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Tour Guide Education Requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a tour guide. Tour guides usually study business, communication, or psychology. 70% of tour guides hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 20,233 real tour guide resumes to see exactly what tour guide education sections show.
The most common colleges for tour guides are the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University.
There are also many online tour guide courses to help get the education required to be a tour guide.
There are certain tour guide certifications that you should consider. These tour guide certifications include First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor and Travel and Tourism Professional (TTP).
What education do you need to become a tour guide?
What degree do you need to be a tour guide?
- Bachelor's, 70%
- High School Diploma, 11%
- Associate, 10%
- Master's, 5%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a tour guide?
- Business, 13%
- Communication, 9%
- Psychology, 9%
- History, 8%
- Other Majors, 61%
Most common colleges for tour guides
Tour Guide Common College  | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania State University | 7.03% |
| University of Wisconsin Colleges | 6.80% |
| Brigham Young University | 6.21% |
| University of Rhode Island | 6.21% |
| New York University | 5.98% |
Best majors for tour guides
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 12.9% |
| 2 | Communication | 9.4% |
| 3 | Psychology | 8.5% |
| 4 | History | 8.1% |
| 5 | English | 6.5% |
Best colleges for tour guides
The best colleges for tour guides are Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University.
A tour 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 tour 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 tour guides.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
20 best online courses for tour guides
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Top 10 most affordable universities for tour guides
The most affordable schools for tour guides are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for tour 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 tour guides.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,306
Cost of Attendance
16,091
2. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,309
Cost of Attendance
16,714
3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,240
Cost of Attendance
13,991
4. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,262
Cost of Attendance
14,046
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,620
Cost of Attendance
18,136
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for tour guides
The hardest universities for tour guides to get into are Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for tour 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 tour 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
4%
SAT Average
1,497
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
8%
SAT Average
1,492
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions Rate
8%
SAT Average
1,508
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions Rate
11%
SAT Average
1,513
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
13%
SAT Average
1,445
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for tour guides
The easiest schools for tour guides to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a tour 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 tour guides.
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. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
70%
SAT Average
849
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions Rate
90%
SAT Average
994
5. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
83%
SAT Average
1,061
Average tour guide salary by education level
| Tour Guide education level | Tour Guide salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $32,866 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $36,623 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $37,421 |
Tour 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