Academic counselor vs school guidance counselor

The differences between academic counselors and school guidance counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a school guidance counselor has an average salary of $49,562, which is higher than the $47,454 average annual salary of an academic counselor.

The top three skills for an academic counselor include financial aid, academic support and student services. The most important skills for a school guidance counselor are crisis intervention, community agencies, and professional development.

Academic counselor vs school guidance counselor overview

	Academic Counselor	School Guidance Counselor
Yearly salary	$47,454	$49,562
Hourly rate	$22.81	$23.83
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	39,084	82,545
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

What does an academic counselor do?

In high schools and universities, an academic counselor specializes in providing counseling and consultations to students, focusing on their educational and career growth. They typically meet with students to discuss their short and long term goals and help by providing them with insights and information or referring them to other services and resources. Moreover, an academic counselor must assist students by addressing their issues and concerns, giving them emotional support and academic advice, and helping them navigate through various procedures.

What does a school guidance counselor do?

School Guidance Counselors assess students' ability and potential, provide private counseling, and coordinate with fellow professionals on student matters. To help students in realizing their objectives, school guidance counselors evaluate their attributes. Also, they identify behavioral problems and appropriately to remedy the situation. Part of their duties is to cooperate with parents, external partners, and academic staff. To succeed, these guidance counselors must be authentic and accessible with good communication skills and a profound interest in helping students to achieve career and academic goals.

Academic counselor vs school guidance counselor salary

Academic counselors and school guidance counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Academic Counselor	School Guidance Counselor
Average salary	$47,454	$49,562
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $63,000	Between $36,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Virginia	California
Best paying company	California College of the Arts	Tolleson Union High School District
Best paying industry	Non Profits	Education

Differences between academic counselor and school guidance counselor education

There are a few differences between an academic counselor and a school guidance counselor in terms of educational background:

	Academic Counselor	School Guidance Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	School Counseling
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Academic counselor vs school guidance counselor demographics

Here are the differences between academic counselors' and school guidance counselors' demographics:

	Academic Counselor	School Guidance Counselor
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 35.4% Female, 64.6%	Male, 24.7% Female, 75.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between academic counselor and school guidance counselor duties and responsibilities

Academic counselor example responsibilities.

Utilize Salesforce to manage advertising programs for business owners.
Remain non-denominational, open, flexible and ecumenical in service to patients while also providing additional resources from local spiritual communities.
Test PeopleSoft upgrades and provide suggestions.
Tutor introductory biology, chemistry, psychology and remedial mathematics.
Guide older students in navigating PeopleSoft application to access portal for online registrations.
Navigate the college process through the CUNY, SUNY, and common application.

School guidance counselor example responsibilities.

Participate in IEP's staff meetings, parent meetings and individual student counseling.
Attend and participate in IEP meetings, truancy elimination meetings, children s clinic meetings, and parent meetings.
Remain non-denominational, open, flexible and ecumenical in service to patients while also providing additional resources from local spiritual communities.
Collaborate with peers in leadership capacity at recreational summer camp leading, coordinating and organizing daily activities and weekly field trips.

Academic counselor vs school guidance counselor skills

Common academic counselor skills

Financial Aid, 9%
Academic Support, 8%
Student Services, 8%
Professional Development, 6%
Student Athletes, 5%
Academic Advisement, 5%

Common school guidance counselor skills

Crisis Intervention, 7%
Community Agencies, 7%
Professional Development, 6%
Financial Aid, 5%
Career Planning, 4%
K-12, 4%

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Academic Counselor vs School Guidance Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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