Student Worker Education Requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a student worker. Student workers usually study business, psychology, or criminal justice. 65% of student workers hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 62,372 real student worker resumes to see exactly what student worker education sections show.

The most common colleges for student workers are the Texas A&M; University and the Texas A&M; University.

There are also many online student worker courses to help get the education required to be a student worker.

There are certain student worker certifications that you should consider. These student worker certifications include Microsoft Office Specialist Master Certification (MOS) and Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA).

What education do you need to become a student worker?

What degree do you need to be a student worker?

The most common degree for student workers is bachelor's degree, with 65% of student workers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 15% and associate degree degree at 12%.
  • Bachelor's, 65%
  • Associate, 15%
  • High School Diploma, 12%
  • Master's, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a student worker?

You should major in business to become a student worker. 15% of student workers major in business. Other common majors for a student worker include psychology and criminal justice.

Most common colleges for student workers

Student workers often get their degrees at Texas A&M; University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and Mississippi State University. Here are the most common colleges for student workers in the US based on their resumes.
Student Worker Common College
ascdesc
Percentages
ascdesc
Texas A&M University17.96%
Southern Illinois University Carbondale7.96%
Mississippi State University6.16%
Murray State University6.14%
Louisiana State University and A&M College6.06%

Best majors for student workers

Rank
ascdesc
Major
ascdesc
Percentages
ascdesc
1Business14.6%
2Psychology12.3%
3Criminal Justice7.0%
4Biology6.4%
5Communication6.2%

Best colleges for student workers

The best colleges for student workers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston College.

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

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

Website

www.upenn.edu

Address

1 College Hall, Room 100, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6303

Median Earnings 6 years after Graduation: $91,200 per year

Net Price: $25,033 per year

Admissions
Acceptance Rate - 8.41%
SAT Average - 1492
ACT Average - 34
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Finance
Business
Nursing
Social Work

2. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

Website

www.albany.edu

Address

1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222

Median Earnings 6 years after Graduation: $41,000 per year

Net Price: $17,298 per year

Admissions
Acceptance Rate - 52.08%
SAT Average - 1185
ACT Average - 25
Most Popular Majors
Business
Biology
Psychology
Communication
Accounting

3. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

Website

www.binghamton.edu

Address

P.O. Box 6000, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000

Median Earnings 6 years after Graduation: $47,700 per year

Net Price: $18,958 per year

Admissions
Acceptance Rate - 39.81%
SAT Average - 1376
ACT Average - 30
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Accounting
Psychology
Nursing
Computer Science

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

Website

www.northwestern.edu

Address

633 Clark St, Evanston, IL 60208

Median Earnings 6 years after Graduation: $71,900 per year

Net Price: $24,840 per year

Admissions
Acceptance Rate - 8.47%
SAT Average - 1508
ACT Average - 34
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Business
Liberal Arts
Communication
Psychology

5. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

Website

www.psu.edu/

Address

201 Old Main Building, University Park, PA 16802-1589

Median Earnings 6 years after Graduation: $43,600 per year

Net Price: $30,996 per year

Admissions
Acceptance Rate - 56.49%
SAT Average - 1269
ACT Average - 28
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Accounting
Finance
Psychology
Marketing

20 best online courses for student workers

Advertising Disclosure

1. Sort students marks using bubble and insertion algorithms

coursera

The learner will create two sorting algorithms in Java programming language. The learner will create an optimised bubble sort function that sorts students' marks in ascending order by repeatedly swapping adjacent elements within an array if they are in the wrong order. The learner will also create an insertion sort function that sorts students' marks in ascending order by building a sorted array, one element at a time...

2. Enhance Student Learning through Kahoot

coursera

By the end of this project, you will have created a Kahoot collection that will engage your students during virtual learning or as a more engaging way to encourage practice and review at home or in the classroom. Teaching is constantly evolving. As we learn more about our students, we uncover new ways to ensure that they are not just learning - they are thriving. When we can connect our tech-savvy students to tech-connected learning, our students are more likely to enjoy learning. We can also...

3. Business English Course for ESL Students

udemy
4.6
(9,199)

Learn essential Business English vocabulary for presentations, meetings, negotiations, phone calls, e-mails, and more!...

4. Thermodynamics for Engineering Students

udemy
4.8
(564)

A Detailed Introduction to Thermodynamics...

5. Unleash Student Creativity with Buncee

coursera

By the end of this project, you will be able to use Buncee to unleash your students’ creativity. Buncee is “a creation and communication tool… to create interactive content, allowing those of all ages to visualize concepts and communicate creatively.” With Buncee, learning becomes more personalized as students are able to share through engaging multimedia projects using Buncee’s templates, stickers, and animations. Throughout this project, we will work together to ensure that you are confident...

6. Encouraging Student Collaboration with Padlet

coursera

By the end of this project, you be able to use Padlet to create a collaborative classroom fostering interactive student engagements, creating virtual lessons, and more. With Padlet, teachers and students can collaborate in real time on lessons, projects, and anything else you can imagine. Together, we will learn how to use Padlet to connect with students during virtual learning, for in class collaboration, and discover ways to improve our ability to differentiate instruction using Padlet. The...

7. Law: A Comprehensive Summary for LLB Students

udemy
4.2
(253)

An essential 24 hours of Video Lectures, Spider Graphs and Case Summaries made to guide LLB students preparing for exams...

8. Data Entry Skills: A Complete Data Entry Course from Scratch

udemy
4.7
(533)

A Complete Guide to Data Entry Skills: Learn Data Entry Skills and become a Data Entry Pro & Get a Online Data Entry Job...

9. Engage and Assess Students with Quizizz

coursera

By the end of this project, you will be ready to use Quizizz with your students to create gamified quizzes, polls, and lessons. Whether you are teaching online or in the classroom, Quizizz allows you to gather valuable assessment data while your students are actively engaged in a friendly competitive game. Throughout each task, we will set up your Quizizz account and learn how to create your own quizzes as well as use the reporting feature to see how your students are progressing. Engage your...

10. Create a Record of Students using Arrays in Java

coursera

This project provides a step-by-step approach in instruction and will equip you with fundamental concepts of creating arrays and array lists in Java programming, from the ground up. Using jGRASP development environment, you will create a Java project that records and processes students’ data. The data includes name, mode of study, and marks. Using this data, you will output the student details, compute the total marks per student, determine the average mark, and the highest mark for the class...

Top 10 most affordable universities for student workers

The most affordable schools for student workers are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for student workers 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 student workers.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,182

Cost of Attendance

13,998

Website

www.hunter.cuny.edu

Address

695 Park Ave, New York, NY 10021

Median Earnings 6 years after Graduation: $39,300 per year

Net Price: $2,796 per year

Admissions
Acceptance Rate - 36.42%
SAT Average - 1240
Most Popular Majors
Psychology
Social Work
Nursing
Biology
English

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,798

Cost of Attendance

18,306

Website

www.csulb.edu

Address

1250 Bellflower Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90840-0115

Median Earnings 6 years after Graduation: $40,000 per year

Net Price: $8,982 per year

Admissions
Acceptance Rate - 31.21%
SAT Average - 1146
ACT Average - 23
Most Popular Majors
Business
Psychology
Biology
Liberal Arts
Kinesiology

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,309

Cost of Attendance

16,714

Website

www.csub.edu

Address

9001 Stockdale Hwy, Bakersfield, CA 93311-1022

Median Earnings 6 years after Graduation: $39,100 per year

Net Price: $5,687 per year

Admissions
Acceptance Rate - 23.02%
Most Popular Majors
Liberal Arts
Business
Biology
Psychology
Criminal Justice

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,620

Cost of Attendance

18,136

Website

www.byu.edu

Address

Main Campus, Provo, UT 84602

Median Earnings 6 years after Graduation: $46,600 per year

Net Price: $13,181 per year

Admissions
Acceptance Rate - 64.47%
SAT Average - 1324
ACT Average - 29
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Accounting
Business
Psychology
Computer Science

5. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,262

Cost of Attendance

14,046

Website

www.baruch.cuny.edu

Address

One Bernard Baruch Way, New York, NY 10010

Median Earnings 6 years after Graduation: $47,500 per year

Net Price: $2,981 per year

Admissions
Acceptance Rate - 39.29%
SAT Average - 1305
Most Popular Majors
Finance
Accounting
Business
Psychology
Political Science

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for student workers

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

Some great schools for student workers 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 student workers 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

Website

www.northwestern.edu

Address

633 Clark St, Evanston, IL 60208

Median Earnings 6 years after Graduation: $71,900 per year

Net Price: $24,840 per year

Admissions
Acceptance Rate - 8.47%
SAT Average - 1508
ACT Average - 34
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Business
Liberal Arts
Communication
Psychology

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions Rate

8%

SAT Average

1,492

Website

www.upenn.edu

Address

1 College Hall, Room 100, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6303

Median Earnings 6 years after Graduation: $91,200 per year

Net Price: $25,033 per year

Admissions
Acceptance Rate - 8.41%
SAT Average - 1492
ACT Average - 34
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Finance
Business
Nursing
Social Work

3. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions Rate

28%

SAT Average

1,429

Website

www.bc.edu

Address

140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

Median Earnings 6 years after Graduation: $64,900 per year

Net Price: $33,562 per year

Admissions
Acceptance Rate - 27.89%
SAT Average - 1429
ACT Average - 33
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Finance
Business
Social Work
Communication

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

20%

SAT Average

1,419

Website

www.nyu.edu

Address

70 Washington Square South, New York, NY 10012-1091

Median Earnings 6 years after Graduation: $55,900 per year

Net Price: $42,397 per year

Admissions
Acceptance Rate - 19.99%
SAT Average - 1419
ACT Average - 32
Most Popular Majors
Liberal Arts
Business
Biology
Nursing
Social Work

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions Rate

11%

SAT Average

1,513

Website

www.jhu.edu

Address

3400 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21218-2688

Median Earnings 6 years after Graduation: $68,000 per year

Net Price: $30,701 per year

Admissions
Acceptance Rate - 11.48%
SAT Average - 1513
ACT Average - 34
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Finance
Nursing
Political Science
Marketing

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for student workers

The easiest schools for student workers to get into are Nyack College, kean university, and mount saint mary's university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a student worker 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 student workers.

1. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

98%

SAT Average

999

Website

www.nyack.edu/consumerinfo

Address

1 South Boulevard, Nyack, NY 10960-3698

Median Earnings 6 years after Graduation: $38,500 per year

Net Price: $20,151 per year

Admissions
Acceptance Rate - 98.25%
SAT Average - 999
ACT Average - 20
Most Popular Majors
Liberal Arts
Business
Social Work
Nursing
Psychology

2. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions Rate

86%

SAT Average

991

Website

www.kean.edu

Address

1000 Morris Ave, Union, NJ 07083-0411

Median Earnings 6 years after Graduation: $38,000 per year

Net Price: $18,547 per year

Admissions
Acceptance Rate - 85.98%
SAT Average - 991
ACT Average - 20
Most Popular Majors
Psychology
Biology
Business
Communication
Criminal Justice

3. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

84%

SAT Average

1,031

Website

https://www.msmu.edu

Address

12001 Chalon Road, Los Angeles, CA 90049

Median Earnings 6 years after Graduation: $57,700 per year

Net Price: $29,267 per year

Admissions
Acceptance Rate - 83.82%
SAT Average - 1031
ACT Average - 20
Most Popular Majors
Nursing
Liberal Arts
Business
Biology
Sociology

4. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

85%

SAT Average

1,053

Website

www.fresno.edu

Address

1717 S. Chestnut Ave., Fresno, CA 93702

Median Earnings 6 years after Graduation: $38,400 per year

Net Price: $20,706 per year

Admissions
Acceptance Rate - 85.11%
SAT Average - 1053
ACT Average - 20
Most Popular Majors
Liberal Arts
Business
Social Work
Nursing
Biology

5. Iona College

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

88%

SAT Average

1,089

Website

www.iona.edu

Address

715 North Ave, New Rochelle, NY 10801-1890

Median Earnings 6 years after Graduation: $45,900 per year

Net Price: $28,754 per year

Admissions
Acceptance Rate - 88.16%
SAT Average - 1089
ACT Average - 23
Most Popular Majors
Business
Marketing
Accounting
Finance
Communication

Average student worker salary by education level

According to our data, student workers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $30,031 annually. Student workers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $25,000.
Student Worker education level
ascdesc
Student Worker salary
ascdesc
Master's Degree$30,031
Bachelor's Degree$25,000

Student Worker Education FAQs

Search for student worker jobs

Loading...
Loading...

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.

Browse community and social services jobs