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Recruiting internship education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a recruiting internship. Recruiting interns usually study business, human resources management, or psychology. 82% of recruiting interns hold a bachelor's degree, and 8% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,516 real recruiting internship resumes to see exactly what recruiting internship education sections show.

The most common colleges for recruiting interns are the Ohio State University and the Ohio State University.

There are also many online recruiting internship courses to help get the education required to be a recruiting internship.

What education do you need to become a recruiting internship?

What degree do you need to be a recruiting internship?

The most common degree for recruiting interns is bachelor's degree, with 82% of recruiting interns earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 8% and master's degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 82%
  • Master's, 8%
  • Associate, 7%
  • High School Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a recruiting internship?

You should major in business to become a recruiting internship. 24% of recruiting interns major in business. Other common majors for a recruiting internship include human resources management and psychology.

Most common colleges for recruiting interns

Recruiting interns often get their degrees at Ohio State University, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and University of Maryland - College Park. Here are the most common colleges for recruiting interns in the US based on their resumes.
Recruiting internship common collegePercentages
Ohio State University8.75%
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey7.81%
University of Maryland - College Park6.25%
Michigan State University5.94%
Temple University5.94%

Best majors for recruiting interns

RankMajorPercentages
1Business24.1%
2Human Resources Management13.5%
3Psychology11.9%
4Communication8.3%
5Marketing6.4%

Best colleges for recruiting interns

The best colleges for recruiting interns are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.

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

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

9. SUNY College at Oswego

Oswego, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,440

Enrollment

7,039

10. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

20 best online courses for recruiting interns

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Top 10 most affordable universities for recruiting interns

The most affordable schools for recruiting interns are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and university of houston - victoria.

If the best universities for recruiting interns 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 recruiting interns.

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. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

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. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

9. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

10. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for recruiting interns

The hardest universities for recruiting interns to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for recruiting interns 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 recruiting interns 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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

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. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

10. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for recruiting interns

The easiest schools for recruiting interns to get into are Barry University, holy names university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a recruiting internship 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 recruiting interns.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

5. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

6. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

7. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

8. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

9. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

10. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

Average recruiting internship salary by education level

Recruiting interns with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $46,288 annually. With a Master's degree, recruiting interns earn a median annual income of $43,280 compared to $39,302 for recruiting interns with an Bachelor's degree.
Recruiting internship education levelRecruiting internship salary
Master's Degree$43,280
High School Diploma or Less$33,204
Bachelor's Degree$39,302
Doctorate Degree$46,288
Some College/ Associate Degree$33,310

Recruiting internship education FAQs

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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.

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