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Personal investment adviser education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a personal investment adviser. Personal investment advisers usually study business, finance, or psychology. 65% of personal investment advisers hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 531 real personal investment adviser resumes to see exactly what personal investment adviser education sections show.
The most common colleges for personal investment advisers are the Wayne State University and the Wayne State University.
There are also many online personal investment adviser courses to help get the education required to be a personal investment adviser.
What education do you need to become a personal investment adviser?
What degree do you need to be a personal investment adviser?
- Bachelor's, 65%
- Associate, 12%
- High School Diploma, 10%
- Master's, 8%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become a personal investment adviser?
- Business, 24%
- Finance, 11%
- Psychology, 8%
- Accounting, 6%
- Other Majors, 51%
Most common colleges for personal investment advisers
| Personal investment adviser common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Wayne State University | 10.77% |
| Michigan State University | 9.23% |
| Western Michigan University | 7.69% |
| American InterContinental University | 6.15% |
| University of Kansas | 6.15% |
Best majors for personal investment advisers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 24.3% |
| 2 | Finance | 10.9% |
| 3 | Psychology | 7.8% |
| 4 | Accounting | 5.7% |
| 5 | English | 4.8% |
Best colleges for personal investment advisers
The best colleges for personal investment advisers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University.
A personal investment adviser 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 investment advisers. 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 investment advisers.
1. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
2. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
5. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
6. University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Lincoln, NE • Private
In-state tuition
$9,242
Enrollment
20,592
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
8. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
9. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
10. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
20 best online courses for personal investment advisers
Advertising disclosure
1. Investment Management
In this Specialization, you will understand how investment strategies are designed to reach financial goals in a global context. You will learn the theory that underlies strong investment decisions, as well as practical, real-world skills that you can apply when discussing investment proposals with your advisor, managing your personal assets or your client’s investment portfolio. You will start by developing a global understanding of financial markets and what impacts rational and irrational...
2. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience
Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...
3. Value Investing: The Complete Financial Statement Analysis
Value Investing Mastery - How to Perform Financial Statement Analysis & Financial Ratio Analysis to Find Great Stocks...
4. Investment Banking: The Complete Financial Ratio Analysis
Investment Banking For Investors & Financial Analysts - How to Perform Financial Statement Analysis & Company Valuation...
5. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives
Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...
6. Customer Service Fundamentals: Putting People First
Customer Care Listening Great Customer Service Concern for Others Company Culture Engaging People Responding...
7. Investment Analysis & Portfolio Management with Python
Financial Analysis Done Right - Rigorously Analyse Investments & Manage Portfolios using Python for Finance / Investing...
8. Investment Analysis & Portfolio Management - Core Finance
Financial Analysis Done Right - Rigorously Analyse Investments & Manage Portfolios using Excel® & Google Sheets...
9. Value Investing Strategies for Stock Market Investing
Learn Financial Analysis & Value Investing strategies for beginners to advanced investors investing in stock market...
10. Comprehensive Guide to Financial Markets, Investing &Trading
A comprehensive (advanced) introduction to global financial markets, investing and trading in all financial assets...
11. Start Improving Customer Service
Creating a Customer Service advantage in Your department or business through communication and Customer Management...
12. Personal Finance Masterclass - Easy Guide to Better Finances
Your complete personal finance guide to understanding finances. Save more, invest smarter, reduce loans, retire earlier!...
13. The Personal Finance and Wealth Management Masterclass
Become an Expert in Personal Finance and Investing. Learn MBA-Level Financial Analysis. Master Finance Fundamentals...
14. The Customer: Build a Customer Service Strategy (BITE SIZE)
For you and your team to be successful in providing great customer service, start by putting your customer first...
15. The Complete Financial Analyst Training & Investing Course
Succeed as a Financial Analyst &Investor by Award Winning MBA Prof who worked @Goldman, in Hedge Funds & Venture Capital...
16. Customer Service Foundation
An introductory course about understanding the foundations of Customer Service...
17. The Complete Value Investing Course (Updated 2023)
Copy & Paste Value Investing System - How to Find Cheap Stocks, Perform Financial Statement Analysis & Company Valuation...
18. The Complete Dividend Investing Course (Updated 2023)
Copy & Paste Passive Income Investing System - How to Implement Dividend Investing & Pick Stocks That Pay Good Dividends...
19. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer
Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...
20. Customer Service
How to Approach New Customers and Maintain Existing Ones...
Top 10 most affordable universities for personal investment advisers
The most affordable schools for personal investment advisers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and usf sarasota-manatee.
If the best universities for personal investment advisers 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 investment advisers.
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. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
8. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
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 investment advisers
The hardest universities for personal investment advisers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University.
Some great schools for personal investment advisers 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 investment advisers 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. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
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 investment advisers
The easiest schools for personal investment advisers 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 investment adviser 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 investment advisers.
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 investment adviser salary by education level
| Personal investment adviser education level | Personal investment adviser salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $133,377 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $124,034 |
| Doctorate Degree | $142,638 |
Personal investment adviser education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025