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Substitute paraprofessional education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a substitute paraprofessional. Substitute paraprofessionals usually study psychology, business, or liberal arts. 49% of substitute paraprofessionals hold a bachelor's degree, and 28% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 2,724 real substitute paraprofessional resumes to see exactly what substitute paraprofessional education sections show.
The most common colleges for substitute paraprofessionals are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online substitute paraprofessional courses to help get the education required to be a substitute paraprofessional.
There are certain substitute paraprofessional certifications that you should consider. These substitute paraprofessional certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor.
What education do you need to become a substitute paraprofessional?
What degree do you need to be a substitute paraprofessional?
- Bachelor's, 49%
- Associate, 28%
- High School Diploma, 12%
- Master's, 6%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become a substitute paraprofessional?
- Psychology, 13%
- Business, 13%
- Liberal Arts, 8%
- Other Majors, 59%
Most common colleges for substitute paraprofessionals
| Substitute paraprofessional common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 11.96% |
| City College of New York of the City University of New York, The | 8.61% |
| Monroe College | 7.66% |
| University of Connecticut | 6.70% |
| Southern Connecticut State University | 5.74% |
Best majors for substitute paraprofessionals
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 13.2% |
| 2 | Business | 12.6% |
| 3 | Liberal Arts | 8.0% |
| 4 | Early Childhood Education | 7.3% |
| 5 | Elementary Education | 5.6% |
Best colleges for substitute paraprofessionals
The best colleges for substitute paraprofessionals are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.
A substitute paraprofessional with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for substitute paraprofessionals. 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 substitute paraprofessionals.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
4. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
6. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
7. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
8. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
9. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
20 best online courses for substitute paraprofessionals
Advertising disclosure
1. Advanced Instructional Strategies in the Virtual Classroom
Welcome to Advanced Instructional Strategies in the Virtual Classroom! This course will help you apply strategies to the critical areas of K-12 virtual instruction to significantly impact virtual education. We will examine the pitfalls beginning teachers run into and learn how to overcome them by focusing on the fundamentals that have the greatest impact on student learning in a blended or online environment. By the end of the course, you will be able to empower your students to be voracious...
2. Teaching Impacts of Technology in K-12 Education
2% That’s the estimate of how many high school students in all of California took a Computer Science class in 2015. And yet, computers and data are everywhere. Just consider a typical 24 hours in your life … how many different computer devices do you use? We all live in multiple digital worlds that are changing rapidly with new apps, devices, and data analyses offering a constant stream of innovations and technology integrations for our lives.\n\nAs it's an integral part of our lives, we’re...
3. Master the FTCE Reading K-12
Instruction and Practice on the 44 Skills Needed to Pass the FTCE Reading K-12 Exam...
4. Instructional Design for Classroom Training
Design effective and engaging in-person classroom training sessions and learning experiences from scratch...
5. Breastfeeding and Adequate Substitutes
Ensuring adequate nutrition is essential for infants to reach their full potential, as early-life nutritional imbalances and deficiencies may result in detrimental and often irreversible adverse health consequences. "Breastfeeding and Adequate Substitutes" focuses on the important aspects of human milk composition, human lactation, breastfeeding practices, and the use of breastmilk substitutes. In addition to the theoretical and practical aspects of infant nutrition, we also provide the latest...
6. Image Compression with K-Means Clustering
In this project, you will apply the k-means clustering unsupervised learning algorithm using scikit-learn and Python to build an image compression application with interactive controls. By the end of this 45-minute long project, you will be competent in pre-processing high-resolution image data for k-means clustering, conducting basic exploratory data analysis (EDA) and data visualization, applying a computationally time-efficient implementation of the k-means algorithm, Mini-Batch K-Means, to...
7. Occupational Therapy Introduction - ACCREDITED CERTIFICATE
How to become occupational therapist, basic Psychology, Physiology & Anatomy, working with disabilities, children adults...
8. Instructional Design for ELearning
Designing Successful ELearning Courses. Learn from a multi-award-winning instructional designer...
9. Computational Thinking for K-12 Educators: Sequences and Loops
How do we give instructions to a computer? Isn't programming hard? Not really! Whether it's giving someone directions to a nearby store or writing out some dance moves we frequently exhibit aspects of computational thinking in our everyday lives! This class teaches the first key concepts of programming -- sequences of instructions and basic counted repetition of instructions. For each concept, we'll start by helping you connect real-world experiences you are already familiar with to the...
10. Foundations of Virtual Instruction
Welcome to Foundations of Virtual Instruction! This course will help you 'up' your game and develop the advanced skills and techniques that elude even some of the most experienced virtual teachers in the K-12 space. Examine pitfalls and learn how to overcome them by focusing on the fundamentals that have the most significant impact on student learning in a blended or online environment. When you complete this course, you will be able to: • Craft virtual learning experiences that align with your...
11. Practical AI with Python and Reinforcement Learning
Learn how to use Reinforcement Learning techniques to create practical Artificial Intelligence programs!...
12. Executive Briefing: Reinforcement Learning (RL)
Reinforcement Learning for Executives and Top-Level Managers: understand Reinforcement Learning in under 30 Minutes...
13. Instructional Planning with Genially
Genially is “the tool that brings content to life.” Genially allows you to map out a learning journey for your students using high interest images and interactive tools. But did you know that Genially is also a wonderful tool for organizing your lessons and units. With Genially, you can plan and organize your units in one central place, simplifying your planning process with templates created with teachers in mind! Throughout this project, we will work together to build your confidence using...
14. Modern Reinforcement Learning: Actor-Critic Agents
Implement Cutting Edge Artificial Intelligence Research Papers in the Open AI Gym Using the Py Torch & Tensorflow2...
15. Instructional Design Pro (Part 1): No Beginners Allowed!
Write Golden Training Curriculum that's Easier to Learn and More Enjoyable to Teach...
16. Instructional Design Pro (Part 3): No Beginners Allowed!
Write Golden Training Curriculum that's Easier to Learn and More Enjoyable to Teach...
17. Instructional Design for Corporate Learning and Development
Giving you the tools to design and deliver on-point, effective corporate training programs...
18. Cutting-Edge AI: Deep Reinforcement Learning in Python
Apply deep learning to artificial intelligence and reinforcement learning using evolution strategies, A2C, and DDPG...
19. Reinforcement Learning beginner to master - AI in Python
Build Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents using Deep Reinforcement Learning and Py Torch: A2C, REINFORCE, DQN, etc...
20. Artificial Intelligence: Reinforcement Learning in Python
Complete guide to Reinforcement Learning, with Stock Trading and Online Advertising Applications...
Top 10 most affordable universities for substitute paraprofessionals
The most affordable schools for substitute paraprofessionals 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 substitute paraprofessionals 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 substitute paraprofessionals.
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. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
7. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
8. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
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 substitute paraprofessionals
The hardest universities for substitute paraprofessionals to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for substitute paraprofessionals 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 substitute paraprofessionals 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
5. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
6. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for substitute paraprofessionals
The easiest schools for substitute paraprofessionals to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, bluefield college, and oklahoma wesleyan university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a substitute paraprofessional 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 substitute paraprofessionals.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Bluefield College
Bluefield, VA • Private
Admissions rate
95%
SAT average
980
3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
4. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
5. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
6. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
7. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
8. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
9. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
10. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
Average substitute paraprofessional salary by education level
| Substitute paraprofessional education level | Substitute paraprofessional salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $32,543 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $30,022 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $30,839 |
| Doctorate Degree | $33,022 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $30,276 |
Substitute paraprofessional education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025