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Insurance counselor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an insurance counselor. Insurance counselors usually study business, law, or communication. 55% of insurance counselors hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 729 real insurance counselor resumes to see exactly what insurance counselor education sections show.
The most common colleges for insurance counselors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online insurance counselor courses to help get the education required to be an insurance counselor.
There are certain insurance counselor certifications that you should consider. These insurance counselor certifications include Certified Insurance Counselors (CIC) and Associate in General Insurance (AINS).
What education do you need to become an insurance counselor?
What degree do you need to be an insurance counselor?
- Bachelor's, 55%
- Associate, 15%
- High School Diploma, 9%
- Master's, 8%
- Other Degrees, 13%
What should I major in to become an insurance counselor?
- Business, 25%
- Law, 8%
- Communication, 8%
- Psychology, 5%
- Other Majors, 54%
Most common colleges for insurance counselors
| Insurance counselor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 15.19% |
| Strayer University | 6.33% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 6.33% |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | 5.06% |
| Wilmington University | 5.06% |
Best majors for insurance counselors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 25.1% |
| 2 | Law | 8.4% |
| 3 | Communication | 7.7% |
| 4 | Psychology | 5.5% |
| 5 | Marketing | 5.1% |
Best colleges for insurance counselors
The best colleges for insurance counselors are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
An insurance counselor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for insurance counselors. 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 insurance counselors.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
3. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
4. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
5. SUNY College at Oswego
Oswego, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,440
Enrollment
7,039
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
7. Baylor University
Waco, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$45,542
Enrollment
14,159
8. University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Lafayette, LA • Private
In-state tuition
$9,912
Enrollment
14,245
9. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,896
Enrollment
15,529
10. Butler University
Indianapolis, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$41,120
Enrollment
4,553
20 best online courses for insurance counselors
Advertising disclosure
1. Medical Billing and Coding Fundamentals
Through this Specialization, students learn the essential skills of an Insurance Billing Specialist. Knowledge of human anatomy and medicine is necessary for any healthcare role, so students are also taught this terminology and structure. Additionally, this Specialization includes skills to stand out to employers by teaching professionalism, communication, and soft skills specific to an allied health environment...
2. Health Information Literacy for Data Analytics
This Specialization is intended for data and technology professionals with no previous healthcare experience who are seeking an industry change to work with healthcare data. Through four courses, you will identify the types, sources, and challenges of healthcare data along with methods for selecting and preparing data for analysis. You will examine the range of healthcare data sources and compare terminology, including administrative, clinical, insurance claims, patient-reported and external...
3. Fundamentals of Insurance - 2
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4. Fundamentals of Insurance - 1
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5. Application of AI, InsurTech, and Real Estate Technology
In this course, you’ll learn about the emerging technologies in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning that are utilized in InsurTech and Real Estate Tech. Professor Chris Geczy of the Wharton School has designed this course to help you navigate the complex world of insurance and real estate tech, and understand how FinTech plays a role in the future of the industry. Through study and analysis of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, you’ll learn how InsurTech is redefining the...
6. Excel Skills for Insurance Professionals
From Vlookups to Pivot Tables: Learn the Excel basics anyone working in the insurance industry needs to know!...
7. Value-Based Healthcare: An Introduction (Premium Edition)
Scaling Healthcare ROI – Leveraging Value, Quality, and Cost to Improve Healthcare Delivery and Results...
8. ICD 10 & 11 Medical Coding and Billing
Preparation for Medical Coding Certification Exam...
9. 2017 Great Decisions: Foreign Policy Association
Learn about leading foreign policy challenges confronting U.S. policy makers and the American public...
10. Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist
Health Information Technology HIT...
11. Certified Spiritual Counselor & Psychology EmpathACCREDITED
Use a humanistic, soul care approach using strategy, positive psychology, emotional/impulse responses & natural empathy...
12. Medical coding for U.S. healthcare industry
Jump start your career in the fastest growing career choice in the healthcare industry...
13. Blockchain applications in Food Safety, Healthcare & Pharma
Best course to learn about Blockchain Business Applications in Pharma, Food Safety, Healthcare and Insurance Industries...
14. Professional Certification in Counseling - Fully Accredited
Become Professional Counselor (Counsellor)...
15. Master Public Policy Analysis In Six Easy Steps: The Basics
An Introduction to Policy Analysis Concepts and Practice For The Real World!...
16. Fundamentals of Logistics, Supply Chain & Customer Service
Learn Logistics, Supply Chain and Customer Service. 3 Courses in 1...
17. Fundamentals of Financial Services
Understanding key elements and basic workings of the Financial Services Industry (useful for exams as well)...
18. Health Data 101
An Introduction to Health Data for data analysts...
19. Data Science for Healthcare Claims Data
Learn and practice how to transform raw healthcare claims data into valuable knowledge and actionable insights!...
20. International Logistics & Transportation in Supply Chain.
Logistics Management, Supply Chain Calculation, Documents & Export Import Logistics, Logistics & Supply Chain Management...
Top 10 most affordable universities for insurance counselors
The most affordable schools for insurance counselors are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for insurance counselors 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 insurance counselors.
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. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
7. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
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 insurance counselors
The hardest universities for insurance counselors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for insurance counselors 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 insurance counselors 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
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. Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
51%
SAT average
1,395
9. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
10. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for insurance counselors
The easiest schools for insurance counselors 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 an insurance counselor 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 insurance counselors.
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. University of Houston - Downtown
Houston, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,012
5. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
6. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
7. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
8. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
9. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
10. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
Average insurance counselor salary by education level
| Insurance counselor education level | Insurance counselor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $83,360 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $64,595 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $83,586 |
| Doctorate Degree | $76,758 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $64,307 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025