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Residence life director education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a residence life director. Residence life directors usually study business, psychology, or communication. 70% of residence life directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,153 real residence life director resumes to see exactly what residence life director education sections show.
The most common colleges for residence life directors are the Liberty University and the Liberty University.
There are also many online residence life director courses to help get the education required to be a residence life director.
There are certain residence life director certifications that you should consider. These residence life director certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Activity Director Certified (ADC).
What education do you need to become a residence life director?
What degree do you need to be a residence life director?
- Bachelor's, 70%
- Master's, 19%
- Associate, 5%
- High School Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a residence life director?
- Business, 15%
- Psychology, 11%
- Communication, 7%
- Other Majors, 60%
Most common colleges for residence life directors
| Residence life director common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Liberty University | 20.66% |
| University of Phoenix | 5.79% |
| Colorado State University | 5.79% |
| University of Southern Mississippi | 4.96% |
| Campbell University | 4.96% |
Best majors for residence life directors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 15.4% |
| 2 | Psychology | 11.4% |
| 3 | Communication | 7.4% |
| 4 | Political Science | 6.5% |
| 5 | School Counseling | 6.4% |
Best colleges for residence life directors
The best colleges for residence life directors are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A residence life director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for residence life directors. 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 residence life directors.
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. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
4. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
6. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
7. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
8. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
10. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
20 best online courses for residence life directors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for residence life directors
The most affordable schools for residence life directors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for residence life directors 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 residence life directors.
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. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
7. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
8. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
9. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
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 residence life directors
The hardest universities for residence life directors to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for residence life directors 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 residence life directors 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. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for residence life directors
The easiest schools for residence life directors to get into are D'Youville College, mount saint mary's university, and gwynedd mercy university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a residence life director 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 residence life directors.
1. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
3. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
4. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
5. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
6. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
7. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
8. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
9. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
10. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
Average residence life director salary by education level
| Residence life director education level | Residence life director salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $62,411 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $51,497 |
| Doctorate Degree | $71,474 |
Residence life director education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025