Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Nelnet salaries
Nelnet salary estimate
$49,531yearly
Understanding Nelnet Salaries
As of 2025, the average salary at Nelnet is approximately $49,531 annually. This figure reflects various roles within the company, showcasing a competitive pay structure. The highest paying positions at Nelnet include specialized roles in engineering, finance, and management. Salaries can vary significantly based on location and department. For instance, employees in major cities like Denver and New York tend to earn higher than the national average. Additionally, Nelnet's commitment to employee development often leads to opportunities for advancement and increased earning potential over time.
Top Paying Departments
Departments such as Engineering and Information Technology consistently report higher salaries, making them attractive options for job seekers. Understanding these dynamics can assist prospective employees in making informed career decisions.
Highest paying jobs at Nelnet
The highest paying jobs at Nelnet are sales vice president, information technology architect, marketing operations director, and network manager. Sales vice president jobs at Nelnet earn an average yearly salary of $103,692, Nelnet information technology architect jobs average $94,029, and Nelnet marketing operations director jobs average $79,796.
The lowest paying Nelnet roles include collector and customer service representative. Nelnet collector average salary is $25,618 per year. So while the average Nelnet salary is $49,531 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.
Highest paying jobs at Nelnet
| Rank | Job title | Average Nelnet salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sales Vice President | $103,692 | $49.85 |
| 2 | Information Technology Architect | $94,029 | $45.21 |
| 3 | Marketing Operations Director | $79,796 | $38.36 |
| 4 | Network Manager | $78,767 | $37.87 |
| 5 | Information Developer | $77,765 | $37.39 |
| 6 | Product Owner | $76,333 | $36.70 |
| 7 | Scrum Master | $74,553 | $35.84 |
| 8 | Software Engineer | $74,162 | $35.65 |
| 9 | Requirements Engineer | $72,538 | $34.87 |
| 10 | Technical Business Analyst | $71,056 | $34.16 |
| 11 | Front End Developer | $69,154 | $33.25 |
| 12 | Quality Assurance Tester | $63,882 | $30.71 |
| 13 | Data Analyst | $52,564 | $25.27 |
| 14 | Securities Adviser | $51,796 | $24.90 |
| 15 | Planting Supervisor | $48,335 | $23.24 |
| 16 | Designer | $41,453 | $19.93 |
| 17 | Account Manager | $41,392 | $19.90 |
| 18 | Implementation Specialist | $40,202 | $19.33 |
| 19 | Design Specialist | $40,145 | $19.30 |
| 20 | Sales Associate | $38,888 | $18.70 |
Rate Nelnet's promotion and raise policies.
Average Nelnet salary by state
Nelnet pays the highest salaries in District of Columbia due to higher costs of living and competition in the state.
| Rank | State | Average Nelnet salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $54,489 | $26.20 |
| 2 | New York | $54,256 | $26.08 |
| 3 | California | $54,115 | $26.02 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $53,603 | $25.77 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $53,111 | $25.53 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $51,519 | $24.77 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $50,508 | $24.28 |
| 8 | Colorado | $49,855 | $23.97 |
| 9 | Illinois | $49,748 | $23.92 |
| 10 | Delaware | $49,285 | $23.69 |
| 11 | Oregon | $49,249 | $23.68 |
| 12 | Michigan | $49,009 | $23.56 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $48,772 | $23.45 |
| 14 | Alaska | $48,062 | $23.11 |
| 15 | Hawaii | $47,927 | $23.04 |
| 16 | Georgia | $47,699 | $22.93 |
| 17 | Arizona | $47,193 | $22.69 |
| 18 | Iowa | $47,106 | $22.65 |
| 19 | Kansas | $47,006 | $22.60 |
| 20 | Indiana | $46,396 | $22.31 |
How much does Nelnet pay by location?
Highest paying Nelnet locations
| Rank | Location | Average Nelnet salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, DC | $54,468 | $26.19 |
| 2 | Albany, NY | $54,447 | $26.18 |
| 3 | Olympia, WA | $54,281 | $26.10 |
| 4 | Sacramento, CA | $54,174 | $26.05 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $53,653 | $25.79 |
| 6 | Trenton, NJ | $53,026 | $25.49 |
| 7 | Hartford, CT | $51,606 | $24.81 |
| 8 | Annapolis, MD | $50,715 | $24.38 |
| 9 | Saint Paul, MN | $50,572 | $24.31 |
| 10 | Providence, RI | $50,522 | $24.29 |
| 11 | Concord, NH | $49,888 | $23.98 |
| 12 | Denver, CO | $49,812 | $23.95 |
| 13 | Richmond, VA | $49,653 | $23.87 |
| 14 | Raleigh, NC | $49,452 | $23.78 |
| 15 | Springfield, IL | $49,364 | $23.73 |
| 16 | Salem, OR | $49,333 | $23.72 |
| 17 | Dover, DE | $49,211 | $23.66 |
| 18 | Lansing, MI | $49,002 | $23.56 |
| 19 | Montpelier, VT | $48,801 | $23.46 |
| 20 | Harrisburg, PA | $48,629 | $23.38 |
Do you work at Nelnet?
Were you satisfied with Nelnet's salary and benefits?
Nelnet salaries by department
Salaries at Nelnet vary depending on the department you work in. Nelnet salaries in the engineering department are the highest with an average salary of $69,583. Employees in the it department at Nelnet receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $65,192 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at Nelnet include the accounting and the customer service organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $30,104 and $30,394, respectively.
Average Nelnet salary by department
| Rank | Department | Average Nelnet salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Engineering | $69,583 | $33.45 |
| 2 | IT | $65,192 | $31.34 |
| 3 | Marketing | $63,597 | $30.58 |
| 4 | Plant/Manufacturing | $52,043 | $25.02 |
| 5 | Sales | $49,959 | $24.02 |
| 6 | Education | $40,995 | $19.71 |
| 7 | Art/Design | $40,837 | $19.63 |
| 8 | Construction | $38,179 | $18.36 |
| 9 | Human Resources | $36,401 | $17.50 |
| 10 | Finance | $34,657 | $16.66 |
| 11 | Customer Service | $30,394 | $14.61 |
| 12 | Accounting | $30,104 | $14.47 |
How much does Nelnet pay by department?
Best paying Nelnet engineering salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Nelnet salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Information Developer | $77,765 | $37.39 |
| 2 | Scrum Master | $74,553 | $35.84 |
| 3 | Software Engineer | $74,162 | $35.65 |
| 4 | Requirements Engineer | $72,538 | $34.87 |
| 5 | Process Development | $71,619 | $34.43 |
| 6 | Front End Developer | $69,154 | $33.25 |
| 7 | Software Analyst | $66,207 | $31.83 |
| 8 | Data Analyst | $52,564 | $25.27 |
Best paying Nelnet IT salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Nelnet salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solutions Architect | $105,544 | $50.74 |
| 2 | Technical Support Manager | $95,398 | $45.86 |
| 3 | Information Technology Architect | $94,029 | $45.21 |
| 4 | Network Manager | $78,767 | $37.87 |
| 5 | Senior Security & Network Engineer | $74,853 | $35.99 |
| 6 | Scrum Master | $74,553 | $35.84 |
| 7 | Information Technology Administrator | $66,244 | $31.85 |
| 8 | Software Analyst | $66,207 | $31.83 |
| 9 | Infrastructure Engineer | $65,403 | $31.44 |
| 10 | Implementation Specialist | $40,202 | $19.33 |
| 11 | Home Advisor | $38,262 | $18.40 |
| 12 | Technical Support Specialist | $37,613 | $18.08 |
Best paying Nelnet finance salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Nelnet salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Integration Specialist | $41,015 | $19.72 |
| 2 | Finance Account Manager | $40,407 | $19.43 |
| 3 | Implementation Specialist | $40,202 | $19.33 |
| 4 | Analyst | $38,922 | $18.71 |
| 5 | Process Leader | $38,059 | $18.30 |
| 6 | Loss Control Representative | $32,450 | $15.60 |
| 7 | Finance Internship | $32,357 | $15.56 |
| 8 | Loan Processor | $31,107 | $14.96 |
| 9 | Claims Representative | $30,475 | $14.65 |
| 10 | Loan Adviser | $30,059 | $14.45 |
| 11 | Claim Processor | $25,598 | $12.31 |
Nelnet competitors’ average salaries
Average salaries at Nelnet competitors, like Morgan Stanley, Citi, and Federal Deposit Insurance, vary. Morgan Stanley employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $103,933. The average salary at Citi is $75,483 per year, and the average salary at Federal Deposit Insurance is $71,995 per year.
Highest paying Nelnet competitors
| Rank | Company name | Zippia score | Average salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morgan Stanley | 4.6 | $103,933 |
| 2 | Citi | 4.6 | $75,483 |
| 3 | Federal Deposit Insurance | 4.8 | $71,995 |
| 4 | United Acceptance | 4.0 | $60,199 |
| 5 | Applied Card Systems | 3.7 | $59,805 |
| 6 | Time Investments | 3.1 | $58,862 |
| 7 | Monterey Financial Services | 4.2 | $58,849 |
| 8 | GM Financial | 4.8 | $58,603 |
| 9 | Berkshire Hathaway | 4.8 | $56,507 |
| 10 | Enova | 4.4 | $56,133 |
| 11 | Debt Guru | 4.0 | $55,036 |
| 12 | Consolidated Credit | 4.3 | $54,633 |
| 13 | FACTS Management Company | 3.4 | $53,599 |
| 14 | Debt Management Partners | 4.1 | $45,311 |
| 15 | Student Loan Relief | 3.9 | $44,148 |
| 16 | Navient | 4.1 | $42,771 |
| 17 | World Omni | 4.0 | $40,017 |
| 18 | Primerica | 4.6 | $39,645 |
| 19 | Semperian Inc | 3.7 | $37,034 |
| 20 | United Consumer Financial Services | 4.0 | $36,815 |
Recently added Nelnet salaries
| Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Content Specialist-Associate Experience | Lincoln, NE | 06/28/2025 | $55,000 |
| Site Supervisor of Facts ED Programs-On Site | Detroit, MI | 06/28/2025 | $65,000 |
| Facts SIS K-12 Product Owner | Columbia, SC | 06/27/2025 | $65,000 |
| Cybersecurity AI Engineer | Madison, WI | 06/27/2025 | $100,000 |
| Facts SIS K-12 Product Owner | Salt Lake City, UT | 06/27/2025 | $65,000 |
What employees say about salary at Nelnet
Working remote with a flex schedule. I have also made many friendships while working at Nelnet.
Working at home with a flex schedule allows me to schedule my appointments and work at the best time of day for me.
I prefer working from home.
I like the ability to be a part of meetings that inform us of company status and goals.
I would improve communication between upper management and employees. Incentives and encouraging employees working together would also be helpful.
I prepared for my interview by researching the company and the position I applied for before the interview.
The compensation appears to be average in the industry.
The representation is positive and there are numerous opportunities to become involved with it.
Positive attitudes and regular feedback from supervisors. Also the ability to learn and work with co workers.
Well I go to strayer and it’s communications llc on the security exchange dot gove
I have to drop 3 notices in the mail registered to get paid and get that crap discharged
When my tender is wired to my TDA and my mortmain account is exhausted by my estate and private bank estate and trust eins because I adopted that dead ssn mortmain account in Puerto Rico I’m about to send my f56 966 211 w8ben writ of execution this week when I drop this notice to Jim James Kruger
I’m not part of that herd I am alive and not dead and I’m a SIRE Garth no middle and last name
Stop making it hard for Garth and the hell with everyone else who will never take their time to learn what I have learned
I didn’t I’m effortless and I don’t give a fat baby damn
Whatever they say my debt is but I have no debt I’ll show you shortly how I have no debt
I don’t
The game . This is a game to me and I’m the main player
They treat their employees great through personal relationships and wellness benefits.
Wellness Benefits
Pay is relatively low
Challenging but rewarding work experience. Positive management and work environment.
High stress levels, always feel like you're working even when not on a call.
Location, above average pay with easily obtainable job advancement plans.
Frequently asked questions about Nelnet salaries
Search for jobs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Nelnet, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Nelnet. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Nelnet. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Nelnet. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Nelnet and its employees or that of Zippia.
Nelnet may also be known as or be related to Nelnet, Nelnet Inc, Nelnet Student Loan Corp. 1 and Nelnet, Inc.