Residential life director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a residential life director. Residential life directors usually study psychology, school counseling, or business. 64% of residential life directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 314 real residential life director resumes to see exactly what residential life director education sections show.

The most common colleges for residential life directors are the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University.

There are also many online residential life director courses to help get the education required to be a residential life director.

What education do you need to become a residential life director?

What degree do you need to be a residential life director?

The most common degree for residential life directors is bachelor's degree, with 64% of residential life directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 24% and master's degree degree at 7%.

Bachelor's, 64%

Master's, 24%

Associate, 7%

High School Diploma, 3%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a residential life director?

You should major in psychology to become a residential life director. 16% of residential life directors major in psychology. Other common majors for a residential life director include school counseling and business.

Psychology, 16%

School Counseling, 11%

Business, 8%

Education, 7%

Other Majors, 58%

Most common colleges for residential life directors

Residential life directors often get their degrees at Pennsylvania State University, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, and Mississippi Valley State University. Here are the most common colleges for residential life directors in the US based on their resumes.

Residential life director common college	Percentages
Pennsylvania State University	8.33%
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point	8.33%
Mississippi Valley State University	8.33%
Sonoma State University	6.25%
Springfield College	6.25%

Show more common residential life director colleges

Best majors for residential life directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Psychology	16.3%
2	School Counseling	10.9%
3	Business	8.2%
4	Education	7.5%
5	Communication	6.1%

Show more common residential life director majors

Best colleges for residential life directors

The best colleges for residential life directors are Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

A residential 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 residential 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 residential life directors.

1. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Enrollment

16,205

4. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

5. Clemson University

Clemson, SC • Private

In-state tuition

$15,374

Enrollment

19,564

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

7. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

8. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Enrollment

31,321

9. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

10. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

20 best online courses for residential life directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for residential life directors

The most affordable schools for residential life directors are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for residential 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 residential life directors.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

5. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

6. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for residential life directors

The hardest universities for residential life directors to get into are Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for residential 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 residential 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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

6. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

7. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

8. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for residential life directors

The easiest schools for residential life directors to get into are Gwynedd Mercy University, university of north texas at dallas, and notre dame de namur university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a residential 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 residential life directors.

1. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

2. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

3. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

4. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

5. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

6. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

7. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

8. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

9. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

10. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

Average residential life director salary by education level

Residential life directors with a Associate degree earn more than those without, at $67,909 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, residential life directors earn a median annual income of $67,048 compared to $59,847 for residential life directors with an High School Diploma degree.

Residential life director education level	Residential life director salary
High School Diploma or Less	$59,847
Bachelor's Degree	$67,048
Some College/ Associate Degree	$67,909

Residential life director education FAQs

What is the best college for Residential Life Directors?

Have more questions? See all answers to common personal care and attendants questions.

Search for residential life director jobs

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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