Academic affairs director vs student services director

The differences between academic affairs directors and student services directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an academic affairs director and a student services director. Additionally, an academic affairs director has an average salary of $112,527, which is higher than the $68,307 average annual salary of a student services director.

The top three skills for an academic affairs director include financial aid, colleges and academic programs. The most important skills for a student services director are professional development, financial aid, and support services.

Academic affairs director vs student services director overview

	Academic Affairs Director	Student Services Director
Yearly salary	$112,527	$68,307
Hourly rate	$54.10	$32.84
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	11,420	69,818
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

Academic affairs director vs student services director salary

Academic affairs directors and student services directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Academic Affairs Director	Student Services Director
Average salary	$112,527	$68,307
Salary range	Between $70,000 And $180,000	Between $43,000 And $106,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Berkeley, CA
Highest paying state	California	New Jersey
Best paying company	University of Maryland, Baltimore	Los Alamos National Laboratory
Best paying industry	Professional	-

Differences between academic affairs director and student services director education

There are a few differences between an academic affairs director and a student services director in terms of educational background:

	Academic Affairs Director	Student Services Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Academic affairs director vs student services director demographics

Here are the differences between academic affairs directors' and student services directors' demographics:

	Academic Affairs Director	Student Services Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 48.0% Female, 52.0%	Male, 37.4% Female, 62.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% Asian, 4.3% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 4.3% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between academic affairs director and student services director duties and responsibilities

Academic affairs director example responsibilities.

Manage and track individual sorority members monthly study hour requirements.
Experience in the support of transition and retention strategies for multicultural student populations to address differentials in attrition and retention.
Deliver training seminars to faculty, administrators and staff providing services to veterans.

Student services director example responsibilities.

Support and oversee students from colleges across the country as they organize and lead interfaith service programming on their own campuses.
Source employers through market research, LinkedIn and cold calls.
Explore and find additional sources to supplement scholarship funds for minorities.
Review and edit resumes while providing direction for content in LinkedIn and e-portfolio profiles.
Attend and contribute to impartial hearings or legally-binding mediation meetings where students' needs are discuss.
Design and maintain a participation tracking system that will accurately document student participation in the SSS program.

Academic affairs director vs student services director skills

Common academic affairs director skills

Financial Aid, 10%
Colleges, 10%
Academic Programs, 7%
Student Services, 7%
Curriculum Development, 7%
Educational Programs, 6%

Common student services director skills

Professional Development, 8%
Financial Aid, 7%
Support Services, 6%
Social Work, 5%
Alumni, 4%
Student Life, 4%

Academic Affairs Director vs. similar jobs

Academic Affairs Director related careers

Academic Affairs Director related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Executive Management Industry
Academic Affairs Director
Academic Affairs Director vs Student Services Director

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs