Bursar vs accounts payable assistant

The differences between bursars and accounts payable assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a bursar and an accounts payable assistant. Additionally, a bursar has an average salary of $52,195, which is higher than the $37,145 average annual salary of an accounts payable assistant.

The top three skills for a bursar include financial aid, student payments and credit card payments. The most important skills for an accounts payable assistant are data entry, purchase orders, and vendor invoices.

Bursar vs accounts payable assistant overview

	Bursar	Accounts Payable Assistant
Yearly salary	$52,195	$37,145
Hourly rate	$25.09	$17.86
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	475	31,341
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

Bursar vs accounts payable assistant salary

Bursars and accounts payable assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bursar	Accounts Payable Assistant
Average salary	$52,195	$37,145
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $79,000	Between $29,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	Dartmouth, MA	Santa Cruz, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	Colorado State Express	Emerson College
Best paying industry	-	Construction

Differences between bursar and accounts payable assistant education

There are a few differences between a bursar and an accounts payable assistant in terms of educational background:

	Bursar	Accounts Payable Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Bursar vs accounts payable assistant demographics

Here are the differences between bursars' and accounts payable assistants' demographics:

	Bursar	Accounts Payable Assistant
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 31.6% Female, 68.4%	Male, 15.2% Female, 84.8%
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, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.5% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between bursar and accounts payable assistant 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.

Accounts payable assistant example responsibilities.

Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Issue weekly payments to vendors by check, ACH, domestic wire, and international wire in USD and other currencies.
Assist in accounts payable/receivable including check deposits, credit card payments, ACH payments, credits, check runs, etc.
Compose effective accounting reports summarizing accounts payable data using QuickBooks.
Prepare payroll for salary and hourly personnel, including necessary reports for regulatory bodies.
Respond to payroll accounting inquires; provide resolution, information, or direction accordingly.

Bursar vs accounts payable assistant skills

Common bursar skills

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

Common accounts payable assistant skills

Data Entry, 15%
Purchase Orders, 10%
Vendor Invoices, 9%
Payroll, 6%
Vendor Statements, 5%
Financial Reports, 4%

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Bursar vs Accounts Payable Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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