Federal Job Postings by Education Requirement

2,873,178 USAJOBS postings (2018–2026) classified against OPM qualification standards. 2026 is partial (through ~April). Click View OPM Text on any series to read the source and verify. Generated 2026-04-12. By Abigail Haddad (GitHub · Blog).

Mandatory: Professional

11%

314,912 postings

Degree required for licensure (doctors, nurses, architects...)

Mandatory: Qualification

14%

388,201 postings

OPM requires a degree (economists, scientists, engineers...)

Optional

64%

1,826,055 postings

Education is one qualifying path; experience also works

None

12%

344,010 postings

No published education requirement (excepted service, FWS trades)

Postings by Year and Education Category

Primary series classification. 2026 is partial.

Year	Total	Mandatory: Professional	Mandatory: Qualification	Optional	None
2018	329,356	34,321 (10%)	46,777 (14%)	206,862 (63%)	41,396 (13%)
2019	349,256	34,196 (10%)	49,095 (14%)	225,792 (65%)	40,173 (12%)
2020	328,440	31,739 (10%)	46,322 (14%)	211,784 (64%)	38,595 (12%)
2021	369,151	41,153 (11%)	49,278 (13%)	236,241 (64%)	42,479 (12%)
2022	441,604	52,116 (12%)	60,508 (14%)	279,707 (63%)	49,273 (11%)
2023	454,648	51,916 (11%)	60,562 (13%)	291,554 (64%)	50,616 (11%)
2024	367,070	29,895 (8%)	53,039 (14%)	241,087 (66%)	43,049 (12%)
2025	167,876	30,087 (18%)	15,981 (10%)	94,564 (56%)	27,244 (16%)
2026	65,777	9,489 (14%)	6,639 (10%)	38,464 (58%)	11,185 (17%)

Methodology

Mandatory: Professional: Degree is a prerequisite for professional licensure. Same requirement exists in the private sector. (Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, vets, architects.)
Mandatory: Qualification: OPM requires a degree as a federal qualification standard; no external licensing body mandates it. (Economists, biologists, engineers, statisticians, accountants, student trainees.) Note: 1102 Contracting and 0081 Fire Protection have DoD-specific frameworks (DAWIA / DoD Fire Cert) but with similar education requirements.
Optional: Education is one qualifying path; experience alone also qualifies. (HR, IT management, police, management analysts, clerical.)
None: No published education requirement. Excepted service (attorneys, chaplains) or Federal Wage System trades (cooks, mechanics, warehouse workers).

Sources: OPM GS Qualification Standards, OPM Handbook of Occupational Groups, USAJOBS historical data. All 422 GS series reviewed individually; 9 manual overrides applied.