How to hire an admissions advisor

How to hire an admissions advisor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step admissions advisor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an admissions advisor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new admissions advisor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an admissions advisor do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the admissions advisor you need to hire. Certain admissions advisor roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An admissions advisor's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, admissions advisors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of admissions advisor salaries for various roles:

   Type of Admissions Advisor	Description	Hourly rate
   Admissions Advisor	School counselors help students develop academic and social skills and succeed in school. Career counselors assist people with the process of making career decisions by helping them develop skills or choose a career or educational program.	$12-50
   Student Coordinator	A student coordinator is responsible for supporting the school administration in running daily operations and disseminating necessary information across the institution. Student coordinators serve as a liaison between the student body and the school management to address inquiries and concerns and process requests... Show more	$13-27
   Student Services Coordinator	A student services coordinator is responsible for supporting the students' growth and development by facilitating programs and activities that would have them discover their potentials and career aspirations. Student services coordinators conduct one-on-one counseling to identify the students' strengths and weaknesses and develop learning solutions to address those difficulties... Show more	$14-26

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Admissions Process
   • Outbound Calls
   • Enrollment Process
   • Professional Work
   • Criminal Justice
   • Culinary
   • Program Offerings
   • Enrollment Paperwork
   • Suitable Programs
   • Academic Programs
   • Conduct Interviews
   • Student Services
   • Student Satisfaction

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage warranty parts inventory levels for the DoD in Kuwait, Guam and Korea
   • Manage Facebook updates to market events, brand FLC and create a virtual community for students.
   • Manage the testing of all new students, verification of transferable credits, and review process for all new applicants.
   • Manage budget development and allocation, consistently maximizing student and NHS opportunities while minimizing costs.
   • Assist in bolstering student retention by providing unparallele service to make sure students are thoroughly satisfy with the complete AIU experience.
   • Serve on campus committees design to enhance the success and persistence of students.

   More admissions advisor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your admissions advisor job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An admissions advisor can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, admissions advisors' average salary in oklahoma is 42% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level admissions advisors 75% less than senior-level admissions advisors.
   • Certifications. An admissions advisor with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an admissions advisor's salary.

   Average admissions advisor salary

   $54,192yearly

   $26.05 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level admissions advisor salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average admissions advisor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$86,187	$41
   2	New Jersey	$76,122	$37
   3	New York	$70,775	$34
   4	Virginia	$67,791	$33
   5	Arizona	$65,759	$32
   6	Idaho	$61,799	$30
   7	Texas	$60,833	$29
   8	Colorado	$59,933	$29
   9	Illinois	$57,184	$27
   10	Ohio	$57,037	$27
   11	Utah	$57,027	$27
   12	Wisconsin	$56,913	$27
   13	Georgia	$53,930	$26
   14	Nebraska	$50,755	$24
   15	Kansas	$50,682	$24
   16	Alabama	$49,274	$24
   17	Florida	$49,139	$24

   Average admissions advisor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Tenet Healthcare	$86,109	$41.40	5
   2	University of California-Berkeley	$80,233	$38.57	1
   3	West Coast University	$78,947	$37.96	14
   4	The College of Health Care Professions	$76,721	$36.89	18
   5	Salisbury School	$73,172	$35.18
   6	Hacker	$72,995	$35.09
   7	The City University of New York	$71,730	$34.49	40
   8	University of California	$70,436	$33.86	25
   9	Lakeland University	$66,441	$31.94
   10	Oakland University	$65,974	$31.72	7
   11	Emory University	$65,721	$31.60	6
   12	State University of New York College at Cortland	$65,671	$31.57
   13	University at Buffalo	$65,005	$31.25	14
   14	SUNY New Paltz	$63,816	$30.68
   15	Universal Technical Institute	$63,694	$30.62	67
   16	Stevens Institute of Technology	$63,338	$30.45
   17	Emory Healthcare	$61,631	$29.63	9
   18	State University of New York at Oswego	$60,696	$29.18	4
   19	Virginia's Community Colleges	$60,149	$28.92	9
   20	Illinois Institute of Technology	$60,134	$28.91	1

4. Writing an admissions advisor job description

   An admissions advisor job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an admissions advisor job description:

   Admissions advisor job description example

   In 1980, two friends'Paul Mitchell and John Paul DeJoria'were inspired to create a company that would support the success of hairdressers and provide luxury hair care at an affordable price. With over 100 schools nation-wide and counting, Paul Mitchell has certainly delivered quality classes, lectures, demos, and more! Whether it's giving free hugs with the Be Nice Team, styling a new hairdo, or painting nails, our students are confident, precise, and highly-skilled.

   We are passionate about delivering the best student experience possible, both inside and outside the classroom. We understand that in order to do this, we must also create a supportive culture and atmosphere that employees are drawn to. In addition to this exciting and collaborative environment , we offer competitive pay and excellent benefits !

   A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN ADMISSIONS LEADER

   As the Admissions Leader, you oversee and cultivate future cosmetology professionals' admissions. You are the first point of contact when it comes to student dreams, goals, and their achievement of a long-lasting, beauty-packed career. Educational enthusiasm and professionalism comes naturally to you in all settings. While you do understand that your role as our Admissions Leader is sales-based, you enjoy actively making a difference in people's lives. You responsibly guide prospective students through the entire recruitment and enrollment process. Genuinely and ethically you protect them from being a beauty school dropout -Cue the movie Grease!

   You vibrantly play the role of a knowledgeable tour guide as you schedule and complete campus tours. You carefully organize your time, whether it's exceeding 100 outbound contacts daily, attending appointments, or maintaining leads, you're on the ball! You cover all the good parts about our cosmetology world including key compliance points, campus services, and program outcomes. Our students know where they are headed and what point A to B, looks like. You work seamlessly with our existing team utilizing your resilience and strong communication skills. There's no doubt that you're committed to exceeding individual sales goals while engineering a bright future for our students here at Paul Mitchell.

   QUALIFICATIONS

   • Strong sales background
   • Positive and professional attitude
   • Solid work history with verifiable references

   Do you have the ability to lead and motivate current and future professionals? Are you detail-oriented, creative, and organized? Can you multitask efficiently? Do you have excellent written and verbal communication skills? Do you believe in always doing the right thing? If so, you may be perfect for this sales management position at our beauty school!

   ARE YOU READY TO JOIN OUR COSMETOLOGY TEAM?

   If you think you've got what it takes to be a rocking Admission Leader, please fill out our initial 3-minute, mobile-friendly application . We look forward to meeting you!

   
   
   Job Posted by ApplicantPro
   

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5. Post your job

   To find the right admissions advisor for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with admissions advisors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit admissions advisors who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your admissions advisor job on Zippia to find and recruit admissions advisor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit admissions advisors, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new admissions advisor

   Once you've found the admissions advisor candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new admissions advisor. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an admissions advisor?