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Mortgage underwriter education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a mortgage underwriter. Mortgage underwriters usually study business, finance, or accounting. 65% of mortgage underwriters hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 7,479 real mortgage underwriter resumes to see exactly what mortgage underwriter education sections show.
The most common colleges for mortgage underwriters are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online mortgage underwriter courses to help get the education required to be a mortgage underwriter.
There are certain mortgage underwriter certifications that you should consider. These mortgage underwriter certifications include Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Certified Residential Underwriter (CRU).
What education do you need to become a mortgage underwriter?
What degree do you need to be a mortgage underwriter?
- Bachelor's, 65%
- Associate, 17%
- Master's, 7%
- High School Diploma, 7%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a mortgage underwriter?
- Business, 39%
- Finance, 15%
- Accounting, 8%
- Marketing, 4%
- Other Majors, 34%
Most common colleges for mortgage underwriters
| Mortgage underwriter common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 20.82% |
| Arizona State University | 7.20% |
| Florida State College at Jacksonville | 5.66% |
| University of North Texas | 5.40% |
| Ohio State University | 5.14% |
Best majors for mortgage underwriters
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 39.0% |
| 2 | Finance | 14.8% |
| 3 | Accounting | 8.2% |
| 4 | Marketing | 4.0% |
| 5 | Economics | 3.7% |
Best colleges for mortgage underwriters
The best colleges for mortgage underwriters are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.
A mortgage underwriter with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for mortgage underwriters. 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 mortgage underwriters.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
5. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
6. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
7. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
9. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
10. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
20 best online courses for mortgage underwriters
Advertising disclosure
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Learn from the president and CEO of Finibi Mortgage, Joe Correa, how the entire mortgage process works...
6. Mastering the Pre-qualification Process of a Mortgage Loan
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7. Intro to Commercial Credit Analysis, Credit Risk and Lending
Commercial Credit Underwriting Lending & Commercial Credit Financial Analysis Credit Risk Foundations...
8. Loan Processor & MLO Mortgage Math: Problems & Solutions
Mortgage skills training and SAFE Mortgage Loan Originator Licensing Exam math prep with 115 problems & solutions...
9. Financial Statement Analysis - Ratio Analysis
Master the Art of Financial Statement Analysis: Unlocking Insights through Vertical, Horizontal, and Ratio Analysis...
10. Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS): Basic to Advanced
Financial Markets MBS Asset Securitization Mortgage Loans Cash Flows CMOs PAC Bond Tranches...
11. Banking Credit Analysis Process (for Bankers)
Course for Bankers, Consultants and managers to Understand Credit Analysis Process from Indian Context...
12. Real-time Credit card Fraud Detection using Spark 2.2
Real time Credit card Fraud detection using Spark Streaming, Spark ML, Kafka, Cassandra and Airflow...
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Credit Repair: A step-by-step plan to begin improving your credit within one hour of starting! Over 7,000 students!...
14. Corporate Finance: Financial Analysis and Decision-Making
Unlocking Financial Insights for Informed Decision-Making and Valuation Strategies: An In-Depth Course...
15. The Credit Analyst Training course
Learn the complete Credit Risk Analysis skills for jobs in Banks, Asset Management & Credit Rating Agencies...
16. Financial Statement Analysis
Learn how to make understanding financial statements your superpower!...
17. Bonds & Fixed Income Securities: Structure, Prices & Markets
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18. Investment Banking: The Complete Financial Ratio Analysis
Investment Banking For Investors & Financial Analysts - How to Perform Financial Statement Analysis & Company Valuation...
19. How to Prepare Your U.S. Federal Tax Returns Online
Master Income Tax Preparation Using Turbo Tax...
20. Financial Statements: Balance Sheet, Income Stmt, Cash Flow
How To Quickly Read & Understand The Big 3 Financial Statements: Balance Sheet, Income Statement, Cash Flow Statement...
Top 10 most affordable universities for mortgage underwriters
The most affordable schools for mortgage underwriters are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and usf sarasota-manatee.
If the best universities for mortgage underwriters 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 mortgage underwriters.
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. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
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 - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
8. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
9. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
10. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for mortgage underwriters
The hardest universities for mortgage underwriters to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.
Some great schools for mortgage underwriters 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 mortgage underwriters 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 Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
9. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
10. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for mortgage underwriters
The easiest schools for mortgage underwriters to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, holy names university, and barry university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a mortgage underwriter 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 mortgage underwriters.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
3. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
6. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
7. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
8. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
9. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
10. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
Average mortgage underwriter salary by education level
| Mortgage underwriter education level | Mortgage underwriter salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $67,265 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $54,864 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $62,043 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $55,322 |
Mortgage underwriter education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025