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Intake specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an intake specialist. Intake specialists usually study business, psychology, or social work. 47% of intake specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 12,339 real intake specialist resumes to see exactly what intake specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for intake specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online intake specialist courses to help get the education required to be an intake specialist.
There are certain intake specialist certifications that you should consider. These intake specialist certifications include Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) and Certified Medical Office Manager (CMOM).
What education do you need to become an intake specialist?
What degree do you need to be an intake specialist?
- Bachelor's, 47%
- Associate, 21%
- High School Diploma, 12%
- Master's, 10%
- Other Degrees, 10%
What should I major in to become an intake specialist?
- Business, 18%
- Psychology, 17%
- Social Work, 9%
- Criminal Justice, 9%
- Other Majors, 47%
Most common colleges for intake specialists
| Intake specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 24.78% |
| University of Central Florida | 8.64% |
| Florida State University | 5.46% |
| Monroe College | 5.08% |
| University of South Florida | 4.96% |
Best majors for intake specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 17.6% |
| 2 | Psychology | 16.5% |
| 3 | Social Work | 9.0% |
| 4 | Criminal Justice | 8.7% |
| 5 | Health Care Administration | 6.0% |
Best colleges for intake specialists
The best colleges for intake specialists are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.
An intake specialist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for intake specialists. 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 intake specialists.
1. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
2. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Enrollment
13,871
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
6. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
7. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
8. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
9. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
10. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
20 best online courses for intake specialists
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3. Crisis Intervention Seminar
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4. Speak Medical Spanish to Your Patients and Clients
Spanish essentials for healthcare; program teaches correct pronunciation, pain management and medication, among others...
5. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale
Acute stroke is a time-dependent medical emergency. In acute ischemic stroke, the first objective is to restore brain flow using sistemic thrombolytic treatment and, in patients with large vessel occlusion, by endovascular treatment. In hemorrhagic stroke there are also specific treatments that can improve the clinical outcome. The sooner the initiation of all these therapies the higher the clinical benefit. Thus, the organization of Stroke Code systems coordinated between emergency medical...
6. Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation
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In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: (1) Identify the signs and symptoms associated with a patient in shock, to describe the major categories of shock, to assess a patient with signs of shock and formulate a plan for treatment to stabilize the patient for transport, (2) Identify a patient in cardiac arrest and to describe the components of high performance CPR...
11. Understanding HIPAA for the Medical Office
A healthcare professional's guide to understanding the requirements HIPAA...
12. HIPAA Compliance Complete Course
Protecting Patients and Practices...
13. Patient Safety
Preventable patient harms, including medical errors and healthcare-associated complications, are a global public health threat. Moreover, patients frequently do not receive treatments and interventions known to improve their outcomes. These shortcomings typically result not from individual clinicians’ mistakes, but from systemic problems -- communication breakdowns, poor teamwork, and poorly designed care processes, to name a few.\n\nThe Patient Safety & Quality Leadership Specialization covers...
14. ICD 10 & 11 Medical Coding and Billing
Preparation for Medical Coding Certification Exam...
15. Addiction & Mental Health - Chemically Speaking Two (2hrs)
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Interventions - Understand Drug & Alcohol Addiction & Mental Health. How to help people...
16. Health Data 101
An Introduction to Health Data for data analysts...
17. Data Science for Healthcare Claims Data
Learn and practice how to transform raw healthcare claims data into valuable knowledge and actionable insights!...
18. Medical Terminology
Introduction to the meaning of various roots, terms and combining forms that are components of medical words...
19. Abnormal Behavior & Clinical Psychology (Certificate)
Guiding students into the field of mental health services for either personal and/or professional development...
20. Medical Device Regulation 2017/745 EU regulatory affairs.
Understand regulations for medical devices in simple terms to gain market approval of a medical device in the EU...
Top 10 most affordable universities for intake specialists
The most affordable schools for intake specialists are California State University - Bakersfield, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for intake specialists 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 intake specialists.
1. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
2. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
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. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
10. California State University - San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,922
Cost of attendance
18,522
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for intake specialists
The hardest universities for intake specialists to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for intake specialists 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 intake specialists 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. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,434
9. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
10. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for intake specialists
The easiest schools for intake specialists to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, holy names university, and bluefield college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an intake specialist 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 intake specialists.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
3. Bluefield College
Bluefield, VA • Private
Admissions rate
95%
SAT average
980
4. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
5. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
6. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
7. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
8. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
9. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
10. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
Average intake specialist salary by education level
| Intake specialist education level | Intake specialist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $44,411 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $35,384 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $40,325 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $35,637 |
Intake specialist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025