Bursar vs bookkeeper

The differences between bursars and bookkeepers 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 a bookkeeper. Additionally, a bursar has an average salary of $52,195, which is higher than the $40,337 average annual salary of a bookkeeper.

The top three skills for a bursar include financial aid, student payments and credit card payments. The most important skills for a bookkeeper are payroll tax returns, customer service, and reconciliations.

Bursar vs bookkeeper overview

	Bursar	Bookkeeper
Yearly salary	$52,195	$40,337
Hourly rate	$25.09	$19.39
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	475	38,481
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

Bursar vs bookkeeper salary

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

	Bursar	Bookkeeper
Average salary	$52,195	$40,337
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $79,000	Between $30,000 And $52,000
Highest paying City	Dartmouth, MA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	New York
Best paying company	Colorado State Express	NTT Data International L.L.C.
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between bursar and bookkeeper education

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

	Bursar	Bookkeeper
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Bursar vs bookkeeper demographics

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

	Bursar	Bookkeeper
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 31.6% Female, 68.4%	Male, 15.4% Female, 84.6%
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, 6.6% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between bursar and bookkeeper 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.

Bookkeeper example responsibilities.

Manage AR, prepare deposits and perform basic receptionist/customer service tasks in office.
Perform journal entries, balance ledger, perform bank reconciliations, control inventory, coordinate proper guest accommodation.
Post and update of daily sales and purchases into QuickBooks system.
Execute monthly collection of Medicaid surplus funds from clients on a monthly basis.
Post resident receipts, Medicaid remittance, and process adjusting entries to the A/R detail.
Work closely with QC personnel for the planning of tooling and the flow process of PWB's.

Bursar vs bookkeeper skills

Common bursar skills

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

Common bookkeeper skills

Payroll Tax Returns, 12%
Customer Service, 10%
Reconciliations, 10%
Data Entry, 7%
Journal Entries, 5%
Financial Transactions, 4%