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Residential program director education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a residential program director. Residential program directors usually study psychology, social work, or criminal justice. 59% of residential program directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 27% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 541 real residential program director resumes to see exactly what residential program director education sections show.
The most common colleges for residential program directors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online residential program director courses to help get the education required to be a residential program director.
What education do you need to become a residential program director?
What degree do you need to be a residential program director?
- Bachelor's, 59%
- Master's, 27%
- Associate, 10%
- High School Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a residential program director?
- Psychology, 21%
- Social Work, 14%
- Criminal Justice, 10%
- Business, 9%
- Other Majors, 46%
Most common colleges for residential program directors
| Residential program director common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 10.96% |
| Salem State University | 6.85% |
| Capella University | 6.85% |
| Northern Arizona University | 5.48% |
| University of Pittsburgh | 5.48% |
Best majors for residential program directors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 21.4% |
| 2 | Social Work | 14.0% |
| 3 | Criminal Justice | 10.3% |
| 4 | Business | 9.1% |
| 5 | Human Services | 8.3% |
Best colleges for residential program directors
The best colleges for residential program directors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A residential program 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 program 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 program directors.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
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. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
10. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
In-state tuition
$53,399
Enrollment
7,356
20 best online courses for residential program directors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for residential program directors
The most affordable schools for residential program directors are California State University - Bakersfield, hunter college of the city university of new york, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for residential program 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 program directors.
1. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
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. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
7. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
8. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
9. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
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 residential program directors
The hardest universities for residential program directors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for residential program 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 program 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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
4. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
9. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
10. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,520
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for residential program directors
The easiest schools for residential program directors to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and notre dame de namur university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a residential program 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 program directors.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
4. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
5. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
6. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
7. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
8. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
9. University of Houston - Downtown
Houston, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,012
10. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
Average residential program director salary by education level
| Residential program director education level | Residential program director salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $54,486 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $51,048 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025