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Retirement assistant education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a retirement assistant. Retirement assistants usually study business, nursing, or medical assisting services. 41% of retirement assistants hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 109 real retirement assistant resumes to see exactly what retirement assistant education sections show.

The most common colleges for retirement assistants are the D'Youville College and the D'Youville College.

There are also many online retirement assistant courses to help get the education required to be a retirement assistant.

What education do you need to become a retirement assistant?

What degree do you need to be a retirement assistant?

The most common degree for retirement assistants is bachelor's degree, with 41% of retirement assistants earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 20% and associate degree degree at 13%.
  • Bachelor's, 41%
  • Associate, 20%
  • High School Diploma, 13%
  • Diploma, 9%
  • Other Degrees, 17%

What should I major in to become a retirement assistant?

You should major in business to become a retirement assistant. 26% of retirement assistants major in business. Other common majors for a retirement assistant include nursing and medical assisting services.

Most common colleges for retirement assistants

Retirement assistants often get their degrees at D'Youville College, West Texas A&M; University, and Adams State University. Here are the most common colleges for retirement assistants in the US based on their resumes.
Retirement assistant common collegePercentages
D'Youville College9.52%
West Texas A&M University4.76%
Adams State University4.76%
Pacific Lutheran University4.76%
Drew University4.76%

Best majors for retirement assistants

RankMajorPercentages
1Business25.6%
2Nursing10.3%
3Medical Assisting Services7.7%
4General Studies5.1%
5Communication5.1%

Best colleges for retirement assistants

The best colleges for retirement assistants are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.

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

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

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. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

8. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

9. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

10. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

20 best online courses for retirement assistants

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Top 10 most affordable universities for retirement assistants

The most affordable schools for retirement assistants are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for retirement assistants 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 retirement assistants.

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. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

10. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for retirement assistants

The hardest universities for retirement assistants to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for retirement assistants 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 retirement assistants 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

8. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for retirement assistants

The easiest schools for retirement assistants 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 retirement assistant 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 retirement assistants.

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. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

5. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

6. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

7. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

8. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

9. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

10. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

Average retirement assistant salary by education level

According to our data, retirement assistants with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $33,119 annually. Retirement assistants with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $31,623.
Retirement assistant education levelRetirement assistant salary
Master's Degree$31,623
High School Diploma or Less$26,354
Bachelor's Degree$29,594
Doctorate Degree$33,119
Some College/ Associate Degree$26,411

Retirement assistant 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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