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Student volunteer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a student volunteer. Student volunteers usually study psychology, biology, or business. 68% of student volunteers hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 12,990 real student volunteer resumes to see exactly what student volunteer education sections show.

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

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

There are certain student volunteer certifications that you should consider. These student volunteer certifications include Certified Medical Interpreter - Spanish (CMI) and Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA).

What education do you need to become a student volunteer?

What degree do you need to be a student volunteer?

The most common degree for student volunteers is bachelor's degree, with 68% of student volunteers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 12% and associate degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 68%
  • Associate, 12%
  • Master's, 8%
  • High School Diploma, 7%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a student volunteer?

You should major in psychology to become a student volunteer. 16% of student volunteers major in psychology. Other common majors for a student volunteer include biology and business.

Most common colleges for student volunteers

Student volunteers often get their degrees at University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California - Davis, and University of Florida. Here are the most common colleges for student volunteers in the US based on their resumes.
Student volunteer common collegePercentages
University of California, Santa Barbara10.51%
University of California - Davis8.63%
University of Florida6.47%
California State University - San Bernardino6.33%
Ohio State University5.12%

Best majors for student volunteers

RankMajorPercentages
1Psychology15.5%
2Biology13.1%
3Business10.1%
4Kinesiology6.4%
5Political Science5.5%

Best colleges for student volunteers

The best colleges for student volunteers are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Vanderbilt University.

A student volunteer 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 volunteers. 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 volunteers.

1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Enrollment

16,205

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Enrollment

31,321

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

8. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

9. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

10. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

20 best online courses for student volunteers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for student volunteers

The most affordable schools for student volunteers are Hunter College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for student volunteers 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 volunteers.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

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 - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

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. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,922

Cost of attendance

18,522

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for student volunteers

The hardest universities for student volunteers to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for student volunteers 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 volunteers 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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

5. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,434

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for student volunteers

The easiest schools for student volunteers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, bluefield college, and wayland baptist university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a student volunteer 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 volunteers.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

3. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

4. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

5. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

6. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

7. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

8. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

9. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

10. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

Average student volunteer salary by education level

According to our data, student volunteers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $33,041 annually. Student volunteers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $30,978.
Student volunteer education levelStudent volunteer salary
Master's Degree$33,041
High School Diploma or Less$28,388
Bachelor's Degree$30,978
Some College/ Associate Degree$28,524

Student volunteer 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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