Residence hall director vs director of student affairs

The differences between residence hall directors and directors of student affairs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a residence hall director and a director of student affairs. Additionally, a director of student affairs has an average salary of $74,804, which is higher than the $47,193 average annual salary of a residence hall director.

The top three skills for a residence hall director include residence life, desk assistants and student development. The most important skills for a director of student affairs are student affairs, student services, and alumni.

Residence hall director vs director of student affairs overview

	Residence Hall Director	Director Of Student Affairs
Yearly salary	$47,193	$74,804
Hourly rate	$22.69	$35.96
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	6,713	22,875
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a residence hall director do?

A Residence Hall Director spearheads and oversees campus residential areas' daily operations to ensure students' safety and welfare. They are responsible for managing staff, setting goals and guidelines, establishing budgets and timelines, delegating duties among managers, implementing programs and protocols, and monitoring all procedures, resolving issues and concerns if any arise. Moreover, a Residence Hall Director encourages staff to reach goals while implementing policies and regulations to help maintain a healthy and safe community for the students.

What does a director of student affairs do?

A director of student affairs will oversee student clubs, manage student activities and budgetary information, and work with students to provide referrals for counseling and community services. Your duties typically include planning and arranging recreational, cultural, and social activities of different student groups, evaluating programs and providing recommendations for improvements, and scheduling events. As the student affairs director, it is your responsibility to organize and conduct an orientation program for new students and coordinate the publication of the student affairs calendar.

Residence hall director vs director of student affairs salary

Residence hall directors and directors of student affairs have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Residence Hall Director	Director Of Student Affairs
Average salary	$47,193	$74,804
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $70,000	Between $44,000 And $125,000
Highest paying City	Newark, NJ	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	School of Visual Concepts	Pacifi
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between residence hall director and director of student affairs education

There are a few differences between a residence hall director and a director of student affairs in terms of educational background:

	Residence Hall Director	Director Of Student Affairs
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Residence hall director vs director of student affairs demographics

Here are the differences between residence hall directors' and directors of student affairs' demographics:

	Residence Hall Director	Director Of Student Affairs
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 46.9% Female, 53.1%	Male, 48.2% Female, 51.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 4.7% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 4.4% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between residence hall director and director of student affairs duties and responsibilities

Residence hall director example responsibilities.

Motivate, train and lead a team of nine ministry coordinators.
Develop nightly social programs and weekly educational programs to encourage healthy lifestyle choices and embracement of multicultural diversity.
Direct resident relations by providing oversight of resident retention, leasing and marketing programs.
Cultivate, coordinate, and assist in the development of student leadership and responsibility through programming and direct involvement with students.

Director of student affairs example responsibilities.

Provide resources and professional development opportunities to alumni to ensure engagement and a connection to Rasmussen.
Develop yearly FERPA training to increase knowledge and compliance with the law.
Develop CRM, print, website, and social media campaigns to enhance recruitment.
Open new culinary school from initial build-out to include initial program design and approval.
Direct campus through application process, site visits, and approval for institutional ABHES accreditation.
Coordinate events and catering services including divisional meetings, outings, student dinners, and other VPSA events.

Residence hall director vs director of student affairs skills

Common residence hall director skills

Residence Life, 12%
Desk Assistants, 7%
Student Development, 6%
Community Development, 6%
Student Conduct, 4%
Professional Development, 3%

Common director of student affairs skills

Student Affairs, 16%
Student Services, 7%
Alumni, 7%
Professional Development, 6%
Financial Aid, 5%
Student Organizations, 5%

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Residence Hall Director
Residence Hall Director vs Director Of Student Affairs

Updated January 8, 2025

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