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What does an admissions officer do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read

An admissions officer is responsible for recruiting new students from various venues and channels. You will connect with students and answer their questions about the college or university, and conduct interviews to better understand the students' objectives and background. As an admissions officer, it is your duty to evaluate potential applicants, and advise and guide students about the admission procedure, programs offered, costs, and eligibility. Other duties include reviewing and evaluating student applications, arranging orientation programs for new students, and developing innovative recruitment and communication strategies.

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Admissions officer responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real admissions officer resumes:

  • Manage all admissions and discharge paperwork, Medicare and Medicaid eligibility research, and resident and family meetings.
  • Interview prospective student candidates for selection into culinary programs, utilizing highly effective consultative sales and recruitment techniques.
  • Establish, develop and maintain client relationships for professional representation and unique and positive DeVry experience.

Admissions officer skills and personality traits

We calculated that 12% of Admissions Officers are proficient in Admissions Process, Recruitment Efforts, and Student Recruitment. They’re also known for soft skills such as Computer skills, Organizational skills, and Problem-solving skills.

We break down the percentage of Admissions Officers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Admissions Process, 12%

    Coordinated all aspects of admissions process including review and recommendation of applicants.

  • Recruitment Efforts, 9%

    Managed travel and recruitment efforts throughout Arizona and Oregon territories.

  • Student Recruitment, 7%

    Developed and implemented a comprehensive student recruitment & marketing program involving the university's 8 undergraduate colleges.

  • PowerPoint, 7%

    Interview students and manage their enrollment progress Proficiency in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

  • Career Fairs, 6%

    Attended career fairs, college fairs, business expos, marketing and special events to expose and promote the university.

  • Educational Background, 5%

    Interview prospective students to determine their educational background and future goals and objectives while recommending appropriate courses course of study.

Common skills that an admissions officer uses to do their job include "admissions process," "recruitment efforts," and "student recruitment." You can find details on the most important admissions officer responsibilities below.

Computer skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an admissions officer to have is computer skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "postsecondary education administrators need to be comfortable working with computers so they can use software to manage student and school records." Admissions officers often use computer skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "used several types of computer programs and multi-tasked between phone calls, computer work, and in person patient issues. "

Organizational skills. Another essential skill to perform admissions officer duties is organizational skills. Admissions officers responsibilities require that "administrators need to be organized so they can manage records, prioritize tasks, and coordinate activities with their staff." Admissions officers also use organizational skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "work closely in the recruitment efforts of organizational leadership program as an ambassador to prospective, highly qualified and diverse candidates. "

Problem-solving skills. admissions officers are also known for problem-solving skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to admissions officer responsibilities, because "administrators need to react calmly when a difficult situation arises and develop creative solutions." An admissions officer resume example shows how problem-solving skills is used in the workplace: "resolved problems impacting student enrollment with appropriate departments, increasing retention through resolution of issues impacting student enrollment rates. "

Interpersonal skills. For certain admissions officer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "interpersonal skills." The day-to-day duties of an admissions officer rely on this skill, as "postsecondary education administrators need to build good relationships with colleagues, students, and parents." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what admissions officers do: "achieved start budgets by using appropriate interpersonal styles and communication methods to sell educational programs to prospective students. "

Most common admissions officer skills

The three companies that hire the most admissions officers are:

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Compare different admissions officers

Admissions officer vs. Dean

A dean is responsible for overseeing the educational operations of the assigned department, enforcing school policies, and monitoring the students' progress by coordinating with the teachers and setting up procedures to improve teaching methods. Deans administer educational training and programs for the students, as well as extra-curricular activities to develop the students' social behavior, maximize their potentials, and increase their self-confidence. They also handle the department's budget, accurately allocating resources and funds to different activities and educational materials.

We looked at the average admissions officer salary and compared it with the wages of a dean. Generally speaking, deans are paid $52,485 higher than admissions officers per year.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between admissions officers and deans are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like powerpoint, academic programs, and financial aid.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between admissions officers and dean. For instance, admissions officer responsibilities require skills such as "admissions process," "recruitment efforts," "student recruitment," and "career fairs." Whereas a dean is skilled in "curriculum development," "oversight," "scholarship," and "human resources." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Deans earn the highest salaries when working in the education industry, with an average yearly salary of $78,533. On the other hand, admissions officers are paid more in the health care industry with an average salary of $43,309.The education levels that deans earn slightly differ from admissions officers. In particular, deans are 1.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an admissions officer. Additionally, they're 6.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Admissions officer vs. Co-chair

A co-chair is responsible for supporting the duties and responsibilities under the supervision of a chair. Co-chairs help with the implementation of effective plans and programs that would benefit the organization. They handle fundraising events, marketing campaigns for promotional programs, audit reports, and evaluating the committee's suggestions and recommendations for its success. A co-chair must have excellent communication and leadership skills and critical-thinking on developing strategies to supervise meetings and events alongside the chair.

On average, co-chairs earn a $55,541 higher salary than admissions officers a year.

Each career also uses different skills, according to real admissions officer resumes. While admissions officer responsibilities can utilize skills like "admissions process," "recruitment efforts," "student recruitment," and "career fairs," co-chairs use skills like "community outreach," "alumni," "plan events," and "facebook."

Average education levels between the two professions vary. Co-chairs tend to reach similar levels of education than admissions officers. In fact, they're 3.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 6.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Admissions officer vs. New member educator

A New Member Educator is a person who prepares new members to uphold the standards and ideals of a fraternity and sorority and continually strives to improve it especially found in colleges and universities. These positions are; educating initiated and active members on how to support and mentor the younger members to become successful within an organization, recruit new members whose ideals match those of the organization, assist new members to navigate campus, and make use of campus resources.

On average scale, new member educators bring in higher salaries than admissions officers. In fact, they earn a $354 higher salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on admissions officers and new member educators resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "powerpoint," "recruitment events," and "community events.rdquo;

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from admissions officer resumes include skills like "admissions process," "recruitment efforts," "student recruitment," and "career fairs," whereas a new member educator is more likely to list skills in "customer service," "phone calls," "role model," and "cash handling. "

New member educators earn the best pay in the education industry, where they command an average salary of $47,301. Admissions officers earn the highest pay from the health care industry, with an average salary of $43,309.When it comes to education, new member educators tend to earn lower degree levels compared to admissions officers. In fact, they're 8.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Admissions officer vs. Registrar

A registrar's role is to process and maintain accurate records within an institution or establishment. They are the main point of communication to obtain various kinds of information. In schools, a registrar is in charge of keeping a student or educator's academic, personal, and financial records. They also have the task of arranging a student's course and class schedules. Furthermore, a registrar may also have other administrative tasks such as responding to calls and other forms of correspondence, producing reports, and process requirements.

Registrars typically earn higher pay than admissions officers. On average, registrars earn a $6,799 higher salary per year.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between admissions officers and registrars, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an admissions officer might have more use for skills like "admissions process," "recruitment efforts," "student recruitment," and "career fairs." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of registrars require skills like "patients," "customer service," "medical terminology," and "patient registration. "

In general, registrars earn the most working in the health care industry, with an average salary of $36,641. The highest-paying industry for an admissions officer is the health care industry.In general, registrars hold lower degree levels compared to admissions officers. Registrars are 10.0% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of admissions officer

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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