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Self-Employed Education Requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a self-employed. Self-employeds usually study business, accounting, or general studies. 38% of self-employeds hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 37,917 real self-employed resumes to see exactly what self-employed education sections show.
The most common colleges for self-employeds are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online self-employed courses to help get the education required to be a self-employed.
What education do you need to become a self-employed?
What degree do you need to be a self-employed?
- Bachelor's, 38%
- High School Diploma, 22%
- Associate, 22%
- Diploma, 8%
- Other Degrees, 10%
What should I major in to become a self-employed?
- Business, 26%
- Accounting, 8%
- General Studies, 6%
- Psychology, 6%
- Other Majors, 54%
Most common colleges for self-employeds
| Self-Employed Common College | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 22.54% |
| DeVry University | 5.68% |
| Ohio State University | 5.20% |
| Texas A&M University | 4.91% |
| California State University - San Bernardino | 4.43% |
Best majors for self-employeds
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 26.0% |
| 2 | Accounting | 8.0% |
| 3 | General Studies | 6.1% |
| 4 | Psychology | 5.9% |
| 5 | Computer Science | 5.3% |
Best colleges for self-employeds
The best colleges for self-employeds are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.
A self-employed with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for self-employeds. 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 self-employeds.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
6. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-State Tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
9. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
10. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-State Tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
20 best online courses for self-employeds
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Top 10 most affordable universities for self-employeds
The most affordable schools for self-employeds are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for self-employeds 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 self-employeds.
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. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,942
Cost of Attendance
14,469
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,620
Cost of Attendance
18,136
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,556
Cost of Attendance
19,434
8. University of Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,491
Cost of Attendance
19,075
9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,240
Cost of Attendance
13,991
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 self-employeds
The hardest universities for self-employeds to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.
Some great schools for self-employeds 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 self-employeds 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. 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. 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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions Rate
11%
SAT Average
1,513
8. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
5%
SAT Average
1,520
9. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions Rate
15%
SAT Average
1,506
10. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
28%
SAT Average
1,429
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for self-employeds
The easiest schools for self-employeds to get into are Barry University, holy names university, and university of north texas at dallas.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a self-employed 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 self-employeds.
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. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions Rate
83%
SAT Average
992
4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions Rate
68%
SAT Average
964
5. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
82%
SAT Average
983
6. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions Rate
78%
SAT Average
1,024
7. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions Rate
88%
SAT Average
1,044
8. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions Rate
90%
SAT Average
994
9. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
72%
SAT Average
1,017
10. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions Rate
71%
SAT Average
1,035
Average self-employed salary by education level
| Self-Employed education level | Self-Employed salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $39,498 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $32,873 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $36,946 |
| Doctorate Degree | $41,381 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $32,946 |
Self-Employed Education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025