Business & Finance
Insurance Underwriters
Review individual applications for insurance to evaluate degree of risk involved and determine acceptance of applications.
Median salary (BLS)
$81,370
10th–90th percentile (BLS)
$56k – $145k
Job outlook
No separate BLS projection for this specific role
AI exposure
Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $112,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.
Plan a path to Insurance Underwriters
Education
Typical entry: Bachelor's degree
Plan my path to this →How to qualify
EstimateCost to qualify
$40,500–$153,000
Time to qualify
4.5 yr
Renewal
—
- 1
Bachelor's degree
DegreeFour years at public in-state rates — average published tuition & fees ≈ $11,610/yr, plus books. Private and out-of-state run higher; grant aid lowers most students' actual net price.
$40,000–$150,000 · 4 years source
- 2
Industry certification (optional for many roles)
CertificationRole-dependent — e.g. CPA, Series 7/65, PMP, SHRM. Not always required, but often expected for advancement.
$500–$3,000 · 6 months source
Estimated typical U.S. route for "Insurance Underwriters" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.
Typical progression
Insurance Underwriters Intern
Internship
$36,000
~4 mos to advance
Junior Insurance Underwriters
Entry / Junior
$55,530
~2 yrs to advance
Insurance Underwriters
Established
$81,370
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Insurance Underwriters
Senior
$113,265
Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.
Key skills
A typical day
- •Examine documents to determine degree of risk from factors such as applicant health, financial standing and value, and condition of property.
- •Decline excessive risks.
- •Write to field representatives, medical personnel, or others to obtain further information, quote rates, or explain company underwriting policies.
- •Evaluate possibility of losses due to catastrophe or excessive insurance.
- •Review company records to determine amount of insurance in force on single risk or group of closely related risks.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Business & Finance
Explore all- University of Pennsylvania6% admit · $112,000 grad pay
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology4% admit · $124,000 grad pay
- Harvard University4% admit · $119,000 grad pay
- University of California, Berkeley11% admit · $97,000 grad pay
- New York University12% admit · $84,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.