Private
In-state tuition
$15,374
Enrollment
19,564
10. Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$11,105
Enrollment
13,729
20 best online courses for general merchandise sales representatives
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Top 10 most affordable universities for general merchandise sales representatives
The most affordable schools for general merchandise sales representatives are SUNY Farmingdale, baruch college of the city university of new york, and university of florida.
If the best universities for general merchandise sales representatives 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 general merchandise sales representatives.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
3. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
4. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
6. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
7. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
8. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
9. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
10. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for general merchandise sales representatives
The hardest universities for general merchandise sales representatives to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Washington University in St Louis.
Some great schools for general merchandise sales representatives 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 general merchandise sales representatives 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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
4. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. Fordham University
Bronx, NY • Private
Admissions rate
46%
SAT average
1,354
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
10. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
Admissions rate
47%
SAT average
1,390
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for general merchandise sales representatives
The easiest schools for general merchandise sales representatives to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and lim college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a general merchandise sales representative 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 general merchandise sales representatives.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
3. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
4. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
5. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
6. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
7. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
8. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
9. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
10. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
Average general merchandise sales representative salary by education level
| General merchandise sales representative education level | General merchandise sales representative salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $75,802 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $44,923 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $65,381 |
| Doctorate Degree | $71,746 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $47,288 |
General merchandise sales representative education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025