Town clerk education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a town clerk. Town clerks usually study business, accounting, or liberal arts. 40% of town clerks hold a bachelor's degree, and 29% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,086 real town clerk resumes to see exactly what town clerk education sections show.

The most common colleges for town clerks are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online town clerk courses to help get the education required to be a town clerk.

What education do you need to become a town clerk?

What degree do you need to be a town clerk?

The most common degree for town clerks is bachelor's degree, with 40% of town clerks earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 29% and associate degree degree at 17%.

Bachelor's, 40%

Associate, 29%

High School Diploma, 17%

Master's, 5%

Other Degrees, 9%

What should I major in to become a town clerk?

You should major in business to become a town clerk. 32% of town clerks major in business. Other common majors for a town clerk include accounting and liberal arts.

Business, 32%

Accounting, 15%

Liberal Arts, 5%

Psychology, 5%

Other Majors, 43%

Most common colleges for town clerks

Town clerks often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Central State University, and Southern Connecticut State University. Here are the most common colleges for town clerks in the US based on their resumes.

Town clerk common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	14.29%
Central State University	7.14%
Southern Connecticut State University	7.14%
University of Connecticut	5.95%
Champlain College	5.95%

Show more common town clerk colleges

Best majors for town clerks

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	31.7%
2	Accounting	15.5%
3	Liberal Arts	5.1%
4	Psychology	4.8%
5	English	3.9%

Show more common town clerk majors

Best colleges for town clerks

The best colleges for town clerks are Northwestern University, Boston College, and University of Pennsylvania.

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

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Enrollment

14,629

7. Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$11,105

Enrollment

13,729

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

9. Cedar Crest College

Allentown, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$39,216

Enrollment

1,303

10. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

20 best online courses for town clerks

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Top 10 most affordable universities for town clerks

The most affordable schools for town clerks are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and university of puerto rico - mayaguez.

If the best universities for town clerks 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 town clerks.

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. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

4. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

9. Dickinson State University

Dickinson, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$6,768

Cost of attendance

15,506

10. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for town clerks

The hardest universities for town clerks to get into are Northwestern University, Boston College, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for town clerks 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 town clerks 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

SAT average

1,508

2. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

8. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

9. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for town clerks

The easiest schools for town clerks to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and notre dame college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a town clerk 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 town clerks.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

7. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

8. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

9. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

10. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

Average town clerk salary by education level

Town clerks with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $53,190 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, town clerks earn a median annual income of $51,871 compared to $49,685 for town clerks with an Associate degree.

Town clerk education level	Town clerk salary
Master's Degree	$53,190
High School Diploma or Less	$48,238
Bachelor's Degree	$51,871
Some College/ Associate Degree	$49,685

Town clerk education FAQs

What is the best college for Town Clerks?

Have more questions? See all answers to common office and administrative questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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