Grant manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a grant manager. Grant managers usually study business, accounting, or psychology. 67% of grant managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,285 real grant manager resumes to see exactly what grant manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for grant managers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online grant manager courses to help get the education required to be a grant manager.

There are certain grant manager certifications that you should consider. These grant manager certifications include Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

What education do you need to become a grant manager?

What degree do you need to be a grant manager?

The most common degree for grant managers is bachelor's degree, with 67% of grant managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 23% and master's degree degree at 6%.

Bachelor's, 67%

Master's, 23%

Associate, 6%

Doctorate, 2%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a grant manager?

You should major in business to become a grant manager. 25% of grant managers major in business. Other common majors for a grant manager include accounting and psychology.

Business, 25%

Accounting, 10%

Psychology, 8%

English, 8%

Other Majors, 49%

Most common colleges for grant managers

Grant managers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, New York University, and University of Maryland - College Park. Here are the most common colleges for grant managers in the US based on their resumes.

Grant manager common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	9.69%
New York University	6.98%
University of Maryland - College Park	6.98%
University of Washington	6.59%
Strayer University	5.43%

Show more common grant manager colleges

Best majors for grant managers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	25.2%
2	Accounting	10.4%
3	Psychology	8.3%
4	English	7.5%
5	Political Science	7.1%

Show more common grant manager majors

Best colleges for grant managers

The best colleges for grant managers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and New York University.

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

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. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Enrollment

13,871

5. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

7. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

9. University of North Texas

Denton, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,852

Enrollment

31,375

10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

20 best online courses for grant managers

Advertising disclosure

1. Project Management Master Class: Government Projects

4.4

(350)

Learn How To Win Big By Always Successfully Completing Government Projects Using Ninja Project Management Techniques...

2. Easy, Effective Google Grant Ads for Non-Profits

4.5

(419)

Google Grant Adwords for Non Profits: Set Up High Performing Google Ads, Keep Your Grant & Manage Ads in 2 Hours a Month...

3. Agile Crash Course: Agile Project Management; Agile Delivery

4.5

(82,218)

Agile Project Management Basics (Scrum) & Agile Project Management Essentials (Scrum). Plus Agile Certification (Scrum)...

4. Grant Writing: Keys to a Successful Proposal

4.4

(1,604)

Build your resume or freelance, learn grant writing skills and discover creative ways to fund your project or program...

5. Project Management - Complete Guide For A+ Project Managers

4.6

(494)

Complete guide to project management - stakeholders, planning, cost, quality, risks, feasibility, methods & resourcing...

6. Program Management Fundamentals: The Essentials

4.4

(370)

In this course you will learn the essentials of program management. Become your bosses boss start this course today...

7. Project Management Professional Certification Program (PMP)

4.2

(2,380)

Your Guide to the Gold Standard of Project Management Certifications (PMI-PMP) (PMBOK7 updated) (40 PDUs minimum)...

8. Project Management: Becoming a Successful Project manager

4.4

(250)

Project Management...

9. Apply finance concepts for smart project management

4.2

(338)

Learn to read financial statements and make meaningful interpretations for business decisions in the age of big data...

10. Project Management: Simple Software Project Management

4.4

(1,144)

Project Management for NEW Project Managers - knowledge, tools, techniques, skills, checklists, guidelines, pitfalls...

11. Program Management Course - Program Manager Essentials

4.4

(1,222)

In this Program Management course you will learn the essentials and more to become an effective Program Manager...

12. Beginning Project Management: Project Management Level One

4.6

(28,219)

Project Management: Growing a Successful Career as a Project Manager...

13. Mastering Agile Scrum Project Management

4.5

(5,170)

Review and master agile development & scrum methodologies for your career...

14. Master Course in Project Management 2.0

4.2

(490)

Project Management, PMP, Agile project management, Project manager, Prince2, Scrum, Project Planning, Project risk cost...

15. Program Management Interview Course

4.5

(899)

Learn how to interview for program manager roles at tech companies...

16. Atlassian Confluence for Project Managers

4.4

(2,186)

Learn Confluence Project Management and how to manage projects and programs BETTER with Atlassian Confluence...

17. Practical Project Management for Management Consultants

4.5

(809)

How to manage successfully a consulting project - a practical guide for Project Managers...

18. The Project Management Course: Beginner to PROject Manager

4.6

(44,976)

The Complete Course For Becoming A Successful Project Manager...

19. Project Management Course: Master Project Scope Management

4.3

(457)

Practical guide to scope development and management - Project Management Certification (PMP, CAPM) Training [Earn 11PDU]...

20. Project Management Essentials

4.5

(15,814)

A crash course in the essentials of project management for new project managers...

Top 10 most affordable universities for grant managers

The most affordable schools for grant managers are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - fullerton.

If the best universities for grant managers 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 grant managers.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

10. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for grant managers

The hardest universities for grant managers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and New York University.

Some great schools for grant managers 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 grant managers 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

8. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for grant managers

The easiest schools for grant managers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, notre dame de namur university, and university of north texas at dallas.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a grant manager 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 grant managers.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

4. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

7. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

8. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

10. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

Average grant manager salary by education level

Grant managers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $70,939 annually. With a Master's degree, grant managers earn a median annual income of $67,961 compared to $61,208 for grant managers with an Bachelor's degree.

Grant manager education level	Grant manager salary
Master's Degree	$67,961
Bachelor's Degree	$61,208
Doctorate Degree	$70,939

Grant manager education FAQs

What is the best college for Grant Managers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.

Search for grant manager jobs

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

Browse executive management jobs