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Teacher/tutor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a teacher/tutor. Teacher/tutors usually study elementary education, english, or education. 67% of teacher/tutors hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,365 real teacher/tutor resumes to see exactly what teacher/tutor education sections show.

The most common colleges for teacher/tutors are the University of California - Davis and the University of California - Davis.

There are also many online teacher/tutor courses to help get the education required to be a teacher/tutor.

There are certain teacher/tutor certifications that you should consider. These teacher/tutor certifications include Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE) and Educational Certificate: K-12 (Ed:).

What education do you need to become a teacher/tutor?

What degree do you need to be a teacher/tutor?

The most common degree for teacher/tutors is bachelor's degree, with 67% of teacher/tutors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 18% and master's degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 67%
  • Master's, 18%
  • Associate, 8%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a teacher/tutor?

You should major in elementary education to become a teacher/tutor. 13% of teacher/tutors major in elementary education. Other common majors for a teacher/tutor include english and education.

Most common colleges for teacher/tutors

Teacher/tutors often get their degrees at University of California - Davis, University of Phoenix, and New York University. Here are the most common colleges for teacher/tutors in the US based on their resumes.
Teacher/tutor common collegePercentages
University of California - Davis9.23%
University of Phoenix7.38%
New York University7.01%
California State University - San Bernardino6.64%
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill5.17%

Best majors for teacher/tutors

RankMajorPercentages
1Elementary Education13.1%
2English11.6%
3Education11.4%
4Psychology9.0%
5Business5.9%

Best colleges for teacher/tutors

The best colleges for teacher/tutors are Harvard University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A teacher/tutor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for teacher/tutors. 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 teacher/tutors.

1. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

6. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

7. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

9. Brown University

Providence, RI • Private

In-state tuition

$55,466

Enrollment

6,752

10. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

20 best online courses for teacher/tutors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for teacher/tutors

The most affordable schools for teacher/tutors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and usf sarasota-manatee.

If the best universities for teacher/tutors 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 teacher/tutors.

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 - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

6. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

7. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for teacher/tutors

The hardest universities for teacher/tutors to get into are Harvard University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for teacher/tutors 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 teacher/tutors 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. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Brown University

Providence, RI • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for teacher/tutors

The easiest schools for teacher/tutors to get into are Barry University, gwynedd mercy university, and the university of texas permian basin.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a teacher/tutor 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 teacher/tutors.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

4. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

5. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

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. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

9. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

10. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

Average teacher/tutor salary by education level

According to our data, teacher/tutors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $53,207 annually. Teacher/tutors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $49,222.
Teacher/tutor education levelTeacher/tutor salary
Master's Degree$49,222
High School Diploma or Less$39,155
Bachelor's Degree$44,681
Doctorate Degree$53,207
Some College/ Associate Degree$42,667

Teacher/tutor 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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