Personal assistant education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a personal assistant. Personal assistants usually study business, psychology, or nursing. 41% of personal assistants hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 97,247 real personal assistant resumes to see exactly what personal assistant education sections show.

The most common colleges for personal assistants are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online personal assistant courses to help get the education required to be a personal assistant.

There are certain personal assistant certifications that you should consider. These personal assistant certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.

What education do you need to become a personal assistant?

What degree do you need to be a personal assistant?

The most common degree for personal assistants is bachelor's degree, with 41% of personal assistants earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 23% and high school diploma degree at 20%.

Bachelor's, 41%

High School Diploma, 23%

Associate, 20%

Diploma, 7%

Other Degrees, 9%

What should I major in to become a personal assistant?

You should major in business to become a personal assistant. 20% of personal assistants major in business. Other common majors for a personal assistant include psychology and nursing.

Business, 20%

Psychology, 10%

Nursing, 6%

Communication, 6%

Other Majors, 58%

Most common colleges for personal assistants

Personal assistants often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, New York University, and University of California, Santa Barbara. Here are the most common colleges for personal assistants in the US based on their resumes.

Personal assistant common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	20.15%
New York University	6.80%
University of California, Santa Barbara	5.45%
University of California - Davis	5.41%
Arizona State University	5.10%

Show more common personal assistant colleges

Best majors for personal assistants

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	20.1%
2	Psychology	10.2%
3	Nursing	6.5%
4	Communication	6.3%
5	General Studies	6.0%

Show more common personal assistant majors

Best colleges for personal assistants

The best colleges for personal assistants are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and University of Southern California.

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

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. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

8. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

9. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

10. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

20 best online courses for personal assistants

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Top 10 most affordable universities for personal assistants

The most affordable schools for personal assistants are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - dominguez hills.

If the best universities for personal assistants 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 personal assistants.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

6. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

8. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

9. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for personal assistants

The hardest universities for personal assistants to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for personal assistants 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 personal assistants 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for personal assistants

The easiest schools for personal assistants to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, d'youville college, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a personal assistant 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 personal assistants.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

10. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

Average personal assistant salary by education level

Personal assistants with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $45,712 annually. With a High School Diploma degree, personal assistants earn a median annual income of $41,483 compared to $41,381 for personal assistants with an Associate degree.

Personal assistant education level	Personal assistant salary
High School Diploma or Less	$41,483
Bachelor's Degree	$45,712
Some College/ Associate Degree	$41,381

Personal assistant education FAQs

What is the best college for Personal Assistants?

Have more questions? See all answers to common personal care and attendants questions.

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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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