Peer advisor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a peer advisor. Peer advisors usually study psychology, business, or communication. 77% of peer advisors hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 6,657 real peer advisor resumes to see exactly what peer advisor education sections show.

The most common colleges for peer advisors are the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of California, Santa Barbara.

There are also many online peer advisor courses to help get the education required to be a peer advisor.

There are certain peer advisor certifications that you should consider. These peer advisor certifications include Advanced First Aid & CPR and Basic Life Support (BLS).

What education do you need to become a peer advisor?

What degree do you need to be a peer advisor?

The most common degree for peer advisors is bachelor's degree, with 77% of peer advisors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 12% and associate degree degree at 5%.

Bachelor's, 77%

Associate, 12%

Master's, 5%

High School Diploma, 4%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a peer advisor?

You should major in psychology to become a peer advisor. 22% of peer advisors major in psychology. Other common majors for a peer advisor include business and communication.

Psychology, 22%

Business, 12%

Communication, 8%

Sociology, 6%

Other Majors, 52%

Most common colleges for peer advisors

Peer advisors often get their degrees at University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California - Davis, and California State University - San Bernardino. Here are the most common colleges for peer advisors in the US based on their resumes.

Peer advisor common college	Percentages
University of California, Santa Barbara	12.69%
University of California - Davis	12.00%
California State University - San Bernardino	6.90%
Temple University	5.79%
University of Oregon	4.97%

Show more common peer advisor colleges

Best majors for peer advisors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Psychology	22.2%
2	Business	11.5%
3	Communication	7.9%
4	Sociology	6.2%
5	Political Science	5.6%

Show more common peer advisor majors

Best colleges for peer advisors

The best colleges for peer advisors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.

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

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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

6. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

10. SUNY College at Oswego

Oswego, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,440

Enrollment

7,039

20 best online courses for peer advisors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for peer advisors

The most affordable schools for peer advisors 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 peer advisors 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 peer advisors.

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. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

5. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

6. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for peer advisors

The hardest universities for peer advisors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for peer advisors 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 peer advisors 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

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. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for peer advisors

The easiest schools for peer advisors to get into are University of North Texas at Dallas, gwynedd mercy university, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a peer advisor 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 peer advisors.

1. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

6. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

7. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

8. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

10. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

Average peer advisor salary by education level

According to our data, peer advisors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $50,547 annually. Peer advisors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $49,458.

Peer advisor education level	Peer advisor salary
Master's Degree	$49,458
Bachelor's Degree	$41,449
Doctorate Degree	$50,547

Peer advisor education FAQs

What is the best college for Peer Advisors?

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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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