Higher education administrator vs student services director

The differences between higher education administrators and student services directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a higher education administrator and a student services director. Additionally, a student services director has an average salary of $68,307, which is higher than the $53,604 average annual salary of a higher education administrator.

The top three skills for a higher education administrator include syllabus, K-12 and CSU. The most important skills for a student services director are professional development, financial aid, and support services.

Higher education administrator vs student services director overview

	Higher Education Administrator	Student Services Director
Yearly salary	$53,604	$68,307
Hourly rate	$25.77	$32.84
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	61,760	69,818
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

Higher education administrator vs student services director salary

Higher education administrators and student services directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Higher Education Administrator	Student Services Director
Average salary	$53,604	$68,307
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $81,000	Between $43,000 And $106,000
Highest paying City	-	Berkeley, CA
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Los Alamos National Laboratory
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between higher education administrator and student services director education

There are a few differences between a higher education administrator and a student services director in terms of educational background:

	Higher Education Administrator	Student Services Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Higher education administrator vs student services director demographics

Here are the differences between higher education administrators' and student services directors' demographics:

	Higher Education Administrator	Student Services Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 44.0% Female, 56.0%	Male, 37.4% Female, 62.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 4.3% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 4.3% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between higher education administrator and student services director duties and responsibilities

Higher education administrator example responsibilities.

Establish operating policies and procedures and attain SNF Medicare certification.
Perform savings/cost analysis for ductless heat pumps, SQL, and ad-hoc queries.
Ensure ethics, compliance with stringent regulations.
Process adds and changes of PC equipment such as desktops and laptops.
Support end-users PC's and other components by phone, email and in-person, support some.
Present findings formally, as PowerPoint presentation to academic peer group

Student services director example responsibilities.

Support and oversee students from colleges across the country as they organize and lead interfaith service programming on their own campuses.
Source employers through market research, LinkedIn and cold calls.
Explore and find additional sources to supplement scholarship funds for minorities.
Review and edit resumes while providing direction for content in LinkedIn and e-portfolio profiles.
Attend and contribute to impartial hearings or legally-binding mediation meetings where students' needs are discuss.
Design and maintain a participation tracking system that will accurately document student participation in the SSS program.

Higher education administrator vs student services director skills

Common higher education administrator skills

Syllabus, 28%
K-12, 21%
CSU, 14%
Academic Performance, 8%
Mathematics, 6%
Educational Programs, 5%

Common student services director skills

Professional Development, 8%
Financial Aid, 7%
Support Services, 6%
Social Work, 5%
Alumni, 4%
Student Life, 4%

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Higher Education Administrator
Higher Education Administrator vs Student Services Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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