Post job

Personal banker education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a personal banker. Personal bankers usually study business, finance, or accounting. 59% of personal bankers hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 49,527 real personal banker resumes to see exactly what personal banker education sections show.

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

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

There are certain personal banker certifications that you should consider. These personal banker certifications include Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Certified Sales Professional (CSP).

What education do you need to become a personal banker?

What degree do you need to be a personal banker?

The most common degree for personal bankers is bachelor's degree, with 59% of personal bankers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 18% and associate degree degree at 13%.
  • Bachelor's, 59%
  • Associate, 18%
  • High School Diploma, 13%
  • Master's, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a personal banker?

You should major in business to become a personal banker. 38% of personal bankers major in business. Other common majors for a personal banker include finance and accounting.

Most common colleges for personal bankers

Personal bankers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Arizona State University, and California State University - San Bernardino. Here are the most common colleges for personal bankers in the US based on their resumes.
Personal banker common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix22.51%
Arizona State University5.74%
California State University - San Bernardino5.64%
University of Houston5.53%
DeVry University5.13%

Best majors for personal bankers

RankMajorPercentages
1Business37.6%
2Finance10.8%
3Accounting6.7%
4Marketing5.2%
5Psychology4.7%

Best colleges for personal bankers

The best colleges for personal bankers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

A personal banker 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 bankers. 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 bankers.

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. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

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. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

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 bankers

Advertising disclosure

1. Financial Accounting-Debits & Credits-Accounting Transaction

udemy
4.5
(781)

Masterclass: Learn Accounting Principles, Financial Statements, Transactions & More in this Comprehensive Course...

2. Banking Credit Analysis Process (for Bankers)

udemy
4.5
(2,917)

Course for Bankers, Consultants and managers to Understand Credit Analysis Process from Indian Context...

3. Financial Accounting & Excel-Comprehensive Accounting Course

udemy
4.3
(736)

Comprehensive accounting course to learn the accounting cycle in a practical way and pick up critical Excel fundamentals...

4. Principles of Financial Accounting

udemy
4.5
(875)

Learn the complete accounting cycle -recording business transactions to presenting the Balance Sheet & Income Statement...

5. Financial Accounting-Adjusting Entries & Financial Statement

udemy
4.6
(930)

Master Adjusting Entries & Financial Statements: A Comprehensive Guide for Accurate Accounting and Reporting...

6. Financial Accounting: The Complete Introductory Crash Course

udemy
4.5
(1,604)

Learn the Basics of Financial Accounting: Financial Statements, Debits and Credits, The Accounting Cycle and More!...

7. Accounting for Corporations - Financial Accounting

udemy
4.8
(281)

Demystifying Corporate Accounting: An In-depth Exploration of Financial Transactions in Corporations...

8. Accounting & Financial Statement Analysis: Complete Training

udemy
4.6
(16,804)

Accounting & Financial Ratio Analysis made easy. Learn important accounting skills that will get your foot in the door!...

9. Introductory Financial Accounting

udemy
4.7
(666)

Learn the basics of Accounting including: the accounting cycle, inventory, depreciation, receivables, and more!...

10. Advanced Financial Accounting: Acquisitions & Consolidations

udemy
4.1
(703)

Acquisitions, Consolidations, and Reporting. Master complex concepts and applications...

11. Understand Banks & Financial Markets

udemy
4.4
(6,205)

The world of financial markets: participants, products, trading motives, pricing and structure...

12. Financial Accounting: A Comprehensive Guide with E-book

udemy
4.5
(3,466)

Unlock Financial Accounting Mastery: Comprehensive Course for Students, Professionals, and Business Owners...

13. ACCA: FA (F3) Financial Accounting

udemy
4.5
(1,302)

Let's get to grasps of how to perform the basics of financial accounting...

14. Financial Accounting-Inventory & Merchandising Transactions

udemy
4.8
(267)

Mastering Inventory Accounting: From Merchandising Transactions to Cost Flow Assumptions...

15. Financial Accounting-Depreciation Calculation & Fixed Assets

udemy
4.5
(341)

Optimizing Asset Management: Comprehensive Guide to Property, Plant, and Equipment Accounting...

16. Financial Accounting - Closing Process

udemy
4.3
(964)

Conquering the Closing Process: A Thorough Exploration of the Final Step in Accounting...

17. Accounting basics, create financial statements easily

udemy
4.5
(280)

Discover, develop, practice your financial information and explore the world of accounting...

18. How to Read Financial Statements: Build Financial Literacy.

udemy
4.5
(811)

Read financial statements and speak the language of business without the drudgery of a traditional accounting course...

19. Accounting Made Easy: A Quick Guide to Financial Accounting

udemy
4.5
(2,757)

Accounting is not about Math, it is about concepts. And no one said it has to be hard. Learn the basics in just 2 hours!...

20. Learn SAP Financial Accounting - Online Training

udemy
4
(762)

Learn SAP Financials with Peter Moxon, Ideal Beginner SAP FI Training Course! - Unlimited Life Time Access + Updates!...

Top 10 most affordable universities for personal bankers

The most affordable schools for personal bankers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and usf sarasota-manatee.

If the best universities for personal bankers 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 bankers.

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. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

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 - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

8. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for personal bankers

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

Some great schools for personal bankers 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 bankers 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. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

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

The easiest schools for personal bankers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, holy names university, and barry university.

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

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

6. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

7. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

8. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

9. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

10. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

Average personal banker salary by education level

Personal bankers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $41,998 annually. With a Doctorate degree, personal bankers earn a median annual income of $39,959 compared to $37,616 for personal bankers with an Bachelor's degree.
Personal banker education levelPersonal banker salary
Master's Degree$41,998
Bachelor's Degree$37,616
Doctorate Degree$39,959

Personal banker education FAQs

Search for personal banker jobs

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.