Lead residential counselor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a lead residential counselor. Lead residential counselors usually study psychology, criminal justice, or business. 67% of lead residential counselors hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,197 real lead residential counselor resumes to see exactly what lead residential counselor education sections show.

The most common colleges for lead residential counselors are the Tarleton State University and the Tarleton State University.

There are also many online lead residential counselor courses to help get the education required to be a lead residential counselor.

There are certain lead residential counselor certifications that you should consider. These lead residential counselor certifications include First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor and OSHA Safety Certificate .

What education do you need to become a lead residential counselor?

What degree do you need to be a lead residential counselor?

The most common degree for lead residential counselors is bachelor's degree, with 67% of lead residential counselors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 12% and associate degree degree at 8%.

Bachelor's, 67%

Associate, 12%

High School Diploma, 8%

Master's, 8%

Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a lead residential counselor?

You should major in psychology to become a lead residential counselor. 32% of lead residential counselors major in psychology. Other common majors for a lead residential counselor include criminal justice and business.

Psychology, 32%

Criminal Justice, 10%

Business, 10%

Social Work, 8%

Other Majors, 40%

Most common colleges for lead residential counselors

Lead residential counselors often get their degrees at Tarleton State University, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and University of Phoenix. Here are the most common colleges for lead residential counselors in the US based on their resumes.

Lead residential counselor common college	Percentages
Tarleton State University	22.52%
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey	7.28%
University of Phoenix	7.28%
University of South Carolina - Columbia	6.62%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro	6.62%

Show more common lead residential counselor colleges

Best majors for lead residential counselors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Psychology	32.4%
2	Criminal Justice	10.4%
3	Business	9.6%
4	Social Work	8.1%
5	Sociology	8.0%

Show more common lead residential counselor majors

Best colleges for lead residential counselors

The best colleges for lead residential counselors are Northwestern University, Boston University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A lead residential 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 lead residential 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 lead residential counselors.

1. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

2. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

8. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

9. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

10. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Enrollment

13,871

20 best online courses for lead residential counselors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for lead residential counselors

The most affordable schools for lead residential counselors are California State University - Long Beach, california state university - bakersfield, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for lead residential 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 lead residential counselors.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for lead residential counselors

The hardest universities for lead residential counselors to get into are Northwestern University, Boston University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for lead residential 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 lead residential 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

2. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

Admissions rate

46%

SAT average

1,354

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for lead residential counselors

The easiest schools for lead residential counselors to get into are Nyack College, kean university, and fresno pacific university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a lead residential 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 lead residential counselors.

1. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

2. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

3. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

4. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

5. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

6. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

7. Iona College

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,089

8. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

9. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

10. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

Average lead residential counselor salary by education level

According to our data, lead residential counselors with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $39,576 annually. Lead residential counselors with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $35,108.

Lead residential counselor education level	Lead residential counselor salary
Master's Degree	$39,576
Bachelor's Degree	$35,108

Lead residential counselor education FAQs

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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

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