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Home inspector education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a home inspector. Home inspectors usually study business, property management, or criminal justice. 45% of home inspectors hold a bachelor's degree, and 27% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 2,675 real home inspector resumes to see exactly what home inspector education sections show.
The most common colleges for home inspectors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online home inspector courses to help get the education required to be a home inspector.
There are certain home inspector certifications that you should consider. These home inspector certifications include Certified National Home Inspector (NHI) and Certified Real Estate Inspector (CRI).
What education do you need to become a home inspector?
What degree do you need to be a home inspector?
- Bachelor's, 45%
- Associate, 27%
- High School Diploma, 13%
- Master's, 5%
- Other Degrees, 10%
What should I major in to become a home inspector?
- Business, 29%
- Property Management, 10%
- Criminal Justice, 6%
- General Studies, 5%
- Other Majors, 50%
Most common colleges for home inspectors
| Home inspector common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 16.39% |
| Arizona State University | 6.56% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 6.56% |
| Miami Dade College | 6.56% |
| Texas A&M University | 5.74% |
Best majors for home inspectors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 28.9% |
| 2 | Property Management | 9.9% |
| 3 | Criminal Justice | 5.8% |
| 4 | General Studies | 5.0% |
| 5 | Accounting | 4.6% |
Best colleges for home inspectors
The best colleges for home inspectors are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A home inspector with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for home inspectors. 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 home inspectors.
1. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
2. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
4. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
Alfred, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,570
Enrollment
3,721
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
6. University of Alaska Southeast
Juneau, AK • Private
In-state tuition
$7,092
Enrollment
1,216
7. Wentworth Institute of Technology
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$33,950
Enrollment
4,254
8. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
9. The University of Texas at San Antonio
San Antonio, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$8,049
Enrollment
27,380
10. SUNY College of Technology at Canton
Canton, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,389
Enrollment
3,127
20 best online courses for home inspectors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for home inspectors
The most affordable schools for home inspectors are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for home inspectors 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 home inspectors.
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. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
6. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
7. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Cost of attendance
22,990
8. SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Utica, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,238
Cost of attendance
21,567
9. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
10. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for home inspectors
The hardest universities for home inspectors to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for home inspectors 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 home inspectors 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
8. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
9. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
10. Brandeis University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
31%
SAT average
1,398
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for home inspectors
The easiest schools for home inspectors to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a home inspector 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 home inspectors.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
6. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
7. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
8. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
9. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
10. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
Average home inspector salary by education level
| Home inspector education level | Home inspector salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $50,863 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $54,113 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $52,126 |
Home inspector education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common construction and extraction questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025