Statistician education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a statistician. Statisticians usually study statistics, mathematics, or business. 63% of statisticians hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 4,247 real statistician resumes to see exactly what statistician education sections show.

The most common colleges for statisticians are the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of California, Santa Barbara.

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

What education do you need to become a statistician?

What degree do you need to be a statistician?

The most common degree for statisticians is bachelor's degree, with 63% of statisticians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 23% and master's degree degree at 5%.

Bachelor's, 63%

Master's, 23%

Doctorate, 5%

Associate, 5%

Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a statistician?

You should major in statistics to become a statistician. 25% of statisticians major in statistics. Other common majors for a statistician include mathematics and business.

Statistics, 25%

Mathematics, 16%

Business, 9%

Economics, 7%

Other Majors, 43%

Most common colleges for statisticians

Statisticians often get their degrees at University of California, Santa Barbara, Pennsylvania State University, and University of Iowa. Here are the most common colleges for statisticians in the US based on their resumes.

Statistician common college	Percentages
University of California, Santa Barbara	6.50%
Pennsylvania State University	6.21%
University of Iowa	5.93%
University of Pittsburgh	5.37%
Brigham Young University	5.37%

Show more common statistician colleges

Best majors for statisticians

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Statistics	25.0%
2	Mathematics	15.7%
3	Business	8.9%
4	Economics	7.2%
5	Psychology	5.7%

Show more common statistician majors

Best colleges for statisticians

The best colleges for statisticians are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

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

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. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

10. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

20 best online courses for statisticians

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Top 10 most affordable universities for statisticians

The most affordable schools for statisticians are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for statisticians 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 statisticians.

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. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

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. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

6. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

7. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

8. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

9. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

10. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for statisticians

The hardest universities for statisticians to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for statisticians 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 statisticians 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

SAT average

1,492

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. University of Chicago

Chicago, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

7. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

9. Brown University

Providence, RI • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

10. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for statisticians

The easiest schools for statisticians to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, felician university, and university of houston - downtown.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a statistician 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 statisticians.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

3. University of Houston - Downtown

Houston, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,012

4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

5. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

6. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

7. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

10. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Camden

Camden, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,086

Average statistician salary by education level

According to our data, statisticians with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $109,647 annually. Statisticians with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $91,817.

Statistician education level	Statistician salary
Master's Degree	$91,817
Bachelor's Degree	$80,174
Doctorate Degree	$109,647

Statistician education FAQs

What is the best college for Statisticians?

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Search for statistician 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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