Bursar vs finance aid officer

The differences between bursars and finance aid officers 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 a finance aid officer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a bursar has an average salary of $52,195, which is higher than the $38,163 average annual salary of a finance aid officer.

The top three skills for a bursar include financial aid, student payments and credit card payments. The most important skills for a finance aid officer are financial aid, customer service, and FAFSA.

Bursar vs finance aid officer overview

	Bursar	Finance Aid Officer
Yearly salary	$52,195	$38,163
Hourly rate	$25.09	$18.35
Growth rate	-5%	7%
Number of jobs	475	146,154
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	51	45
Years of experience	6	2

Bursar vs finance aid officer salary

Bursars and finance aid officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bursar	Finance Aid Officer
Average salary	$52,195	$38,163
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $79,000	Between $29,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	Dartmouth, MA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	New York
Best paying company	Colorado State Express	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	-	Non Profits

Differences between bursar and finance aid officer education

There are a few differences between a bursar and a finance aid officer in terms of educational background:

	Bursar	Finance Aid Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Bursar vs finance aid officer demographics

Here are the differences between bursars' and finance aid officers' demographics:

	Bursar	Finance Aid Officer
Average age	51	45
Gender ratio	Male, 31.6% Female, 68.4%	Male, 27.5% Female, 72.5%
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, 9.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 6.4% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	8%

Differences between bursar and finance aid officer 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.

Finance aid officer example responsibilities.

Manage project for the development and implementation of a university-wide scholarship database, STAARS.
Update CampusVue portal with detail notes concerning briefings, issue students thumb drive and review financial aid documentation in detail.
Assist students and parents in the financial aid application procedure, process and prepare all student-funding requests using CampusVue software.
Review and evaluate ISIR information to ensure accurate financial aid processing.
Coordinate with the appropriate campus personnel to ensure accurate and timely disbursement of scholarship and federal work-study disbursements.
Verify loan periods, order quarterly loans and check NSLDS on eligibility for students.

Bursar vs finance aid officer skills

Common bursar skills

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

Common finance aid officer skills

Financial Aid, 19%
Customer Service, 14%
FAFSA, 8%
Title IV, 6%
Student Loans, 5%
Financial Aid Packages, 4%