How To Become An Admissions Counselor: What It Is and Career Path

What is an admissions counselor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

Dr. Tommy Casarez Ph.D.

Admissions counselors meet with students to assess their academic records and extracurricular activities. They may work with the admissions office to review incoming applications. As an admissions counselor, you will verify the applicant's information and materials. You will also help in making final approvals for college admission. Your job may include recruiting students, assisting students with admissions paperwork, and establishing outreach programs to promote the institution. Also, you'll create and maintain recruitment guidelines and goals to use for future recruitment efforts.

At a minimum, all you need is a high school diploma. However, an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree in any related field is preferable. Candidates must possess at least a year of relevant work experience. You must have communication, organization, multitasking, planning, computer, and research skills. On average, admissions counselors earn about $42,854 in a year. Their salary falls between $32,000 and $57,000. Job openings can be found in high schools, colleges, or universities.

What general advice would you give to an Admissions Counselor?

Dr. Tommy Casarez Ph.D.

Dr., Assistant Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology, Vanguard University

Opportunities come in many different shapes and sizes, but they are still out there. Whether you are seeking to land a job in education or the non-profit sector, you will need to familiarize yourself and get used to all things digital, for the sake of communicating effectively. The younger your student or service partner's mindset, the more digitally savvy you will need to be, especially in the classroom and in the non-profit world.

ScoreAdmissions CounselorUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $39,298

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.0

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.62%

Asian 3.74%

Black or African American 10.64%

Hispanic or Latino 14.20%

Unknown 3.76%

White 67.03%

Gender

female 61.38%

male 38.62%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress Level

9.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.7

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.7

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an admissions counselor

Explore admissions counselor education requirements

Most common admissions counselor degrees

Bachelor's

74.6 %

Master's

14.5 %

Associate

7.2 %

Start to develop specific admissions counselor skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	14.10%
Patients	13.48%
Social Work	8.01%
Admissions Process	6.33%
Phone Calls	4.43%

Complete relevant admissions counselor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New admissions counselors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an admissions counselor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real admissions counselor resumes.

Research admissions counselor duties and responsibilities

Manage applicant and student files electronically within CampusVue software.
Verify insurance HMO, Medicare or Medicaid.
Assist in PV's marketing efforts by reaching out to alumni and community.
Evaluate transcripts, convert quarterly hours to semester hours as necessary, and calculate the GPA.

Prepare your admissions counselor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your admissions counselor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an admissions counselor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Admissions Counselor Resume templates

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