Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Student athlete education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a student athlete. Student athletes usually study business, kinesiology, or communication. 84% of student athletes hold a bachelor's degree, and 6% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 10,465 real student athlete resumes to see exactly what student athlete education sections show.
The most common colleges for student athletes are the University of Iowa and the University of Iowa.
There are also many online student athlete courses to help get the education required to be a student athlete.
What education do you need to become a student athlete?
What degree do you need to be a student athlete?
- Bachelor's, 84%
- Master's, 6%
- Associate, 5%
- High School Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a student athlete?
- Business, 17%
- Kinesiology, 15%
- Communication, 9%
- Psychology, 8%
- Other Majors, 51%
Most common colleges for student athletes
| Student athlete common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Iowa | 6.97% |
| University of Nebraska - Lincoln | 6.83% |
| University of Oregon | 6.56% |
| University of Kentucky | 5.87% |
| University of Kansas | 5.74% |
Best majors for student athletes
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 17.4% |
| 2 | Kinesiology | 14.7% |
| 3 | Communication | 8.9% |
| 4 | Psychology | 8.4% |
| 5 | Marketing | 5.9% |
Best colleges for student athletes
The best colleges for student athletes are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and University of Southern California.
A student athlete with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for student athletes. 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 student athletes.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
6. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
7. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
8. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
20 best online courses for student athletes
Advertising disclosure
1. The Science of Training Young Athletes
Seventy percent of kids drop out of sports before their high school graduation. Only 15% leave because they feel they are not good enough. Almost 70% leave because they were not having fun, or due to problems with the coach. Injuries cause 30% to give up sports. This course is packed full of practical sports science information that provide youth coaches and parents with the practical pediatric sports science insights to successfully retain young athletes and develop their sport potential while...
2. Unleash Student Creativity with Buncee
By the end of this project, you will be able to use Buncee to unleash your students’ creativity. Buncee is “a creation and communication tool… to create interactive content, allowing those of all ages to visualize concepts and communicate creatively.” With Buncee, learning becomes more personalized as students are able to share through engaging multimedia projects using Buncee’s templates, stickers, and animations. Throughout this project, we will work together to ensure that you are confident...
3. Sport Psychology for Athletes
Master the fundamentals of sport psychology to improve performance and gain a mental edge...
4. Sports Nutrition for Athletes and Fitness Enthusiasts
Learn all about sports nutrition with 7 hours of online video content and start training SMARTER instead of HARDER...
5. High Performance Collaboration: Leadership, Teamwork, and Negotiation
Are leaders born or made? Learn the essential skills to develop and expand your leadership repertoire, design teams for collaboration, and craft win-win negotiation strategies. High Performance Collaboration: Leadership, Teamwork, and Negotiation focuses on leadership, teamwork, and negotiation. Students will engage in self-assessments to analyze their leadership style, develop team charters to optimize their groups, and develop a game plan for effective negotiation. Recurring course sessions...
6. Creating a Student Profile in Google Docs
By the end of this project, you will have created a Student Profile in Google Docs that will allow you identify student needs and differentiate instruction. We will work together to learn how to use Google Docs as we create a Student Profile template and complete it for a particular student you have in mind. You will be provided with additional resources that will help improve your teaching practice through identification of students needs and ensuring that the appropriate accommodations are...
7. Winning Communication Skills for Telephone, Conference Calls
Improve Communication Skills - Use the Telephone Effectively! Avoid Phone Etiquette Blunders that Annoy...
8. Applied Sport Psychology and Leadership in Sport Certificate
Enhance your knowledge of sport psychology from an athlete or coach perspective with this comprehensive applied course...
9. A Law Student's Toolkit
Whether you are an advanced law student looking to review the basics, or an aspiring law student looking for head start, this course will help you build the foundation you will need to succeed in law school and beyond. This course will introduce you to terminology, concepts, and tools lawyers and legal academics use to make their arguments. It will help you follow these arguments—and make arguments of your own. This course consists of a series of short lectures and assignments. A reading list...
10. Preparing for Graduate Study in the U.S.: A course for international students
Preparing for graduate school in the United States can be nerve-wracking. Many international students have questions about what the programs are like and what resources they can use to excel in their studies. This course allows potential and incoming international students to practice their communication skills, identify tools that support academic success, and gain confidence as they prepare for their advanced degrees. Alongside advancing your English skills, get the chance to hear from...
11. Communication Skills PLUS Leadership - 2 in 1 Masterclass
Learn Communication & Leadership Skills For Inspiration, Success In Life, Work PLUS Interviews, Case Studies, Activities...
12. Communication Skills Masterclass - Your Communication Guide
Communication Skill For Business Communication & Effective Communication In Workplace & Relationships...
13. Enhance Student Learning through Kahoot
By the end of this project, you will have created a Kahoot collection that will engage your students during virtual learning or as a more engaging way to encourage practice and review at home or in the classroom. Teaching is constantly evolving. As we learn more about our students, we uncover new ways to ensure that they are not just learning - they are thriving. When we can connect our tech-savvy students to tech-connected learning, our students are more likely to enjoy learning. We can also...
14. Student Self-Assessment with Microsoft Word
By the end of this project, you will have created a self-report card and a behaviour reflection form for student self-reflection. You will also be equipped with suggestions for how to use these documents with students. Encouraging our students to reflect on their learning is one of many goals we have as teachers. One valuable way to do this is by allowing our students to share their perspective on the school year. What areas are going well for them? What areas do they see where they could grow?...
15. The Ultimate Soccer Guide Play Like A Pro Soccer Player
Learn how to drastically improve your soccer skills, fitness, confidence, and game intelligence FASTER than ever before...
16. Developing Your Team - Teamwork from Forming to Performing
A Team Building Guide - How To Build A High Performing Self-Directed Team - A Teamwork Guide...
17. Introduction to Machine Learning in Sports Analytics
In this course students will explore supervised machine learning techniques using the python scikit learn (sklearn) toolkit and real-world athletic data to understand both machine learning algorithms and how to predict athletic outcomes. Building on the previous courses in the specialization, students will apply methods such as support vector machines (SVM), decision trees, random forest, linear and logistic regression, and ensembles of learners to examine data from professional sports leagues...
18. Encouraging Student Collaboration with Padlet
By the end of this project, you be able to use Padlet to create a collaborative classroom fostering interactive student engagements, creating virtual lessons, and more. With Padlet, teachers and students can collaborate in real time on lessons, projects, and anything else you can imagine. Together, we will learn how to use Padlet to connect with students during virtual learning, for in class collaboration, and discover ways to improve our ability to differentiate instruction using Padlet. The...
19. Law: A Comprehensive Summary for LLB Students
An essential 24 hours of Video Lectures, Spider Graphs and Case Summaries made to guide LLB students preparing for exams...
20. Advanced Product Management: Leadership & Communication
Accelerate your Product Management career. Master communication, people management, & leadership...
Top 10 most affordable universities for student athletes
The most affordable schools for student athletes are California State University - Bakersfield, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for student athletes 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 student athletes.
1. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
2. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
6. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
7. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
8. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
9. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
10. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for student athletes
The hardest universities for student athletes to get into are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and University of Southern California.
Some great schools for student athletes 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 student athletes 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. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
8. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
9. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
Admissions rate
26%
SAT average
1,427
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for student athletes
The easiest schools for student athletes to get into are Wayland Baptist University, barry university, and felician university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a student athlete 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 student athletes.
1. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
4. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
5. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
6. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
7. Bluefield College
Bluefield, VA • Private
Admissions rate
95%
SAT average
980
8. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
9. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
10. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
Average student athlete salary by education level
| Student athlete education level | Student athlete salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $50,087 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $41,552 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $50,412 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $43,893 |
Student athlete education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common arts, entertainment, sports, and media questions.
Search for student athlete jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025