Student development advisor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a student development advisor. Student development advisors usually study business, computer science, or psychology. 68% of student development advisors hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,219 real student development advisor resumes to see exactly what student development advisor education sections show.

The most common colleges for student development advisors are the Langston University and the Langston University.

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

What education do you need to become a student development advisor?

What degree do you need to be a student development advisor?

The most common degree for student development advisors is bachelor's degree, with 68% of student development advisors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 17% and master's degree degree at 8%.

Bachelor's, 68%

Master's, 17%

Associate, 8%

High School Diploma, 3%

Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a student development advisor?

You should major in business to become a student development advisor. 17% of student development advisors major in business. Other common majors for a student development advisor include computer science and psychology.

Business, 17%

Computer Science, 16%

Psychology, 10%

Communication, 6%

Other Majors, 51%

Most common colleges for student development advisors

Student development advisors often get their degrees at Langston University, Purdue University, and College of the Holy Cross. Here are the most common colleges for student development advisors in the US based on their resumes.

Student development advisor common college	Percentages
Langston University	8.79%
Purdue University	6.59%
College of the Holy Cross	6.59%
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities	6.04%
University of Phoenix	6.04%

Show more common student development advisor colleges

Best majors for student development advisors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	17.0%
2	Computer Science	15.7%
3	Psychology	9.6%
4	Communication	6.0%
5	Computer Engineering	5.7%

Show more common student development advisor majors

Best colleges for student development advisors

The best colleges for student development advisors are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.

A student development advisor 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 development advisors. 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 development advisors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

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. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

10. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

20 best online courses for student development advisors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for student development advisors

The most affordable schools for student development advisors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for student development advisors 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 development advisors.

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 - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

9. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

10. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for student development advisors

The hardest universities for student development advisors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for student development advisors 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 development advisors 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. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for student development advisors

The easiest schools for student development advisors to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan 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 student development advisor 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 development advisors.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

4. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

7. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

8. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

9. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

10. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

Average student development advisor salary by education level

According to our data, student development advisors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $112,590 annually. Student development advisors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $111,057.

Student development advisor education level	Student development advisor salary
Master's Degree	$111,057
Bachelor's Degree	$99,378
Doctorate Degree	$112,590

Student development advisor education FAQs

What is the best college for Student Development Advisors?

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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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