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Newspaper correspondent education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a newspaper correspondent. Newspaper correspondents usually study journalism, communication, or english. 80% of newspaper correspondents hold a bachelor's degree, and 7% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 45 real newspaper correspondent resumes to see exactly what newspaper correspondent education sections show.

The most common colleges for newspaper correspondents are the University of Houston and the University of Houston.

There are also many online newspaper correspondent courses to help get the education required to be a newspaper correspondent.

What education do you need to become a newspaper correspondent?

What degree do you need to be a newspaper correspondent?

The most common degree for newspaper correspondents is bachelor's degree, with 80% of newspaper correspondents earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 7% and high school diploma degree at 3%.
  • Bachelor's, 80%
  • High School Diploma, 7%
  • Master's, 3%
  • Associate, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become a newspaper correspondent?

You should major in journalism to become a newspaper correspondent. 24% of newspaper correspondents major in journalism. Other common majors for a newspaper correspondent include communication and english.

Most common colleges for newspaper correspondents

Newspaper correspondents often get their degrees at University of Houston, University of Scranton, and University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Here are the most common colleges for newspaper correspondents in the US based on their resumes.
Newspaper correspondent common collegePercentages
University of Houston5.00%
University of Scranton5.00%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro5.00%
Elizabethtown College5.00%
Madison Area Technical College5.00%

Best majors for newspaper correspondents

RankMajorPercentages
1Journalism24.2%
2Communication21.2%
3English9.1%
4Business6.1%
5Writing6.1%

Best colleges for newspaper correspondents

The best colleges for newspaper correspondents are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

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

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

8. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

9. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

10. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

20 best online courses for newspaper correspondents

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Top 10 most affordable universities for newspaper correspondents

The most affordable schools for newspaper correspondents are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for newspaper correspondents 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 newspaper correspondents.

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 - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

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 - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

8. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

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 newspaper correspondents

The hardest universities for newspaper correspondents to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for newspaper correspondents 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 newspaper correspondents 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. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for newspaper correspondents

The easiest schools for newspaper correspondents to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and notre dame de namur university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a newspaper correspondent 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 newspaper correspondents.

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. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

7. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

8. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

10. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

Average newspaper correspondent salary by education level

According to our data, newspaper correspondents with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $96,660 annually. Newspaper correspondents with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $91,858.
Newspaper correspondent education levelNewspaper correspondent salary
Master's Degree$96,660
Bachelor's Degree$91,858

Newspaper correspondent 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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