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Tax examiner education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a tax examiner. Tax examiners usually study business, accounting, or finance. 53% of tax examiners hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 3,257 real tax examiner resumes to see exactly what tax examiner education sections show.

The most common colleges for tax examiners are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online tax examiner courses to help get the education required to be a tax examiner.

There are certain tax examiner certifications that you should consider. These tax examiner certifications include Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

What education do you need to become a tax examiner?

What degree do you need to be a tax examiner?

The most common degree for tax examiners is bachelor's degree, with 53% of tax examiners earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 18% and associate degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 53%
  • Associate, 18%
  • High School Diploma, 10%
  • Master's, 10%
  • Other Degrees, 9%

What should I major in to become a tax examiner?

You should major in business to become a tax examiner. 31% of tax examiners major in business. Other common majors for a tax examiner include accounting and finance.

Most common colleges for tax examiners

Tax examiners often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, University of Texas at Austin, and Texas State University. Here are the most common colleges for tax examiners in the US based on their resumes.
Tax examiner common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix13.87%
University of Texas at Austin8.53%
Texas State University8.00%
Weber State University7.20%
DeVry University6.40%

Best majors for tax examiners

RankMajorPercentages
1Business31.3%
2Accounting22.9%
3Finance5.2%
4Criminal Justice4.0%
5Psychology3.7%

Best colleges for tax examiners

The best colleges for tax examiners are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Villanova University.

A tax examiner with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for tax examiners. 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 tax examiners.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

2. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

3. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

4. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

5. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

6. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

9. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$45,542

Enrollment

14,159

10. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

20 best online courses for tax examiners

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8. Tax Strategies of the Wealthy

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9. Fundamentals of Business Taxes

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Top 10 most affordable universities for tax examiners

The most affordable schools for tax examiners are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - fullerton.

If the best universities for tax examiners 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 tax examiners.

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. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

4. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

8. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

9. California State University - Northridge

Northridge, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,893

Cost of attendance

18,870

10. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for tax examiners

The hardest universities for tax examiners to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Villanova University.

Some great schools for tax examiners 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 tax examiners 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 Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

3. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

5. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

10. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

Admissions rate

46%

SAT average

1,354

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for tax examiners

The easiest schools for tax examiners to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a tax examiner 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 tax examiners.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

7. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

8. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

9. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

10. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

Average tax examiner salary by education level

According to our data, tax examiners with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $57,635 annually. Tax examiners with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $52,387.
Tax examiner education levelTax examiner salary
Master's Degree$57,635
High School Diploma or Less$40,976
Bachelor's Degree$52,387
Some College/ Associate Degree$39,324

Tax examiner 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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