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Peer tutor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a peer tutor. Peer tutors usually study psychology, business, or biology. 67% of peer tutors hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 8,856 real peer tutor resumes to see exactly what peer tutor education sections show.

The most common colleges for peer tutors are the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University.

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

What education do you need to become a peer tutor?

What degree do you need to be a peer tutor?

The most common degree for peer tutors is bachelor's degree, with 67% of peer tutors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 20% and associate degree degree at 6%.
  • Bachelor's, 67%
  • Associate, 20%
  • High School Diploma, 6%
  • Master's, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a peer tutor?

You should major in psychology to become a peer tutor. 12% of peer tutors major in psychology. Other common majors for a peer tutor include business and biology.

Most common colleges for peer tutors

Peer tutors often get their degrees at Pennsylvania State University, Northeastern University, and University of Kentucky. Here are the most common colleges for peer tutors in the US based on their resumes.
Peer tutor common collegePercentages
Pennsylvania State University8.24%
Northeastern University6.90%
University of Kentucky6.01%
Case Western Reserve University6.01%
Skidmore College5.35%

Best majors for peer tutors

RankMajorPercentages
1Psychology11.8%
2Business11.3%
3Biology11.2%
4English8.3%
5Accounting7.7%

Best colleges for peer tutors

The best colleges for peer tutors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

A peer tutor 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 tutors. 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 tutors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

9. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

10. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

20 best online courses for peer tutors

Advertising disclosure

1. Teaching with Peer Review Using Eduflow

coursera

In this project, you will incorporate peer review activities into a hands-on, educational course, using Eduflow. Eduflow is a free, easy-to-use online course builder that allows you to develop an interactive learning experience. One of the many great features available in Eduflow is the peer review feedback option. Peer reviews allow learners to provide feedback to their classmates. This feedback exchange is an invaluable learning tool which is effective in any type of classroom both academic...

2. Introduction to Chemistry: Structures and Solutions

coursera

This is an introductory course for students with limited background in chemistry; basic concepts such as atomic and molecular structure, solutions, phases of matter, and quantitative problem solving will be emphasized with the goal of preparing students for further study in chemistry...

3. Dr. K's Complete First Semester General Chemistry I Course

udemy
4.8
(650)

A Course to Prepare You for College Level General Chemistry...

4. Chemistry 101 - Part 1 Principles of Chemistry

udemy
4.3
(414)

An introductory course for anybody who wants to study chemistry - either towards future pathways or just for fun!...

5. Chemical Biology

coursera

Chemical biology is a burgeoning field that has rapidly risen to prominence. This surge of interest has been fuelled by chemical biology’s applicability to understanding critical processes in live cells or model organisms in real time. This success has arisen because chemical biology straddles a nexus between chemistry, biology, and physics. Thus, chemical biology can harness rapid chemistry to observe or perturb biological processes, that are in turn reported using physical assays, all in an...

6. Social and Economic Networks: Models and Analysis

coursera

Learn how to model social and economic networks and their impact on human behavior. How do networks form, why do they exhibit certain patterns, and how does their structure impact diffusion, learning, and other behaviors? We will bring together models and techniques from economics, sociology, math, physics, statistics and computer science to answer these questions. The course begins with some empirical background on social and economic networks, and an overview of concepts used to describe and...

7. Complete General Chemistry 20+ hours of lectures & examples

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4.1
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Master General Chemistry in 4 weeks by solving examples & problems! Rahsoft Chemical Engineering Department RAHCH101...

8. Introduction to Cheminformatics and medicinal chemistry

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4.5
(265)

Understand the underlying chemistry of drug development and use free softwares to analyze molecules...

9. VPC Network Peering

coursera

This is a self-paced lab that takes place in the Google Cloud console. Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) Network Peering allows private connectivity across two VPC networks regardless of whether or not they belong to the same project or the same organization...

10. Social Psychology

coursera

Ever wonder why people do what they do? This course—which includes more than $1,000 of video and reading materials—offers some answers based on the latest research from social psychology. Students taking the course for a Certificate will also receive free membership in Social Psychology Network (SocialPsychology.org). COURSE DESCRIPTION FROM PROFESSOR PLOUS: Each of us is dealt a different hand in life, but we all face similar questions when it comes to human behavior: What leads us to like one...

11. Organic Chemistry: Spectroscopy Master Class

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4.6
(362)

Gain confidence in NMR (1H and 13C), IR, and MS with guided practice problems...

12. Easy Anatomy and Physiology (Platinum Edition)

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4.5
(1,253)

An Easy Guide to Learning the Anatomy and Physiology of the Human Body...

13. General Biology I: Foundations of Biology

udemy
4.5
(390)

An essential course in Biology for students of all ages...

14. Learn Social Psychology

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4.4
(4,330)

Understand How People Think, Feel, and Behave in this Complete Introduction to Social Psychology...

15. Complete Mathematics Masterclass: College & University Level

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4.8
(321)

All the Applied Mathematics Needed in Science, Programming, Engineering, IT & Business - Theory, Examples & Exercises...

16. Introduction to Behavioral Economics & Consumer Psychology

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4
(435)

Learn how to apply some of the most powerful principles from consumer psychology to increase conversions...

17. Abstract Algebra: Group Theory with the Math Sorcerer

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4.6
(372)

A beautiful course on the Theory of Groups:)...

18. Mathematical Foundations of Machine Learning

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4.5
(5,125)

Essential Linear Algebra and Calculus Hands-On in Num Py, Tensor Flow, and Py Torch...

19. College Algebra, Pre-Calculus, & Trigonometry Explained

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4.7
(466)

Master College Level Algebra with our Step by Step Video Tutorials. Over 4500 Practice Questions! Ace your Algebra Exam!...

20. Linear Algebra for Data Science & Machine Learning - Math

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4.5
(348)

Complete linear algebra - Mathematics for data science, machine learning & Deep Learning - Math for Data Science Algebra...

Top 10 most affordable universities for peer tutors

The most affordable schools for peer tutors are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and university of florida.

If the best universities for peer tutors 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 tutors.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

9. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

10. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for peer tutors

The hardest universities for peer tutors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for peer tutors 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 tutors 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

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

The easiest schools for peer tutors to get into are Barry University, d'youville college, and bluefield college.

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

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

3. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

7. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

10. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

Average peer tutor salary by education level

Peer tutors with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $29,407 annually. With a Master's degree, peer tutors earn a median annual income of $28,304 compared to $26,991 for peer tutors with an Bachelor's degree.
Peer tutor education levelPeer tutor salary
Master's Degree$28,304
High School Diploma or Less$25,297
Bachelor's Degree$26,991
Doctorate Degree$29,407
Some College/ Associate Degree$26,386

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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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