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The differences between admissions specialists and academic advisers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an academic adviser has an average salary of $46,729, which is higher than the $36,140 average annual salary of an admissions specialist.
The top three skills for an admissions specialist include patients, customer service and social work. The most important skills for an academic adviser are customer service, student services, and financial aid.
| Admissions Specialist | Academic Adviser | |
| Yearly salary | $36,140 | $46,729 |
| Hourly rate | $17.38 | $22.47 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 17,384 | 23,208 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
An admissions specialist's main role is to provide timely, accurate, and complete evaluation service of academic credentials for incoming first-year and transferee students, as well as existing enrolled students. They serve as a vital member of the evaluation team to ensure a smooth and timely evaluation process. They also support the Office of Undergraduate Admissions in overall function from enrollment processing, application of student files, reviewing the transcript of records to evaluate academic credentials of incoming freshmen students, and transferee applicants.
An academic adviser is responsible for managing the students' educational goals and future career aspirations by encouraging them to join scholastic activities, conducting one-on-one discussions to identify their challenges and areas of improvement, and developing educational plans to address possible difficulties. Academic advisers also monitor the students' interests and abilities for a career setting, track the students' progress, and create engaging activities to observe the students' personal and social behavior. An academic adviser must have excellent communication skills and extensive knowledge of teaching principles and disciplines to handle different personalities.
Admissions specialists and academic advisers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Admissions Specialist | Academic Adviser | |
| Average salary | $36,140 | $46,729 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $46,000 | Between $35,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fresno, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Columbia University in the City of New York | New York Film Academy |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Government |
There are a few differences between an admissions specialist and an academic adviser in terms of educational background:
| Admissions Specialist | Academic Adviser | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between admissions specialists' and academic advisers' demographics:
| Admissions Specialist | Academic Adviser | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7% | Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7% |
| 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% |