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Video Editor Education Requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a video editor. Video editors usually study photography, communication, or journalism. 73% of video editors hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 12,060 real video editor resumes to see exactly what video editor education sections show.

The most common colleges for video editors are the Full Sail University and the Full Sail University.

There are also many online video editor courses to help get the education required to be a video editor.

There are certain video editor certifications that you should consider. These video editor certifications include Apple Certified Pro- Final Cut Pro X and Adobe Certified Associate (ACA).

What education do you need to become a video editor?

What degree do you need to be a video editor?

The most common degree for video editors is bachelor's degree, with 73% of video editors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 15% and associate degree degree at 5%.
  • Bachelor's, 73%
  • Associate, 15%
  • Master's, 5%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a video editor?

You should major in photography to become a video editor. 30% of video editors major in photography. Other common majors for a video editor include communication and journalism.

Most common colleges for video editors

Video editors often get their degrees at Full Sail University, New York University, and Columbia College Chicago. Here are the most common colleges for video editors in the US based on their resumes.
Video Editor Common CollegePercentages
Full Sail University15.08%
New York University8.50%
Columbia College Chicago7.26%
San Francisco State University6.24%
Savannah College of Art and Design5.44%

Best majors for video editors

RankMajorPercentages
1Photography29.7%
2Communication18.8%
3Journalism6.6%
4Digital Media6.4%
5Fine Arts5.0%

Best colleges for video editors

The best colleges for video editors are Northwestern University, New York University, and Northeastern University.

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

1. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

7. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,306

Enrollment

6,975

8. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-State Tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

9. Texas State University

San Marcos, TX • Private

In-State Tuition

$10,280

Enrollment

34,187

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

20 best online courses for video editors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for video editors

The most affordable schools for video editors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and university of florida.

If the best universities for video editors 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 video editors.

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. 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. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,620

Cost of Attendance

18,136

6. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,749

Cost of Attendance

14,823

7. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,182

Cost of Attendance

13,998

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,656

Cost of Attendance

21,623

9. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,368

Cost of Attendance

21,034

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,987

Cost of Attendance

25,527

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for video editors

The hardest universities for video editors to get into are Northwestern University, New York University, and Northeastern University.

Some great schools for video editors 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 video editors 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. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

20%

SAT Average

1,419

3. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions Rate

19%

SAT Average

1,466

4. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions Rate

19%

SAT Average

1,449

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions Rate

11%

SAT Average

1,513

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

13%

SAT Average

1,445

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions Rate

22%

SAT Average

1,420

8. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions Rate

5%

SAT Average

1,520

9. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions Rate

17%

SAT Average

1,507

10. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions Rate

7%

SAT Average

1,545

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for video editors

The easiest schools for video editors to get into are Barry University, mount saint mary's university, and university of the incarnate word.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a video editor 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 video editors.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions Rate

91%

SAT Average

1,006

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

84%

SAT Average

1,031

3. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions Rate

88%

SAT Average

1,044

4. Centenary University

Hackettstown, NJ • Private

Admissions Rate

67%

SAT Average

987

5. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions Rate

68%

SAT Average

964

6. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions Rate

92%

SAT Average

1,060

7. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

72%

SAT Average

1,054

8. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

82%

SAT Average

983

9. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions Rate

99%

SAT Average

1,008

10. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions Rate

84%

SAT Average

1,069

Average video editor salary by education level

According to our data, video editors with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $54,046 annually. Video editors with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $49,756.
Video Editor education levelVideo Editor salary
Bachelor's Degree$54,046
Some College/ Associate Degree$49,756

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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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