How to hire a bursar

How to hire a bursar, step by step

Here's a step-by-step bursar hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a bursar job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new bursar
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the bursar you need to hire. Certain bursar roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A bursar's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, bursars from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of bursars and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Bursar	Description	Hourly rate
   Bursar	Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks produce financial records for organizations. They record financial transactions, update statements, and check financial records for accuracy.	$16-37
   Finance Clerk	Finance clerks are financial professionals who are responsible for performing various administrative tasks such as keeping financial records, preparing bills, and delivering excellent customer service. These clerks are required to process bills, checks, receipts, and other documents to ensure that they are all properly signed and distributed... Show more	$12-26
   Accounts Receivable Clerk	An Accounts Receivable Clerk specializes in processing payment records and bill statements of a company or organization. Among the duties include calculating total revenues and unpaid invoices, maintaining financial records and keeping a detailed and organized database, and verifying financial transactions and payment delinquencies... Show more	$13-21

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Financial Aid
   • Student Payments
   • Credit Card Payments
   • Customer Service
   • Cash Handling
   • Bank Deposits
   • Financial Services
   • Cash Management
   • Reconciliations
   • Data Entry
   • Internal Controls
   • Title IV
   • Student Refunds
   • Student Billing

   Check all skills

   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.

   More bursar duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your bursar job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A bursar salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a bursar in Montana may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level bursar usually earns less than a senior-level bursar. Additionally, a bursar with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average bursar salary

   $52,195yearly

   $25.09 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level bursar salary

   $34,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average bursar salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$73,118	$35
   2	California	$64,825	$31
   3	New York	$60,664	$29
   4	Arizona	$60,077	$29
   5	Alaska	$58,453	$28
   6	Florida	$50,942	$24
   7	Colorado	$45,004	$22
   8	Illinois	$43,338	$21
   9	Missouri	$41,276	$20

   Average bursar salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Colorado State Express	$50,256	$24.16
   2	University of Rochester	$49,894	$23.99
   3	University of Advancing Technology	$48,839	$23.48
   4	UMass Dartmouth	$47,968	$23.06
   5	Randstad North America, Inc.	$47,527	$22.85
   6	University of Alaska	$46,879	$22.54	2
   7	The City University of New York	$46,441	$22.33
   8	Eckerd College	$41,939	$20.16
   9	Chicago State University	$40,444	$19.44
   10	Cecil College	$37,861	$18.20
   11	St. Louis Community College	$34,538	$16.60
   12	Fuller Seminary	$31,997	$15.38
   13	Ave Maria Florida	$31,419	$15.11

4. Writing a bursar job description

   A bursar job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a bursar job description:

   Bursar job description example

   Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, the Bursar position is responsible for assisting in the management of student accounts and payments, with limited supervision. The Bursar provides information to students and staff with regard to tuition and fee structure, student account activity, financial aid resources, billing and receivables, petty cash, and payments. The Bursar is considered a leader at the University as well as the custodian of institutional funds.
   Principal duties/responsibilities
   Oversees the daily operations of University Bursar Office to secure accuracy and correctness of student accounts and other collection items. Delegates tasks and projects and assist staff members in achieving best resolution for students, faculty, and staff. Maintains frequent communication with other department heads regarding institutional deadlines, process improvement, and student accounts. Addresses escalations and issues raised by students and colleagues through strong customer service. Reviews student award checks or related documents. Prepares routine entries and posts financial transactions; reconciles entries and internal ledgers to financial reporting system reports. Researches processing problems, contacts departments and students to resolve problems and expedite payment, and responds to inquiries by telephone or in writing; refers complex problems for solution. Handles cash and cash related transactions, issues receipts, and balances cash fund; enters cash transactions in ledgers and reconciles cash reports; prepares bank deposits. Assists in bad debt write off and collection of written off accounts through collection agencies and the State of Missouri. Distributes, reviews, calculates, and processes student refund payments. Post charges to student account in a timely and accurate manner. Post financial aid to student accounts in compliance with state and federal guidelines, or institutional policy. Ability to work as needed to collect funds at University events at night and on weekends. Performs miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned.
   Education and Experience Requirements
   
   Education Required: Bachelor degree in Accounting or Business preferred.
   
   Experience: At least three years of progressive work experience in accounting, bookkeeping or related office setting. Higher education experience preferred.
   
   other required skills & abilities
   Ability to prepare routine administrative paperwork. Basic data entry and/or word processing skills. Knowledge of Title IV rules and regulations. Ability to sort, count, and verify numbers. Knowledge of university accounting procedures involving student accounts. Ability to perform simple accounting procedures. Records maintenance skills. Knowledge of cash management principles and/or procedures. Account balancing skills. Ability to use personal computers, spreadsheets and word processing programs. Ability to use an automated accounting system. Ability to prepare financial reports. Ability to analyze and solve problems. Strong customer service soft skills.
   PHYSICAL REQUIRMENTS
   
   Within the general range of an office environment.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right bursar for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your bursar job on Zippia to find and attract quality bursar candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as efinancialcareers, financialjobsweb.com, careerbank, financial job bank.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit bursars, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new bursar

   Once you've found the bursar candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new bursar first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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