Trade clerk education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a trade clerk. Trade clerks usually study business, finance, or economics. 72% of trade clerks hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 344 real trade clerk resumes to see exactly what trade clerk education sections show.

The most common colleges for trade clerks are the DePaul University and the DePaul University.

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

What education do you need to become a trade clerk?

What degree do you need to be a trade clerk?

The most common degree for trade clerks is bachelor's degree, with 72% of trade clerks earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 13% and high school diploma degree at 7%.

Bachelor's, 72%

High School Diploma, 13%

Associate, 7%

Master's, 3%

Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a trade clerk?

You should major in business to become a trade clerk. 22% of trade clerks major in business. Other common majors for a trade clerk include finance and economics.

Business, 22%

Finance, 14%

Economics, 10%

Marketing, 8%

Other Majors, 46%

Most common colleges for trade clerks

Trade clerks often get their degrees at DePaul University, University of Illinois at Chicago, and Purdue University. Here are the most common colleges for trade clerks in the US based on their resumes.

Trade clerk common college	Percentages
DePaul University	15.79%
University of Illinois at Chicago	8.77%
Purdue University	7.02%
Northeastern Illinois University	5.26%
Indiana University South Bend	5.26%

Show more common trade clerk colleges

Best majors for trade clerks

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	21.6%
2	Finance	14.4%
3	Economics	9.8%
4	Marketing	7.8%
5	Political Science	5.9%

Show more common trade clerk majors

Best colleges for trade clerks

The best colleges for trade clerks are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University.

A trade 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 trade 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 trade clerks.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

8. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

20 best online courses for trade clerks

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Top 10 most affordable universities for trade clerks

The most affordable schools for trade clerks are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and university of florida.

If the best universities for trade 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 trade 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 Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

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. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for trade clerks

The hardest universities for trade clerks to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for trade 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 trade 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

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. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

10. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

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

The easiest schools for trade clerks to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame college, and holy names university.

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

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

5. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

6. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

7. Iona College

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,089

8. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Camden

Camden, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,086

9. Midwestern State University

Wichita Falls, TX • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,033

10. Rosemont College

Rosemont, PA • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,026

Average trade clerk salary by education level

Trade clerks with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $76,544 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, trade clerks earn a median annual income of $68,110 compared to $58,506 for trade clerks with an Associate degree.

Trade clerk education level	Trade clerk salary
Master's Degree	$76,544
High School Diploma or Less	$56,569
Bachelor's Degree	$68,110
Some College/ Associate Degree	$58,506

Trade clerk education FAQs

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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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