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Merchandising assistant education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a merchandising assistant. Merchandising assistants usually study business, specialized sales and merchandising, or marketing. 66% of merchandising assistants hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 7,589 real merchandising assistant resumes to see exactly what merchandising assistant education sections show.
The most common colleges for merchandising assistants are the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Fashion Institute of Technology.
There are also many online merchandising assistant courses to help get the education required to be a merchandising assistant.
There are certain merchandising assistant certifications that you should consider. These merchandising assistant certifications include Medical Assistant and Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA).
What education do you need to become a merchandising assistant?
What degree do you need to be a merchandising assistant?
- Bachelor's, 66%
- Associate, 16%
- High School Diploma, 10%
- Master's, 3%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become a merchandising assistant?
- Business, 23%
- Marketing, 9%
- Graphic Design, 6%
- Other Majors, 44%
Most common colleges for merchandising assistants
| Merchandising assistant common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Fashion Institute of Technology | 22.89% |
| Florida State University | 7.16% |
| LIM College | 6.46% |
| Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising-San Francisco | 5.20% |
| University of Phoenix | 5.20% |
Best majors for merchandising assistants
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 23.0% |
| 2 | Specialized Sales And Merchandising | 18.1% |
| 3 | Marketing | 9.5% |
| 4 | Graphic Design | 6.4% |
| 5 | Communication | 6.3% |
Best colleges for merchandising assistants
The best colleges for merchandising assistants are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Washington University in St Louis.
A merchandising 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 merchandising 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 merchandising assistants.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
3. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Enrollment
33,495
4. Baylor University
Waco, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$45,542
Enrollment
14,159
5. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
6. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
7. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Enrollment
9,394
8. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
9. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,853
Enrollment
14,759
10. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,896
Enrollment
15,529
20 best online courses for merchandising assistants
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Top 10 most affordable universities for merchandising assistants
The most affordable schools for merchandising assistants are SUNY Farmingdale, baruch college of the city university of new york, and university of florida.
If the best universities for merchandising 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 merchandising assistants.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
3. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
4. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
5. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
8. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
9. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
10. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for merchandising assistants
The hardest universities for merchandising assistants to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Washington University in St Louis.
Some great schools for merchandising 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 merchandising 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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
4. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Fordham University
Bronx, NY • Private
Admissions rate
46%
SAT average
1,354
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for merchandising assistants
The easiest schools for merchandising assistants to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and lim college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a merchandising 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 merchandising assistants.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
3. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
4. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
5. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
6. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
7. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
8. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
9. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
10. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
Average merchandising assistant salary by education level
| Merchandising assistant education level | Merchandising assistant salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $41,854 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $34,073 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $38,924 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $34,981 |
Merchandising assistant education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025