How to hire a college admissions counselor

How to hire a college admissions counselor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step college admissions counselor hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your college admissions counselor job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a college admissions counselor for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a college admissions counselor to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a college admissions counselor that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of college admissions counselors.

   Type of College Admissions Counselor	Description	Hourly rate
   College Admissions Counselor	School counselors help students develop academic and social skills and succeed in school. Career counselors assist people with the process of making career decisions by helping them develop skills or choose a career or educational program.	$14-25
   Job Coach	A job coach is responsible for evaluating people's skills and qualifications, advising them with career paths, helping with their aspirations, and promote employment opportunities. Job coaches help the clients build self-confidence and explore their maximum potentials to develop their professional growth... Show more	$14-21
   Education Internship	An education intern is responsible for assisting class activities, teaching students with various learning methodologies under a head instructor's supervision. Education interns create comprehensive lesson plans subject for the teacher's review and develop engaging activities and learning materials to create an active learning environment to monitor the students' personal and social development... Show more	$11-23

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • CRM
   • Recruitment Strategies
   • Recruitment Events
   • Academic Programs
   • Admission Decisions
   • Admission Applications
   • Graduate Programs
   • Financial Aid
   • Admissions Data

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage Facebook updates to market events, brand FLC and create a virtual community for students.
   • Counsele students on their secondary study plans, including extra-curricular activities, in addition to their personal essays for college applications.
   • Provide prospective and enroll students with educational plans and career approach to ensure a successful college experience.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your college admissions counselor job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A college admissions counselor can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, college admissions counselors' average salary in south dakota is 51% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level college admissions counselors 42% less than senior-level college admissions counselors.
   • Certifications. A college admissions counselor with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a college admissions counselor's salary.

   Average college admissions counselor salary

   $41,260yearly

   $19.84 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level college admissions counselor salary

   $31,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 22, 2025

   Average college admissions counselor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$53,435	$26
   2	California	$49,800	$24
   3	Massachusetts	$48,963	$24
   4	Maryland	$47,761	$23
   5	Washington	$43,821	$21
   6	Nevada	$43,065	$21
   7	Minnesota	$41,428	$20
   8	Oregon	$41,330	$20
   9	Illinois	$40,376	$19
   10	Hawaii	$39,596	$19
   11	Pennsylvania	$39,218	$19
   12	Arizona	$36,492	$18
   13	Indiana	$32,836	$16

   Average college admissions counselor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Brinker International	$46,690	$22.45
   2	ZENITH ACADEMY	$46,671	$22.44
   3	University Of Minnesota Physicians	$43,753	$21.04
   4	Franklin & Marshall College	$43,437	$20.88	1
   5	Northern Essex Community College	$42,997	$20.67	6
   6	Grand Canyon University	$42,420	$20.39	3
   7	Americorps	$41,292	$19.85	25
   8	Marietta College	$40,431	$19.44
   9	State of Georgia: Teachers Retirement System of Georgia	$40,008	$19.23	35
   10	North Shore Community College	$38,387	$18.46
   11	Howard Community College	$35,554	$17.09	1

4. Writing a college admissions counselor job description

   A good college admissions counselor job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a college admissions counselor job description:

   College admissions counselor job description example

   Concordia University is a Lutheran higher education community committed to helping students develop in mind, body and spirit for service to Christ in the Church and in the world.
   Compensation & Benefits
   
   This is a full-time, exempt (salary) staff position. The starting wage is dependent upon individual qualifications and experience. Concordia University benefit options include, but are not limited to the following:
   
   * Health, Dental and Vision Insurance
   * Personal Spending Account, Flexible Spending Account, and/or Health Savings Account
   * Disability and Survivor Plan
   * Retirement Pension Plan
   * Retirement 403(b) Savings Plan
   * Basic Life and Supplemental Life Insurance
   * Accidental Death and Dismemberment Coverage
   * Critical Illness and Accident Insurance
   * Tuition waiver benefits (available for employees and their qualified dependents)
   
   Position Summary
   
   This position is responsible for maintaining relationships with current high school partners, recruiting new schools to participate and promote the dual credit program to high school students and their families. The goal is to provide opportunities to high school students to enroll in college level courses and engage in pre-college activities on campus. Additionally, you will be responsible to develop and recruit an admission territory for students to pursue their bachelor's degree on campus post high school.
   
   This position reports of the Director of Undergraduate Admissions, and is located on either of our campuses in Ann Arbor, MI or Mequon, WI.
   
   Job Duties & Responsibilities
   
   * Coordinate dual enrollment recruitment efforts and act as the primary liaison with high school counselors
   * Communicate with prospective students and families about the program and enrollment process
   * Create and carry out precollege events that bring high schools students and parent to campus for career exploration that support the degrees we offer (i.e. Health Science Exploration Night)
   * Facilitate enrollment process for students interested in dual credit course offerings
   * Develop relationships with K-12 schools to partner on pre-college programming
   * Coordinate events and informational sessions to school guidance counselors
   * Promote dual enrollment opportunities to provide growth within the public-school districts
   * Partner with on campus departments to ensure providing course offerings and programming best suited to our prospective students
   * Work collaboratively with the undergraduate admission team on facilitating enrollment to traditional undergraduate students
   * Meet with prospective students on campus. Answer questions and guide students and their families through the enrollment process
   * Travel to schools and fairs is required (10%)
   * May perform other related duties as assigned
   
   Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities
   
   * Excellent communication skills - written and oral, especially public speaking
   * Exceptional phone skills and comfort with a large volume of inbound and outbound calls
   * Staying current with university admission processes and requirements, university programs, majors, and courses, and developments in education and financial aid
   * Experience with admission CRM software, SLATE and ERP Banner
   * Ability to work independently and maintain a schedule, as well as work within a team environment
   * Knowledge and skill in the areas of marketing and advertising
   * Ability to work some weekends and evenings; overnight travel may be required
   * Supportive of the mission and values of Concordia University Wisconsin/Ann Arbor and the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS)
   
   Education & Experience
   
   A bachelor's degree is required at minimum. A master's degree or pursuit of is preferred. Three to five years of professional work experience in academic admissions, marketing or sales is required.
   
   Physical Demands/Equipment (Click to View)
   
   Application Instructions
   
   To receive full consideration, all applicants are asked to complete and submit an online employment application through the Concordia University Employment page. To begin, please click the Apply Now section on the job page and then click the Apply For This Position button to begin the application process.
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer
   
   It is the policy of CU to provide equal opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.
   
   The University will not discriminate against or harass any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, pregnancy, national origin (including ancestry), citizenship status, physical or mental disability, age, marital status, gender, veteran or military status, predisposing genetic characteristics, domestic violence victim status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
   
   However, CU is an institution of the LCMS and, to the extent allowed by law, CU reserves the right to give preference in employment based on religion. In addition, preference in holding certain employment positions is given to ordained or rostered ministers of the LCMS. Based on a religious tenet, CU recognizes only male, LCMS ordained Ministers of the Gospel, but recognizes both male and female LCMS Rostered Ministers of the Gospel.
   
   The Human Resources Department has been appointed to manage the equal employment opportunity program, including all equal employment opportunity activities, as required by federal, state and local agencies. If any employee or applicant for employment believes this policy has been violated, he/she must contact the Director of Human Resources.
   
   Concordia University is a HLC accredited, co-educational, liberal arts school offering more than 70 undergraduate majors, over 40 master's degree programs, and 4 doctoral programs. There are also a variety of accelerated evening and e-learning programs.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find college admissions counselors for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your college admissions counselor job on Zippia to find and recruit college admissions counselor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting college admissions counselors requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 college admissions counselor

   Once you've found the college admissions counselor 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 good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new college admissions counselor. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

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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