How to hire an associate director of admissions

How to hire an associate director of admissions, step by step

Here's a step-by-step associate director of admissions hiring guide:

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

What does an associate director of admissions do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the associate director of admissions you need to hire. Certain associate director of admissions 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an associate director of admissions to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an associate director of admissions that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of associate directors of admissions.

   Type of Associate Director Of Admissions	Description	Hourly rate
   Associate Director Of Admissions	Postsecondary education administrators oversee student services, academics, and faculty research at colleges and universities. Their job duties vary depending on the area of the college they manage, such as admissions, student life, or the office of the registrar.	$21-37
   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... Show more	$23-72
   Department Chairperson	A Department Chairperson is a faculty member who provides academic and administrative leadership to an academic department. They exercise leadership in recruiting and retaining capable faculty, communicate departmental needs and desires to the Dean and Provost, and coordinate the academic advisement process.	$24-91

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Alumni
   • CRM
   • Admissions Process
   • Enrollment Management
   • Student Recruitment
   • Undergraduate Admissions
   • Professional Development
   • Student Services
   • Recruitment Events
   • Financial Aid
   • Phone Calls
   • Student Enrollment
   • Open Houses
   • Enrollment Process

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Provide organizational leadership, management and oversight for all aspects of group and member eligibility and enrollment.
   • Collaborate with faculty on effective promotion of departmental programs and select applicant evaluations, including early admission and merit scholarship applicants.
   • Receive congressional recognition for founding this organization as national model for rural HIV service provision.
   • Implement and direct nontraditional HIV counseling and testing program at multiple community sites focusing on high risk individuals.
   • Provide guidance and influence the integration of minority students in school activities through athletic and community base programs.

   More associate director of admissions duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your associate director of admissions job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An associate director of admissions salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, associate directors of admissions' average salary in arkansas is 34% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level associate directors of admissions earn 42% less than senior-level associate directors of admissions.
   • Certifications. An associate director of admissions with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an associate director of admissions's salary.

   Average associate director of admissions salary

   $60,046yearly

   $28.87 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level associate director of admissions salary

   $45,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average associate director of admissions salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Connecticut	$71,411	$34
   2	District of Columbia	$68,302	$33
   3	New York	$67,098	$32
   4	Maryland	$65,973	$32
   5	Indiana	$63,784	$31
   6	California	$62,870	$30
   7	Massachusetts	$62,708	$30
   8	South Dakota	$59,228	$28
   9	Ohio	$58,504	$28
   10	Idaho	$58,078	$28
   11	Florida	$57,945	$28
   12	North Carolina	$56,753	$27
   13	Georgia	$56,510	$27
   14	Missouri	$56,496	$27
   15	Pennsylvania	$56,479	$27
   16	Wisconsin	$55,788	$27
   17	Colorado	$54,641	$26
   18	Texas	$53,939	$26
   19	Hawaii	$52,453	$25
   20	Washington	$52,331	$25

   Average associate director of admissions salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Léman Manhattan Preparatory School	$70,626	$33.95
   2	King's College	$69,749	$33.53
   3	Claremont Graduate University	$69,630	$33.48	1
   4	Mercy College	$69,251	$33.29	1
   5	Stanford University	$67,974	$32.68	12
   6	Hawaii Pacific University	$66,711	$32.07
   7	Suffolk University	$65,602	$31.54
   8	Nova Southeastern University	$65,089	$31.29	3
   9	Merrimack College	$65,009	$31.25	6
   10	University of California	$64,907	$31.21	4
   11	Yale University	$64,906	$31.20	2
   12	UW-Milwaukee	$64,870	$31.19
   13	Head-Royce School	$64,425	$30.97
   14	Santa Clara University	$64,338	$30.93	2
   15	Golden Gate University	$64,107	$30.82
   16	Savannah College of Art and Design	$64,088	$30.81	6
   17	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	$63,686	$30.62	1
   18	Boston College	$62,909	$30.24	2
   19	SUNY Geneseo	$62,730	$30.16	1
   20	Cornell College	$62,376	$29.99	1

4. Writing an associate director of admissions job description

   A job description for an associate director of admissions role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an associate director of admissions job description:

   Associate director of admissions job description example

   * Work type: Full Time
   * School/Department: School of Social Work
   * Grade: Grade 12
   * Categories: Stdnt Affairs/Educational Admn
   * Job Type: Officer of Administration
   * Bargaining Unit:
   * Regular/Temporary: Regular
   * End Date if Temporary:
   * Hours Per Week: 35
   * Salary Range:
   
   Position Summary
   
   Reporting to the Director of Admissions, the Associate Director of Admissions performs tasks related to the recruitment, retention, and admission related to prospects and applicants for the Master of Science program in Social Work at the Columbia University School of Social Work (CSSW).
   
   Responsibilities
   
   * Assist the Director of Admissions with the daily operations and the management, supervision, and coordination of the staff (graduate and summer interns, Work Study students, Student Ambassadors, and temporary employees) of the Admissions Department.
   * Attend graduate fairs, workshops on and off campus, and information sessions. Ability to travel and work extended hours during recruitment events.
   * Oversee application review process with faculty readers; distribute files. Coordinate the file review and training sessions schedule for the review process and payment for the readers.
   * Manage and maintain all electronic student records in Technolutions Slate, the School's Admissions CRM platform. Ensure that all applicant documents are processed efficiently, creating timely responses to applicants regarding the status of their applications, admission decision letters, eBrochures, and other email campaigns associated with prospects, applicants, and admitted students.
   * Prepare and present weekly snapshot reports, tracking the progress of prospects, admissions, enrollment, and event metrics.
   * Co-coordinate the marketing and recruitment strategies with the Director. Provide oversight of the communication plan to address domestic and international inquiries. Advise prospective graduate international students of the admissions process and address visa concerns.
   * Assist in the design, planning, and implementation of special events. Manage all student and alumni volunteers for prospective and admitted student events.
   * Other duties as assigned.
   
   Minimum Qualifications
   
   * Bachelor's degree and/or its equivalent required.
   * Minimum 3-5 years of related experience in Higher Education and/or Human Services.
   
   Preferred Qualifications
   
   * Master's degree in Higher Education, Social Work, or Education.
   * Experience with automated database systems, SLATE online application system, and Columbia's SIS preferred.
   
   Other Requirements
   
   * Strong interpersonal, organizational, program development, and communication skills.
   * Demonstrated independent judgment and initiative in fulfilling responsibilities.
   * Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
   * Must be highly energetic, goal-oriented, results-driven, creative, and team-oriented.
   * Ability to work independently and well under pressure.
   * Must have fluency in information technologies and be able to learn and incorporate new technologies rapidly.
   * Must be available for some travel and weekend work.
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran
   
   Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.
   
   Applications open: Oct 14 2022 Eastern Daylight Time Applications close:
   
   Back Apply Share

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5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find associate directors of admissions for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your associate director of admissions job on Zippia to find and attract quality associate director of admissions candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit associate directors of admissions, 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to 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 associate director of admissions

   Once you've found the associate director of admissions 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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 associate director of admissions?