Bursar vs payment processor

The differences between bursars and payment processors 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 payment processor. Additionally, a bursar has an average salary of $52,195, which is higher than the $34,030 average annual salary of a payment processor.

The top three skills for a bursar include financial aid, student payments and credit card payments. The most important skills for a payment processor are customer service, patients, and data entry.

Bursar vs payment processor overview

	Bursar	Payment Processor
Yearly salary	$52,195	$34,030
Hourly rate	$25.09	$16.36
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	475	33,161
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

Bursar vs payment processor salary

Bursars and payment processors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bursar	Payment Processor
Average salary	$52,195	$34,030
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $79,000	Between $27,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Dartmouth, MA	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Alaska
Best paying company	Colorado State Express	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Insurance

Differences between bursar and payment processor education

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

	Bursar	Payment Processor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Bursar vs payment processor demographics

Here are the differences between bursars' and payment processors' demographics:

	Bursar	Payment Processor
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 31.6% Female, 68.4%	Male, 21.5% Female, 78.5%
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, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between bursar and payment processor 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.

Payment processor example responsibilities.

Manage and review all incoming discounts and electronic contractual adjustments for accuracy per the negotiated Medicaid and Medicare contracts ;.
Maintain daily transactions for customer payments and various bank accounts using Quickbooks to track transactions.
Prepare and print all reports for EDI processing.
Maintain client customer confidentiality and HIPAA regulations with all data handling and transfers.
Uphold and reinforce compliance with hospital policies and federal regulations such as HIPAA.
Investigate and take corrective action regarding invoices reject by system or through EDI.

Bursar vs payment processor skills

Common bursar skills

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

Common payment processor skills

Customer Service, 15%
Patients, 10%
Data Entry, 10%
ACH, 8%
Phone Calls, 5%
Credit Card Payments, 4%