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Personal finance instructor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a personal finance instructor. Personal finance instructors usually study business, finance, or accounting. 57% of personal finance instructors hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 558 real personal finance instructor resumes to see exactly what personal finance instructor education sections show.
The most common colleges for personal finance instructors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online personal finance instructor courses to help get the education required to be a personal finance instructor.
There are certain personal finance instructor certifications that you should consider. These personal finance instructor certifications include Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
What education do you need to become a personal finance instructor?
What degree do you need to be a personal finance instructor?
- Bachelor's, 56%
- Master's, 24%
- Associate, 7%
- High School Diploma, 6%
- Other Degrees, 7%
What should I major in to become a personal finance instructor?
- Business, 22%
- Finance, 19%
- Accounting, 8%
- Psychology, 6%
- Other Majors, 45%
Most common colleges for personal finance instructors
| Personal finance instructor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 13.85% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 10.77% |
| Southern Illinois University Carbondale | 7.69% |
| University of Connecticut | 4.62% |
| The University of Alabama | 4.62% |
Best majors for personal finance instructors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 22.4% |
| 2 | Finance | 18.6% |
| 3 | Accounting | 7.9% |
| 4 | Psychology | 5.9% |
| 5 | Criminal Justice | 4.5% |
Best colleges for personal finance instructors
The best colleges for personal finance instructors are Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University.
A personal finance instructor 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 finance instructors. 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 finance instructors.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
5. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
6. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
In-state tuition
$49,816
Enrollment
6,840
9. Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$52,930
Enrollment
5,030
10. SUNY College at Oswego
Oswego, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,440
Enrollment
7,039
20 best online courses for personal finance instructors
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19. Finance 101: Financial Skills for the Real World
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20. The Role and Goal of Financial Management
Introduce yourself with the world of finance, the areas of financial decision-making and plan your learning of finance...
Top 10 most affordable universities for personal finance instructors
The most affordable schools for personal finance instructors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, usf sarasota-manatee, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for personal finance instructors 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 finance instructors.
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. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
5. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
6. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
7. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
8. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
9. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
10. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for personal finance instructors
The hardest universities for personal finance instructors to get into are Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for personal finance instructors 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 finance instructors 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
10. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for personal finance instructors
The easiest schools for personal finance instructors 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 finance instructor 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 finance instructors.
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. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
6. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
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. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
10. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
Average personal finance instructor salary by education level
| Personal finance instructor education level | Personal finance instructor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $134,262 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $77,430 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $106,607 |
| Doctorate Degree | $170,252 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $96,881 |
Personal finance instructor education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025