Top 15 Best FBI Colleges in USA to Become an FBI Agent (2023)

FAQs

What college degrees does the FBI look for? ›

All FBI agents must hold a bachelor's degree at minimum, and many possess a master's degree or higher. FBI agents often earn degrees in fields such as criminal justice or political science, though the Bureau does not maintain any specific academic major requirements for applicants.

For the special agent process, we require a college degree, but also a minimum of three years of continuous work experience before being able to apply to the FBI. There are caveats to that. If you obtain an advanced degree, you can lower the number of continuous work experience years from three down to two.

How long does it take to become an FBI agent? It's a long process to become an FBI agent—generally at least six or seven years. First you need at least a bachelor's degree, which typically takes four years of full-time study. You will also need at least two years of full-time professional work experience.

Science (chemistry, physics and biology)

Science degrees or even STEM courses in themselves will provide a variety of potential opportunities for those working with the FBI agent or any government entities. Having a strong background in chemistry, physics, and biology is a good start.

How Does the FBI Hire Agents? The FBI accepts fewer than 20% of applicants, making jobs within the bureau highly competitive.

However, the agency does not recommend one degree over another, as long as you are maintaining a 3.0 grade point average or better. The CIA accepts applicants from all kinds of colleges, including state universities, community colleges and Ivy League schools.

School information

The cost to attend FBI Academy ranges from $2,000 to $50,000 depending on the qualification, with a median cost of $10,000.

Students must have and maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) throughout the application process (or, for collegiate hires, through graduation).

The minimum education requirement for this position is a bachelor's degree, though FBI agents who work in leadership and technical positions often have a master's degree. Understanding what subject to major in can help you prepare to conduct investigations and develop criminal cases.

FBI Agent Training at Quantico

Before beginning field work, FBI agents must pass through New Agent Training at the FBI Academy. This approximately 20-week course is one of the most difficult training programs law enforcement officials will ever go through, and it will test both physical and mental limits.

How can I increase my chances of becoming an FBI agent? ›

Becoming an FBI agent is a tremendously difficult and competitive process. It takes years of time, planning, and hard work to mold yourself into the kind of candidate the FBI is looking to hire, and the hiring process itself can take a year or longer.

Do FBI agents have a uniform? They frequently wear suits and ties for the majority of their work. They may be dressed casually while making arrests or conducting surveillance. When performing undercover operations, they dress appropriately for the position they are portraying.

All special agents begin their career at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, for 20 weeks of intensive training at one of the world's finest law enforcement training facilities. During their time there, trainees live on campus and participate in a variety of training activities.

You must be at least 23 years old at the time of your appointment. You must also be younger than 37, unless you qualify for an age waiver available to veterans.

The application process is a lengthy one: On average, Phase 1 takes about 23 weeks to complete, and Phase II, including the background check and field training, may take more than a year. Individuals considering an FBI career should be prepared for a moderate amount of disruption during this process.

4) Physical residence in the United States for three of the last five years. Currently, the foreign languages most needed by the FBI are Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Dari, Hebrew, Farsi, Korean, Pashto, Somali, Spanish, Tigrinya, and Urdu. Individuals with proficiency in other languages are also encouraged to attend.

These are generally located in major cities. The offices in Los Angeles, New York City and Washington D.C. are large enough to each have an assistant director; other offices are overseen by a special agent in charge. In addition to the field offices, resident agencies are located in smaller cities and towns.

Due to the nature of the work, and the general high-stress that goes with being in law enforcement, FBI agents may experience stress-related health issues such as depression, anxiety, heart problems, digestive problems, chronic pain, sleep difficulties and poor nutrition.

Work Environment

The FBI says that special agents must "work a minimum of 50 hours a week (which may include irregular hours) and be on call 24/7, including holidays and weekends." They are on call for possible assignment 24 hours a day. Assignments may be given for any location at any time...

How many FBI agents are hired per year? ›

The FBI's direct authorized positions for FY 2022 total 36,149 positions, including an increase of 407 positions over the FY 2021 Enacted of 35,742 direct authorized positions.

Candidates for CIA agent jobs in clandestine services must: Be a citizen of the United States. Be at least 18 years old. Possess a bachelor's degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0.

Most secret service agents hold a minimum of a bachelor's degree. bachelor's programs that are common among agents include criminal justice, law enforcement, homeland security or a related field. Many of these programs include courses that prepare aspiring agents for different aspects of the job.

The requirements to apply for the clandestine service are difficult, but certainly not impossible. All applicants have to have a bachelor's degree and have earned at least a 3.0 GPA in college.

Yes, you can. You can fail out of the Academy and you can fail out two ways. Let me say, that's probably the hardest part of our job is dismissing a student, and not because we're dismissing them.

Since some places have a higher cost of living than others, agents get paid more based on the average cost of their living expenses. With this locality adjustment added in, trainees are set to earn around $50,000 a year (in Quantico).

Must be clean-shaven throughout training. Hair must be of reasonable length without faddish or exaggerated style or color. Men's hair must not be longer than the bottom of the collar, without adornment such as buns, ponytails or braids.

Is Being an FBI Agent Stressful? Working as an FBI agent comes with many stressful duties, as does any career in law enforcement. Prospective FBI agents should ensure they have strong stress-management skills and good mental health support.

For the special agent position, they include leadership, collaboration, organizing and planning, problem-solving/judgment, flexibility/adaptability, initiative and communication. The competencies serve as indicators that demonstrate that you have the skills to do the job.

Yes. The FBI Phase 1 test has a 30% pass rate, so it is considered to be a challenging assessment. Test-takers must answer two sets of difficult reasoning questions.

Can FBI agents get married? ›

While the FBI marriage rules do not prohibit FBI agents from marring foreign nationals, it may affect their security clearance eligibility, preventing agents from performing specific responsibilities.

You do not have to be a lawyer or have a law degree to become an FBI special agent. The bureau does recruit lawyers as special agents and it uses attorneys and other legal professionals in a variety of other roles.

The academy occupies 547 acres (221 ha) on the US Marine Corps Base Quantico. It is located 36 miles outside Washington D.C. and is a full service national training facility.

FBI agents say the job is often exciting, and working on such significant, challenging issues is very rewarding. One of the most significant downsides of working as an FBI agent is so many additional work hours in sometimes very challenging situations.

Vision Requirements

Your distant visual acuity, corrected or uncorrected, must be 20/20 in one eye and no worse than 20/40 in the other eye. If you are color-vision deficient, you must successfully complete a Farnsworth D-15 color vision test at one of our field offices.

FBI agents and their families often move to new cities on short notice, at least until they have some more seniority within the organization.

FBI Special Agents are required to work a fifty-hour work week and be available on-call weekends and holidays. With that said, there is a difference between being on duty and working. FBI Special Agents are always on-duty and are required to carry their issued sidearm at all times.

Once an agent finishes the 20-week training program, comprising over 800 hours of academic, case exercises, firearms and operational skills training, he gets sent to whichever FBI office has an opening for him. The FBI's website is clear that a prospective agent should be able to work wherever he is needed.

Employer Summary

FBI employees receive annual paid leave, as well as federal holidays off.

What do FBI agents do daily? ›

Our agents enforce many different federal laws and perform various roles in the Bureau, so there really is no such thing as a “typical day” for an FBI agent. Agents in our field offices, for example, could be testifying in federal court one day and executing a search warrant and gathering evidence the next.

Can FBI Agents Have Beards? General FBI grooming and hygiene standards are codified, unless otherwise as specified for a duty or position, post-training, as: Clean shaven through training, clean mustaches permitted afterwards.

Agents start at 10, but promotions are fairly regular to GS-13. You're eligible for non-competitive promotion to 11 after successfully completing the 2-yr probationary period. It's 1 more year to 12, and then 2 years to 13.

'FBI': Shantel VanSanten to Recur as New Team Member Nina Chase | TVLine.

With additional internal approvals, FBI agents can access not just public-facing social media but also private groups and chat rooms.

Kellie: Yeah, they are allowed. Now I would suggest that if you're looking to get a tattoo, be very judicious in where you place it, just because the image of the Academy in the FBI is extremely important. So just be judicious in your placement of your tattoo.

Short - Panel of three agents and interview lasted 30 minutes. Questions were general and you can find examples online. Make sure you prepare around 12-15 examples you can use.

Most FBI interviews consist of panels of three to five special agents or administrative staff members to conduct the interview, which will last one hour. One person will initially greet you, but make it a point to greet each interviewer with a firm handshake and learn their names.

How many hours a week do you work in the FBI? ›

Working as an FBI agent

Most agents are expected to work at least 50 hours each week and are typically on call 24/7. Since major criminal activities and threats can occur at any time, agents frequently work on weekends and holidays.

We consider nine languages critical to our investigations—Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Urdu, and Vietnamese. But FBI linguists may also be called upon to provide foreign language and cultural expertise in many more languages.

Preply also looked at salaries across the entire United States and discovered that German is the best paid foreign language with an average salary of $69,898 per year.

How Does the FBI Hire Agents? The FBI accepts fewer than 20% of applicants, making jobs within the bureau highly competitive.

FBI Agent Training at Quantico

Before beginning field work, FBI agents must pass through New Agent Training at the FBI Academy. This approximately 20-week course is one of the most difficult training programs law enforcement officials will ever go through, and it will test both physical and mental limits.

The Special Agent is perhaps the best known career at the FBI. Special Agents are primarily responsible for enforcing federal statutes. They conduct criminal investigations, as well as investigations pertaining to national security. Periodically, Special Agents are required to testify in court.

Are all FBI agents lawyers? ›

You do not have to be a lawyer or have a law degree to become an FBI special agent. The bureau does recruit lawyers as special agents and it uses attorneys and other legal professionals in a variety of other roles.

Similarly, you should understand the true career path of an FBI special agent; many new special agents routinely quit within the first 2-5 years due to an unrealistic expectation of the organization (fostered by years hollywood fiction).

FBI agents and their families often move to new cities on short notice, at least until they have some more seniority within the organization.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) employees with the job title FBI Agent make the most with an average annual salary of $73,453, while employees with the title Special Agent (Federal) make the least with an average annual salary of $70,760.

The FBI is led by a Director, who is appointed by the U.S. President and confirmed by the Senate for a term not to exceed 10 years. The current Director is Christopher Wray.

From special agents to professional staff, a career with the FBI represents over 200 job types with opportunities throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Many retired FBI agents enjoy a robust second career as business executives, consultants, private investigators, writers, public speakers and educators. With a goal in mind, you can strategize a job search.

While the FBI marriage rules do not prohibit FBI agents from marring foreign nationals, it may affect their security clearance eligibility, preventing agents from performing specific responsibilities.

Agents carry Bureau-issued or approved handguns and may be issued additional equipment as needed. Those in specialized areas like the Hostage Rescue Teams may also be issued weapons that fit their duties. Agents are allowed to carry personal weapons, provided they do not violate the policies regarding firearms.