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Tourist guide education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a tourist guide. Tourist guides usually study english, hospitality management, or business. 57% of tourist guides hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 389 real tourist guide resumes to see exactly what tourist guide education sections show.
The most common colleges for tourist guides are the Cairn University and the Cairn University.
There are also many online tourist guide courses to help get the education required to be a tourist guide.
What education do you need to become a tourist guide?
What degree do you need to be a tourist guide?
- Bachelor's, 57%
- Associate, 13%
- High School Diploma, 13%
- Master's, 9%
- Other Degrees, 8%
What should I major in to become a tourist guide?
- English, 19%
- Business, 11%
- Linguistics, 7%
- Other Majors, 46%
Most common colleges for tourist guides
| Tourist guide common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Cairn University | 7.69% |
| Texas A&M University San Antonio | 7.69% |
| American University | 7.69% |
| San Jose State University | 7.69% |
| Southern New Hampshire University | 7.69% |
Best majors for tourist guides
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | 19.2% |
| 2 | Hospitality Management | 16.6% |
| 3 | Business | 11.3% |
| 4 | Linguistics | 6.6% |
| 5 | General Education, Specific Areas | 6.0% |
Best colleges for tourist guides
The best colleges for tourist guides are Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A tourist guide with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for tourist guides. 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 tourist guides.
1. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
2. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
6. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
7. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
10. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
20 best online courses for tourist guides
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Top 10 most affordable universities for tourist guides
The most affordable schools for tourist guides are Hunter College of the City University of New York, usf sarasota-manatee, and queens college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for tourist guides 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 tourist guides.
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. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
3. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
4. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
7. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
8. California State University - Northridge
Northridge, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,893
Cost of attendance
18,870
9. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
10. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for tourist guides
The hardest universities for tourist guides to get into are Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for tourist guides 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 tourist guides 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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,456
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
8. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
14%
SAT average
1,423
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for tourist guides
The easiest schools for tourist guides to get into are D'Youville College, felician university, and nyack college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a tourist guide 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 tourist guides.
1. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
2. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
3. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
4. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
5. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
6. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
7. California University of Pennsylvania
California, PA • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,007
8. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
9. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
10. College of Mount Saint Vincent
Bronx, NY • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,021
Average tourist guide salary by education level
| Tourist guide education level | Tourist guide salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $40,240 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $50,959 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $53,414 |
Tourist guide education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common personal care and attendants questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025