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Instructional assistant education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an instructional assistant. Instructional assistants usually study psychology, business, or elementary education. 58% of instructional assistants hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 25,207 real instructional assistant resumes to see exactly what instructional assistant education sections show.
The most common colleges for instructional assistants are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online instructional assistant courses to help get the education required to be an instructional assistant.
There are certain instructional assistant certifications that you should consider. These instructional assistant certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.
What education do you need to become an instructional assistant?
What degree do you need to be an instructional assistant?
- Bachelor's, 58%
- Associate, 19%
- Master's, 10%
- High School Diploma, 8%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become an instructional assistant?
- Psychology, 14%
- Business, 12%
- Liberal Arts, 7%
- Other Majors, 58%
Most common colleges for instructional assistants
| Instructional assistant common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 13.13% |
| California State University - San Bernardino | 7.45% |
| Arizona State University | 6.62% |
| Texas State University | 6.46% |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 5.58% |
Best majors for instructional assistants
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 13.6% |
| 2 | Business | 12.3% |
| 3 | Elementary Education | 8.9% |
| 4 | Liberal Arts | 7.2% |
| 5 | Education | 6.6% |
Best colleges for instructional assistants
The best colleges for instructional assistants are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.
An instructional assistant with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for instructional assistants. 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 instructional assistants.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
4. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
6. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
7. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
8. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
9. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
20 best online courses for instructional assistants
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1. Advanced Instructional Strategies in the Virtual Classroom
Welcome to Advanced Instructional Strategies in the Virtual Classroom! This course will help you apply strategies to the critical areas of K-12 virtual instruction to significantly impact virtual education. We will examine the pitfalls beginning teachers run into and learn how to overcome them by focusing on the fundamentals that have the greatest impact on student learning in a blended or online environment. By the end of the course, you will be able to empower your students to be voracious...
2. Instructional Methods in Health Professions Education
This course provides those involved in educating members of the health professions an asynchronous, interdisciplinary, and interactive way to obtain, expand, and improve their teaching skills. These skills can then be applied within their own professional context, with a variety of learners, extending across many stages. After completing this course, learners will: 1. Understand educational theory as it relates to health professions education 2. Match instructional methods with desired...
3. Instructional Design for ELearning
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4. Instructional Design for Classroom Training
Design effective and engaging in-person classroom training sessions and learning experiences from scratch...
5. Instructional Planning with Genially
Genially is “the tool that brings content to life.” Genially allows you to map out a learning journey for your students using high interest images and interactive tools. But did you know that Genially is also a wonderful tool for organizing your lessons and units. With Genially, you can plan and organize your units in one central place, simplifying your planning process with templates created with teachers in mind! Throughout this project, we will work together to build your confidence using...
6. Foundations of Virtual Instruction
Welcome to Foundations of Virtual Instruction! This course will help you 'up' your game and develop the advanced skills and techniques that elude even some of the most experienced virtual teachers in the K-12 space. Examine pitfalls and learn how to overcome them by focusing on the fundamentals that have the most significant impact on student learning in a blended or online environment. When you complete this course, you will be able to: • Craft virtual learning experiences that align with your...
7. The complete Instructional Designer course
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8. Instructional Design Pro (Part 1): No Beginners Allowed!
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This course is designed to help participants examine the implications of constructivism for learning and teaching in science, mathematics, and technology focused areas. Course readings, discussions, and assignments will examine constructivist views of learning, research on students' ideas and idea-based interactions, research on instructional approaches taking student ideas into account, and challenges in implementing constructivist perspectives in instruction...
10. Customer Service Fundamentals
There are a growing number of exciting, well-paying jobs in today’s tech industry that do not require a traditional college degree, an one of the hottest areas with high demand is in IT customer service and support. Customer Service is a perfect entry point to start your career in IT, with a multitude of job openings ranging from onsite or remote help desk work to customer care or client support. We can help you get there with the Customer Service Fundamentals course. We will help you to build...
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13. Instructional Design for Corporate Learning and Development
Giving you the tools to design and deliver on-point, effective corporate training programs...
14. Easy Instructional Harmonium for Yoga, Kirtans, Meditations
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15. The Perfect Golf Swing - Timeless Golf Instruction
Absolutely the best golf videos ever made, period. 99% of golf instruction is utter nonsense...
16. Data Entry Course for Beginners
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17. Becoming an Executive Personal Assistant
Learn how to be an effective personal assistant, and find out how to develop the skills for the role...
18. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service
Used by Chase®, Intel®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...
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20. Learn to Build AI assistant like JARVIS using Python
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Top 10 most affordable universities for instructional assistants
The most affordable schools for instructional assistants are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for instructional assistants 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 instructional assistants.
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. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
7. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
8. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
9. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
10. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for instructional assistants
The hardest universities for instructional assistants to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for instructional assistants 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 instructional assistants 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
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
5. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
6. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for instructional assistants
The easiest schools for instructional assistants to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, bluefield college, and oklahoma wesleyan university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an instructional assistant 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 instructional assistants.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Bluefield College
Bluefield, VA • Private
Admissions rate
95%
SAT average
980
3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
4. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
5. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
6. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
7. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
8. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
9. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
10. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
Average instructional assistant salary by education level
| Instructional assistant education level | Instructional assistant salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $38,448 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $34,046 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $35,453 |
| Doctorate Degree | $39,305 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $34,481 |
Instructional assistant education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025