Payroll machine operator education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a payroll machine operator. Payroll machine operators usually study business, accounting, or psychology. 49% of payroll machine operators hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 98 real payroll machine operator resumes to see exactly what payroll machine operator education sections show.

The most common colleges for payroll machine operators are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online payroll machine operator courses to help get the education required to be a payroll machine operator.

What education do you need to become a payroll machine operator?

What degree do you need to be a payroll machine operator?

The most common degree for payroll machine operators is bachelor's degree, with 49% of payroll machine operators earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 20% and high school diploma degree at 13%.

Bachelor's, 49%

High School Diploma, 20%

Master's, 13%

Associate, 11%

Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become a payroll machine operator?

You should major in business to become a payroll machine operator. 26% of payroll machine operators major in business. Other common majors for a payroll machine operator include accounting and psychology.

Business, 26%

Accounting, 13%

Psychology, 6%

Communication, 6%

Other Majors, 49%

Most common colleges for payroll machine operators

Payroll machine operators often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Averett University, and University of South Alabama. Here are the most common colleges for payroll machine operators in the US based on their resumes.

Payroll machine operator common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	13.64%
Averett University	4.55%
University of South Alabama	4.55%
Elizabethtown College	4.55%
Walden University	4.55%

Show more common payroll machine operator colleges

Best majors for payroll machine operators

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	26.4%
2	Accounting	13.2%
3	Psychology	5.7%
4	Communication	5.7%
5	Computer Programming	5.7%

Show more common payroll machine operator majors

Best colleges for payroll machine operators

The best colleges for payroll machine operators are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.

A payroll machine operator with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for payroll machine operators. 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 payroll machine operators.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

4. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

5. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

7. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

10. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

20 best online courses for payroll machine operators

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Top 10 most affordable universities for payroll machine operators

The most affordable schools for payroll machine operators are SUNY Farmingdale, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for payroll machine operators 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 payroll machine operators.

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. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

9. Dickinson State University

Dickinson, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$6,768

Cost of attendance

15,506

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 payroll machine operators

The hardest universities for payroll machine operators to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for payroll machine operators 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 payroll machine operators 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

SAT average

1,492

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

7. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

9. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for payroll machine operators

The easiest schools for payroll machine operators to get into are Gwynedd Mercy University, barry university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a payroll machine operator 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 payroll machine operators.

1. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

8. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

9. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

10. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

Average payroll machine operator salary by education level

According to our data, payroll machine operators with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $47,614 annually. Payroll machine operators with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $44,999.

Payroll machine operator education level	Payroll machine operator salary
High School Diploma or Less	$43,719
Bachelor's Degree	$47,614
Some College/ Associate Degree	$44,999

Payroll machine operator education FAQs

What is the best college for Payroll Machine Operators?

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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

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