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.
Academic counselor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real academic counselor resumes:
- 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.
- Edit and revise students' common applications, SUNY applications, CUNY applications and college essays.
- Evaluate transferable credits on incoming students.
- Develop and implement an instructional program for high school students that emphasize problem solving skills in mathematics and stress critical thinking.
- Market GCU brand, define strengths and differentiation from other educational institutions.
Academic counselor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 9% of Academic Counselors are proficient in Financial Aid, Academic Support, and Student Services. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Compassion, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Academic Counselors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Financial Aid, 9%
Bill benefits and appropriate financial aid programs; assisted students in the application process for benefits and completion of eligibility requirements.
- Academic Support, 8%
Conducted and reported regular statistical reviews of student data and academic support benefits.
- Student Services, 8%
Collaborated with Student Services Crew to develop systematic approaches for addressing both dropout prevention and dropout recovery for our student population.
- Professional Development, 6%
Shared best practices and facilitated workshops at a variety of professional development workshops and seminars.
- Student Athletes, 5%
Conducted weekly meetings with at-risk student athletes to go over upcoming assignments, eligibility issues, as well as transitional issues.
- Academic Advisement, 5%
Provided academic advisement and leadership for 700 - 900 Undergraduate/Graduate students throughout their academic program via course counseling and classroom presentations.
Common skills that an academic counselor uses to do their job include "financial aid," "academic support," and "student services." You can find details on the most important academic counselor responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an academic counselor to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "school and career counselors and advisors interpret student records, schoolwide data, and assessments to match interests and abilities with potential careers. ." Academic counselors often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "identify educational and career options appropriate for each student and assist in the analysis for each. "
Compassion. Another essential skill to perform academic counselor duties is compassion. Academic counselors responsibilities require that "school and career counselors and advisors often work with people who are dealing with stressful and difficult situations, so they must be able to empathize with their clients and students." Academic counselors also use compassion in their role according to a real resume snippet: "provide at-risk youth with therapeutic and compassionate services. "
Interpersonal skills. This is an important skill for academic counselors to perform their duties. For an example of how academic counselor responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "school and career counselors and advisors must be able to work with people of all backgrounds and personalities." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an academic counselor: "conduct small groups and individual counseling sessions addressing relational aggression, decision-making, conflict resolution, and interpersonal skills development. ".
Listening skills. academic counselor responsibilities often require "listening skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "school and career counselors and advisors need to give full attention to students and clients in order to understand their problems." This resume example shows what academic counselors do with listening skills on a typical day: "communicated effectively academic probation, academic suspension, and satisfactory academic progress policies. "
Speaking skills. Another common skill required for academic counselor responsibilities is "speaking skills." This skill comes up in the duties of academic counselors all the time, as "school and career counselors and advisors must communicate effectively with clients and students." An excerpt from a real academic counselor resume shows how this skill is central to what an academic counselor does: "developed and presented educational skills workshops to students including those on academic probation, residence hall groups and student athletes. "
The three companies that hire the most academic counselors are:
- University of Washington8 academic counselors jobs
- State Of Montana2 academic counselors jobs
- University of Pennsylvania2 academic counselors jobs
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Compare different academic counselors
Academic counselor vs. Enrollment advisor
As the frontline in every school, the enrollment advisor works on answering students' queries about the university, its performance, the curriculum used, fees to be paid, scholarships provided, and even facilitate the on-campus tour. Should the student choose to enroll, the enrollment advisor helps process documents while also checking for course availability. Having good communication skills, enrollment advisors also help students assess their future careers and plan their course map.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, academic counselor responsibilities require skills like "academic support," "professional development," "student athletes," and "academic advisement." Meanwhile a typical enrollment advisor has skills in areas such as "customer service," "lead management," "crm," and "outbound calls." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Enrollment advisors earn the highest salaries when working in the non profits industry, with an average yearly salary of $39,366. On the other hand, academic counselors are paid more in the non profits industry with an average salary of $50,994.The education levels that enrollment advisors earn slightly differ from academic counselors. In particular, enrollment advisors are 7.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an academic counselor. Additionally, they're 1.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Academic counselor vs. Student advisor
A student advisor is responsible for supporting the students' personal growth and development by guiding them on their learning processes and educational goals. Student advisors provide regular counseling for the students to analyze their career aspirations, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and strategize learning plans to address those difficulties. They also coordinate with the students' parents and guardians to report the students' progress and determine appropriate scholastic solutions. A student advisor must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially when handling students' different needs and concerns.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real academic counselor resumes. While academic counselor responsibilities can utilize skills like "student athletes," "academic advisement," "ncaa," and "student schedules," student advisors use skills like "customer service," "international student," "sevis," and "student life."
Student advisors may earn a lower salary than academic counselors, but student advisors earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $40,721. On the other hand, academic counselors receive higher pay in the non profits industry, where they earn an average salary of $50,994.In general, student advisors achieve lower levels of education than academic counselors. They're 8.5% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Academic counselor vs. Student support counselor
A student support counselor is responsible for identifying the students' strengths and challenges through one-on-one counseling and establishing solutions to help them overcome difficulties and achieve their educational goals and aspirations. Student support counselors assist the faculty in determining appropriate programs and activities to develop the students' capabilities, especially as a way of preparing them with their career objectives. They also coordinate with the students' families for extended guidance and support for their growth and development.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, academic counselors are more likely to have skills like "student services," "student athletes," "academic advisement," and "academic programs." But a student support counselor is more likely to have skills like "student support," "mental health," "behavioral issues," and "group therapy."
Student support counselors make a very good living in the education industry with an average annual salary of $44,149. On the other hand, academic counselors are paid the highest salary in the non profits industry, with average annual pay of $50,994.Most student support counselors achieve a lower degree level compared to academic counselors. For example, they're 12.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Academic counselor vs. Substance abuse counselor
Substance abuse counselors act as a support system for people with drug and alcohol problems and other behavioral issues. They help the patients control their behavior until they achieve a full recovery. The mental health counselors aid patients to overcome their chemical dependencies and become self-sufficient individuals. Part of their duty includes meeting clients to evaluate their health and substance issues while creating goals and treatment plans. They teach clients coping mechanisms, refer them to support groups, and engage them in group therapy sessions. Once the patient is stable, they help them re-establish their careers and give updates and reports of progress to the courts. Requirements for the job include a master's degree in counseling and social work.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between academic counselors and substance abuse counselors, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an academic counselor might have more use for skills like "financial aid," "academic support," "student services," and "professional development." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of substance abuse counselors require skills like "patients," "substance abuse treatment," "social work," and "intake assessments. "
The non profits industry tends to pay the highest salaries for substance abuse counselors, with average annual pay of $41,273. Comparatively, the highest academic counselor annual salary comes from the non profits industry.In general, substance abuse counselors hold similar degree levels compared to academic counselors. Substance abuse counselors are 1.4% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 1.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of academic counselor
Updated January 8, 2025
