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National park ranger education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a national park ranger. National park rangers usually study criminal justice, biology, or elementary education. 71% of national park rangers hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 142 real national park ranger resumes to see exactly what national park ranger education sections show.
The most common colleges for national park rangers are the Kansas State University and the Kansas State University.
There are also many online national park ranger courses to help get the education required to be a national park ranger.
What education do you need to become a national park ranger?
What degree do you need to be a national park ranger?
- Bachelor's, 71%
- Associate, 14%
- High School Diploma, 7%
- Master's, 4%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a national park ranger?
- Criminal Justice, 10%
- Biology, 8%
- Geology, 8%
- Other Majors, 66%
Most common colleges for national park rangers
| National park ranger common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Kansas State University | 7.69% |
| San Francisco State University | 7.69% |
| Northern Arizona University | 7.69% |
| The Evergreen State College | 7.69% |
| Northern Illinois University | 7.69% |
Best majors for national park rangers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Criminal Justice | 9.7% |
| 2 | Biology | 8.1% |
| 3 | Elementary Education | 8.1% |
| 4 | Geology | 8.1% |
| 5 | History | 8.1% |
Best colleges for national park rangers
The best colleges for national park rangers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A national park ranger with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for national park rangers. 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 national park rangers.
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. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
5. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
6. SUNY at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,099
Enrollment
21,404
7. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
10. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
20 best online courses for national park rangers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for national park rangers
The most affordable schools for national park rangers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for national park rangers 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 national park rangers.
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. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
5. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
7. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
8. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
10. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for national park rangers
The hardest universities for national park rangers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for national park rangers 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 national park rangers 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. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
5. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
6. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
7. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for national park rangers
The easiest schools for national park rangers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and gwynedd mercy university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a national park ranger 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 national park rangers.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
4. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
5. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
6. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
7. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
8. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
9. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
10. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
Average national park ranger salary by education level
| National park ranger education level | National park ranger salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $38,911 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $35,153 |
| Doctorate Degree | $45,676 |
National park ranger education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025