Bursar vs accountant

The differences between bursars and accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a bursar, becoming an accountant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an accountant has an average salary of $54,890, which is higher than the $52,195 average annual salary of a bursar.

The top three skills for a bursar include financial aid, student payments and credit card payments. The most important skills for an accountant are reconciliations, general ledger accounts, and account reconciliations.

Bursar vs accountant overview

	Bursar	Accountant
Yearly salary	$52,195	$54,890
Hourly rate	$25.09	$26.39
Growth rate	-5%	6%
Number of jobs	475	60,073
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	51	44
Years of experience	6	4

Bursar vs accountant salary

Bursars and accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bursar	Accountant
Average salary	$52,195	$54,890
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $79,000	Between $41,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	Dartmouth, MA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	New York
Best paying company	Colorado State Express	Meta
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between bursar and accountant education

There are a few differences between a bursar and an accountant in terms of educational background:

	Bursar	Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Bursar vs accountant demographics

Here are the differences between bursars' and accountants' demographics:

	Bursar	Accountant
Average age	51	44
Gender ratio	Male, 31.6% Female, 68.4%	Male, 38.2% Female, 61.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 15.0% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between bursar and accountant duties and responsibilities

Bursar example responsibilities.

Manage all financial reporting, accounts receivable, general ledgers and reconciliations.
Process accounting documents concerning entitlement to travel expenses for military and /or civilian personnel in activities service by DFAS.
Respond to inquiries from internal organization and external customers regarding package processing, delivery information and services offer by USPS stores.

Accountant example responsibilities.

Manage preparation of the statutory financial statements and financial aggregates in compliance with IFRS and local applicable norms.
Manage personnel financial matters including salaries, taxation procedures and other relate issues.
Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Reconstruct and improve many balance sheet account reconciliations for easier reading and interpretation by senior level management.
Perform complex general accounting functions, including preparation of journal entries, account analysis and balance sheet reconciliations.
Maintain general ledgers and preparation of monthly and other periodic financial reports in accordance with GAAP and international accounting standards.

Bursar vs accountant skills

Common bursar skills

Financial Aid, 22%
Student Payments, 8%
Credit Card Payments, 5%
Customer Service, 4%
Cash Handling, 4%
Bank Deposits, 4%

Common accountant skills

Reconciliations, 14%
General Ledger Accounts, 6%
Account Reconciliations, 6%
GAAP, 5%
Payroll Tax Returns, 5%
Customer Service, 5%