Police aide education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a police aide. Police aides usually study criminal justice, psychology, or general studies. 41% of police aides hold a bachelor's degree, and 27% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 463 real police aide resumes to see exactly what police aide education sections show.

The most common colleges for police aides are the University of Maryland - College Park and the University of Maryland - College Park.

There are also many online police aide courses to help get the education required to be a police aide.

What education do you need to become a police aide?

What degree do you need to be a police aide?

The most common degree for police aides is bachelor's degree, with 41% of police aides earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 27% and associate degree degree at 24%.

Bachelor's, 41%

Associate, 27%

High School Diploma, 24%

Master's, 4%

Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a police aide?

You should major in criminal justice to become a police aide. 48% of police aides major in criminal justice. Other common majors for a police aide include psychology and general studies.

Criminal Justice, 48%

Psychology, 7%

General Studies, 6%

Business, 4%

Other Majors, 35%

Most common colleges for police aides

Police aides often get their degrees at University of Maryland - College Park, Christopher Newport University, and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Here are the most common colleges for police aides in the US based on their resumes.

Police aide common college	Percentages
University of Maryland - College Park	29.11%
Christopher Newport University	12.66%
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey	7.59%
University of Delaware	6.33%
Arizona State University	5.06%

Show more common police aide colleges

Best majors for police aides

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Criminal Justice	48.0%
2	Psychology	6.9%
3	General Studies	6.4%
4	Business	4.0%
5	Communication	4.0%

Show more common police aide majors

Best colleges for police aides

The best colleges for police aides are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Swarthmore College.

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

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

2. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

3. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

4. University of California - Davis

Davis, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,402

Enrollment

30,698

5. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Enrollment

31,321

7. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

8. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

9. San Jose State University

San Jose, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,796

Enrollment

27,125

10. Coppin State University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$8,873

Enrollment

2,326

20 best online courses for police aides

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Top 10 most affordable universities for police aides

The most affordable schools for police aides are California State University - Long Beach, usf sarasota-manatee, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for police aides 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 police aides.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

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. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

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 police aides

The hardest universities for police aides to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Swarthmore College.

Some great schools for police aides 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 police aides 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

SAT average

1,508

2. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,465

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

5. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

7. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

8. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,390

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,516

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for police aides

The easiest schools for police aides to get into are Bluefield College, gwynedd mercy university, and wayland baptist university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a police aide 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 police aides.

1. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

4. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

5. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

6. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

7. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

8. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

9. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

10. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

Average police aide salary by education level

According to our data, police aides with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $40,768 annually. Police aides with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $40,068.

Police aide education level	Police aide salary
Master's Degree	$40,768
High School Diploma or Less	$34,178
Bachelor's Degree	$38,751
Doctorate Degree	$40,068
Some College/ Associate Degree	$36,957

Police aide education FAQs

What is the best college for Police Aides?

Have more questions? See all answers to common protective service 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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