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Life skills trainer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a life skills trainer. Life skills trainers usually study psychology, business, or social work. 53% of life skills trainers hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 4,589 real life skills trainer resumes to see exactly what life skills trainer education sections show.

The most common colleges for life skills trainers are the Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

There are also many online life skills trainer courses to help get the education required to be a life skills trainer.

There are certain life skills trainer certifications that you should consider. These life skills trainer certifications include Medical Assistant and First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor.

What education do you need to become a life skills trainer?

What degree do you need to be a life skills trainer?

The most common degree for life skills trainers is bachelor's degree, with 53% of life skills trainers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 16% and associate degree degree at 13%.
  • Bachelor's, 53%
  • Associate, 16%
  • High School Diploma, 13%
  • Master's, 9%
  • Other Degrees, 9%

What should I major in to become a life skills trainer?

You should major in psychology to become a life skills trainer. 23% of life skills trainers major in psychology. Other common majors for a life skills trainer include business and social work.

Most common colleges for life skills trainers

Life skills trainers often get their degrees at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, University of Phoenix, and SUNY Buffalo State. Here are the most common colleges for life skills trainers in the US based on their resumes.
Life skills trainer common collegePercentages
Southern Illinois University Carbondale24.32%
University of Phoenix11.20%
SUNY Buffalo State6.83%
Radford University4.92%
University of South Florida4.37%

Best majors for life skills trainers

RankMajorPercentages
1Psychology23.1%
2Business10.5%
3Social Work8.7%
4Criminal Justice7.1%
5Human Services5.5%

Best colleges for life skills trainers

The best colleges for life skills trainers are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and University of Southern California.

A life skills trainer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for life skills trainers. 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 life skills trainers.

1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

5. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

8. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

9. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

10. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

20 best online courses for life skills trainers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for life skills trainers

The most affordable schools for life skills trainers are California State University - Bakersfield, california state university - long beach, and university of florida.

If the best universities for life skills trainers 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 life skills trainers.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

8. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

9. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for life skills trainers

The hardest universities for life skills trainers to get into are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for life skills trainers 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 life skills trainers 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,434

7. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for life skills trainers

The easiest schools for life skills trainers to get into are Bluefield College, wayland baptist university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a life skills trainer 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 life skills trainers.

1. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

2. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

5. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

6. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

7. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

8. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

9. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

10. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

Average life skills trainer salary by education level

According to our data, life skills trainers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $32,258 annually. Life skills trainers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $31,694.
Life skills trainer education levelLife skills trainer salary
Master's Degree$32,258
High School Diploma or Less$29,688
Bachelor's Degree$31,694
Some College/ Associate Degree$30,263

Life skills trainer education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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