Bursar vs accounts receivable clerk

The differences between bursars and accounts receivable clerks 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 receivable clerk. Additionally, a bursar has an average salary of $52,195, which is higher than the $36,425 average annual salary of an accounts receivable clerk.

The top three skills for a bursar include financial aid, student payments and credit card payments. The most important skills for an accounts receivable clerk are customer service, data entry, and collection calls.

Bursar vs accounts receivable clerk overview

	Bursar	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Yearly salary	$52,195	$36,425
Hourly rate	$25.09	$17.51
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	475	87,935
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

Bursar vs accounts receivable clerk salary

Bursars and accounts receivable clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bursar	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Average salary	$52,195	$36,425
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $79,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Dartmouth, MA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Colorado State Express	IBM
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between bursar and accounts receivable clerk education

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

	Bursar	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Bursar vs accounts receivable clerk demographics

Here are the differences between bursars' and accounts receivable clerks' demographics:

	Bursar	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 31.6% Female, 68.4%	Male, 13.7% Female, 86.3%
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 receivable clerk 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 receivable clerk example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor weekly bank deposit runs and record deposits into QuickBooks.
Manage profitable accounts receivable ledgers for existing and new clientele maintaining accuracy of monies enter to appropriate relate account.
Obtain online reports of bank transactions, including deposits, ACH, EFT and wire payments from multiple banking institutions.
Utilize QuickBooks accounting software for billing/invoices, generate statements.
Perform necessary adjustments using knowledge of Medicare and all third party insurance.
Investigate and resolve any out-of-balances including credit card discrepancies / lockbox exceptions.

Bursar vs accounts receivable clerk 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 receivable clerk skills

Customer Service, 12%
Data Entry, 9%
Collection Calls, 8%
Financial Data, 7%
Credit Card Payments, 5%
Process Payments, 5%

Bursar vs. similar jobs

Bursar related careers

Bursar related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Bursar
Bursar vs Accounts Receivable Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs