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Retirement plan specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a retirement plan specialist. Retirement plan specialists usually study business, finance, or accounting. 76% of retirement plan specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 986 real retirement plan specialist resumes to see exactly what retirement plan specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for retirement plan specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online retirement plan specialist courses to help get the education required to be a retirement plan specialist.
There are certain retirement plan specialist certifications that you should consider. These retirement plan specialist certifications include Certified Professional, Life and Health Insurance Program (CPLHI) and Retirement Plans Associate (RPA).
What education do you need to become a retirement plan specialist?
What degree do you need to be a retirement plan specialist?
- Bachelor's, 76%
- Associate, 11%
- Master's, 8%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a retirement plan specialist?
- Business, 33%
- Finance, 16%
- Accounting, 6%
- Economics, 6%
- Other Majors, 39%
Most common colleges for retirement plan specialists
| Retirement plan specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 11.97% |
| Towson University | 9.15% |
| Northern Kentucky University | 7.04% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 6.34% |
| Florida State University | 5.63% |
Best majors for retirement plan specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 32.8% |
| 2 | Finance | 15.9% |
| 3 | Accounting | 6.2% |
| 4 | Economics | 5.9% |
| 5 | Psychology | 5.5% |
Best colleges for retirement plan specialists
The best colleges for retirement plan specialists are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Boston University.
A retirement plan specialist 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 plan specialists. 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 plan specialists.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
3. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
5. SUNY College at Oswego
Oswego, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,440
Enrollment
7,039
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
7. Baylor University
Waco, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$45,542
Enrollment
14,159
8. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
9. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
10. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
20 best online courses for retirement plan specialists
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Top 10 most affordable universities for retirement plan specialists
The most affordable schools for retirement plan specialists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - dominguez hills, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for retirement plan specialists 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 plan specialists.
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 - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
6. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
7. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
10. University of Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$6,491
Cost of attendance
19,075
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for retirement plan specialists
The hardest universities for retirement plan specialists to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Boston University.
Some great schools for retirement plan specialists 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 plan specialists 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. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
7. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
8. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
9. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
10. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for retirement plan specialists
The easiest schools for retirement plan specialists to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, barry university, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a retirement plan specialist 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 plan specialists.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
4. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
5. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
6. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
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. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
10. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
Average retirement plan specialist salary by education level
| Retirement plan specialist education level | Retirement plan specialist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $66,137 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $58,914 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $65,463 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $60,106 |
Retirement plan specialist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025