Modeling agent education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a modeling agent. Modeling agents usually study communication, business, or marketing. 57% of modeling agents hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 89 real modeling agent resumes to see exactly what modeling agent education sections show.

The most common colleges for modeling agents are the College of Southern Nevada and the College of Southern Nevada.

There are also many online modeling agent courses to help get the education required to be a modeling agent.

What education do you need to become a modeling agent?

What degree do you need to be a modeling agent?

The most common degree for modeling agents is bachelor's degree, with 57% of modeling agents earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 13% and associate degree degree at 11%.

Bachelor's, 57%

Associate, 13%

High School Diploma, 11%

Master's, 9%

Other Degrees, 10%

What should I major in to become a modeling agent?

You should major in communication to become a modeling agent. 14% of modeling agents major in communication. Other common majors for a modeling agent include business and marketing.

Communication, 14%

Business, 12%

Marketing, 9%

Graphic Design, 9%

Other Majors, 56%

Most common colleges for modeling agents

Modeling agents often get their degrees at College of Southern Nevada, Ohio State University, and New York University. Here are the most common colleges for modeling agents in the US based on their resumes.

Modeling agent common college	Percentages
College of Southern Nevada	9.52%
Ohio State University	4.76%
New York University	4.76%
Kansas State University	4.76%
Daytona State College	4.76%

Show more common modeling agent colleges

Best majors for modeling agents

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Communication	14.0%
2	Business	11.6%
3	Marketing	9.3%
4	Graphic Design	9.3%
5	Management	7.0%

Show more common modeling agent majors

Best colleges for modeling agents

The best colleges for modeling agents are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and University of Southern California.

A modeling agent with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for modeling agents. 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 modeling agents.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

6. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

7. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

9. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

10. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

20 best online courses for modeling agents

Advertising disclosure

1. Financial Modeling & Fundamental Analysis

4.3

(1,498)

Complete A-Z of Financial Modelling (India Focused)...

2. Company Valuation & Financial Modeling

4.6

(3,485)

Learn comprehensive financial modeling, forecasting and business valuation techniques for Finance professionals...

3. Financial Modeling for Corporates

4.7

(260)

Learn Financial Modeling for corporate strategy, banking, FP & A, equity analysis & get a world class financial model...

4. Financial Modeling for Startups

4.5

(287)

Learn how to model a startup business in Excel and draw conclusions about your business...

5. Project Finance Modeling for Renewable Energy

4.7

(427)

Learn Financial Modeling for wind and solar projects...

6. Financial Modeling Bootcamp: Model all 3 Financial Stmts

4.7

(310)

Learn to build and forecast all 3 financial statements from scratch. Become a financial modeling rockstar!...

7. Marketing Analytics: Forecasting Models with Excel

4.6

(1,851)

Master Marketing Analytics Forecasting and Time Series analysis Sales Forecasting Build Forecasting models in Excel...

8. Deployment of Machine Learning Models in Production Python

4.5

(341)

Deploy ML Model with BERT, Distil BERT, Fast Text NLP Models in Production with Flask, u WSGI, and NGINX at AWS EC2...

9. Financial Modelling, Financial Planning and DCF Valuation

4.4

(542)

How to create a startup or existing company financial model from scratch and carry out the DCF Valuation...

10. Build Financial Models & Value Companies The Easy Way

4.2

(499)

I am an award winning finance professor with work experience modeling companies @Goldman Sachs, hedge fund Citadel & VC...

11. Business Model Innovation: Differentiate & Grow Your Company

4.7

(20,504)

Use these simple Innovation Strategies for your Business Model to Accelerate the Growth of your Business...

12. Financial Modeling: Build a Complete DCF Valuation Model

4.6

(5,293)

The Ultimate Guide to Company Valuation For Aspiring Investment Bankers and Corporate Finance Practitioners...

13. Beginner to Pro in Excel: Financial Modeling and Valuation

4.6

(48,818)

Financial Modeling in Excel that would allow you to walk into a job and be a rockstar from day one!...

14. Blender Character Modeling For Beginners HD

4.5

(1,460)

Learn Blender Character Modeling Step-by-Step and Create a High Quality Human Character Model. Go from Noob to Pro...

15. Complete Financial Modeling for Project Finance in Excel

4.6

(589)

Learn Financial Modeling for Project Finance and Infrastructure Valuation ( DCF and IRR )...

16. Build a DCF Valuation Model

4.9

(417)

Learn how to build a Wall Street quality DCF valuation model. Includes a complete DCF model in Excel...

17. BeyondFormulas: Complete MS Excel Techniques & Modeling

4.6

(300)

Learn all crucial Microsoft Excel Techniques & How to apply them to real-world business modeling problems...

18. Business Analysis - Data Modelling

4.5

(472)

How to analyse and model business data requirements...

19. OBIEE 12c Data Modeling Course

4.7

(429)

Data Modeling, RPD, Physical, BMM, and Presentation layer, Logical Dimensions and Hierarchies, Measures, Analysis...

20. Low Cost Business Models

4.2

(410)

How to create a no-frill low-cost business model and kill the competition...

Top 10 most affordable universities for modeling agents

The most affordable schools for modeling agents are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and university of florida.

If the best universities for modeling agents 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 modeling agents.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$5,740

Cost of attendance

17,864

10. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for modeling agents

The hardest universities for modeling agents to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for modeling agents 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 modeling agents 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

7. University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL • Private

Admissions rate

32%

SAT average

1,365

8. Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

51%

SAT average

1,395

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for modeling agents

The easiest schools for modeling agents to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, barry university, and notre dame college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a modeling agent 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 modeling agents.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

4. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

5. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

6. Waynesburg University

Waynesburg, PA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,080

7. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

8. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

9. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

10. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

Average modeling agent salary by education level

According to our data, modeling agents with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $41,903 annually. Modeling agents with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $38,564.

Modeling agent education level	Modeling agent salary
High School Diploma or Less	$31,042
Bachelor's Degree	$41,903
Some College/ Associate Degree	$38,564

Modeling agent education FAQs

What is the best college for Modeling Agents?

Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.

Search for modeling agent jobs

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

Browse business and financial jobs