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Student athletic trainer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a student athletic trainer. Student athletic trainers usually study athletic training, kinesiology, or biology. 74% of student athletic trainers hold a bachelor's degree, and 10% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 8,148 real student athletic trainer resumes to see exactly what student athletic trainer education sections show.

The most common colleges for student athletic trainers are the Colorado State University and the Colorado State University.

There are also many online student athletic trainer courses to help get the education required to be a student athletic trainer.

There are certain student athletic trainer certifications that you should consider. These student athletic trainer certifications include Athletic Trainer Certification (ATC) and First Aid Certification.

What education do you need to become a student athletic trainer?

What degree do you need to be a student athletic trainer?

The most common degree for student athletic trainers is bachelor's degree, with 74% of student athletic trainers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 10% and associate degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 74%
  • Associate, 10%
  • High School Diploma, 7%
  • Master's, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a student athletic trainer?

You should major in athletic training to become a student athletic trainer. 36% of student athletic trainers major in athletic training. Other common majors for a student athletic trainer include kinesiology and biology.

Most common colleges for student athletic trainers

Student athletic trainers often get their degrees at Colorado State University, Brigham Young University, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Here are the most common colleges for student athletic trainers in the US based on their resumes.
Student athletic trainer common collegePercentages
Colorado State University12.10%
Brigham Young University5.76%
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University5.76%
San Diego State University5.48%
Baylor University5.48%

Best majors for student athletic trainers

RankMajorPercentages
1Athletic Training36.1%
2Kinesiology24.0%
3Biology6.0%
4Psychology4.8%
5Business3.9%

Best colleges for student athletic trainers

The best colleges for student athletic trainers are Northwestern University, University of Tulsa, and Northeastern University.

A student athletic trainer 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 athletic trainers. 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 athletic trainers.

1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

5. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

6. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

7. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

9. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,306

Enrollment

6,975

10. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

20 best online courses for student athletic trainers

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1. The Science of Training Young Athletes

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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. Enhance Student Learning through Kahoot

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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...

3. Crisis Intervention Seminar

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The emphasis is on the development of fundamental clinical skills in the area of crisis intervention...

4. Cupping Massage Mastery

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4.6
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Master Silicone Cupping in 2023 and Become the Go-To Therapist for Chronic Pain and Athletic Recovery...

5. Engage and Assess Students with Quizizz

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By the end of this project, you will be ready to use Quizizz with your students to create gamified quizzes, polls, and lessons. Whether you are teaching online or in the classroom, Quizizz allows you to gather valuable assessment data while your students are actively engaged in a friendly competitive game. Throughout each task, we will set up your Quizizz account and learn how to create your own quizzes as well as use the reporting feature to see how your students are progressing. Engage your...

6. Creating a Student Profile in Google Docs

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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. Sport Psychology for Athletes

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Master the fundamentals of sport psychology to improve performance and gain a mental edge...

8. Sports Nutrition for Athletes and Fitness Enthusiasts

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Learn all about sports nutrition with 7 hours of online video content and start training SMARTER instead of HARDER...

9. Medical Emergencies: CPR, Toxicology, and Wilderness

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In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: (1) Identify the signs and symptoms associated with a patient in shock, to describe the major categories of shock, to assess a patient with signs of shock and formulate a plan for treatment to stabilize the patient for transport, (2) Identify a patient in cardiac arrest and to describe the components of high performance CPR...

10. Introduction to Machine Learning in Sports Analytics

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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...

11. Game Physics - Introducing Gravitation & Rotation in Unity

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Step-by-step tutorial on how to create a basic rigid body motion physics from scratch. Taught in C# using Unity 3D free...

12. The Complete Train the Trainer Bootcamp - Beginners-Advanced

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4.5
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The Only Train the Trainer Course You Will Need: In-Person Training, Virtual Training, Beginner Intermediate & Advanced...

13. Encouraging Student Collaboration with Padlet

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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...

14. Evaluation of Digital Health Interventions

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This course focuses on data, evaluation methods and the economic evaluation of digital health interventions. This module focuses on key data considerations for digital health including data management, data visualisation and methods for evaluating digital health interventions. The key focus is on experimental and quasi-experimental design approaches that can be applied to evaluating digital health interventions and key considerations for the economic evaluation of digital health interventions...

15. Deep Tissue Massage: Neuromuscular Therapy Certificate

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Neuromuscular Therapy is a highly effective form of Deep Tissue Massage for pain relief (2 CEUs)...

16. Train the Trainer 101: For Beginners Only!

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Quickly go from trainee to trainer using The Rule the Room training method: How to Train Anything to Anyone...

17. Using Google Forms for Student Success

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By the end of this project, you have used Google Forms to create several tools to use with your students and parents in order to ensure a successful school year. With volunteer sign-up forms, you can simplify your volunteer process within your classroom and across the school. Through exit tickets and assessments, you will be able to check your student’s understanding of the content taught that day or during a unit so that you can adjust instruction to address misunderstandings or gather...

18. Sports Turf Management: Best Practices

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The Sports Turf Management: Best Practices course will cover the construction, management, and challenges in maintaining athletic fields intended for football, soccer, and baseball. You will learn the fundamental management practices for maintaining athletic fields, such as fertilization, irrigation, mowing, and pest control. An overview of athletic field construction, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of native soil versus modified soil fields, will be provided. Lastly, you will...

19. Train the Trainer - PRACTICAL Training & Facilitation Skills

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PRACTICAL Training & Facilitation Skills for Trainers, Facilitators and Facilitative Trainers...

20. Treatment & Prevention of Dog Aggression: Biting & Fighting

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Learn new concepts that can significantly accelerate the training of dogs with aggression and reactivity issues...

Top 10 most affordable universities for student athletic trainers

The most affordable schools for student athletic trainers are Brigham Young University, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for student athletic trainers 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 athletic trainers.

1. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

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. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

7. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

8. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

9. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

10. California State University - Northridge

Northridge, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,893

Cost of attendance

18,870

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for student athletic trainers

The hardest universities for student athletic trainers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Tulsa, and Northeastern University.

Some great schools for student athletic trainers 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 athletic trainers 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 Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

3. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

4. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

5. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,449

6. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,434

7. Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

58%

SAT average

1,304

8. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,307

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for student athletic trainers

The easiest schools for student athletic trainers to get into are Barry University, life university, and kean university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a student athletic trainer 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 athletic trainers.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

3. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

4. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

5. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

6. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

7. Thomas More University

Crestview Hills, KY • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,099

8. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

9. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

10. Clarke University

Dubuque, IA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

1,058

Average student athletic trainer salary by education level

According to our data, student athletic trainers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $52,120 annually. Student athletic trainers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $48,826.
Student athletic trainer education levelStudent athletic trainer salary
Master's Degree$52,120
Bachelor's Degree$48,826
Some College/ Associate Degree$46,111

Student athletic trainer 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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