Student affairs dean vs finance aid director

The differences between student affairs deans and finance aid 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 student affairs dean and a finance aid director. Additionally, a student affairs dean has an average salary of $61,428, which is higher than the $58,644 average annual salary of a finance aid director.

The top three skills for a student affairs dean include student affairs, student life and student conduct. The most important skills for a finance aid director are financial aid programs, title iv, and state regulations.

Student affairs dean vs finance aid director overview

	Student Affairs Dean	Finance Aid Director
Yearly salary	$61,428	$58,644
Hourly rate	$29.53	$28.19
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	13,641	98,523
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

Student affairs dean vs finance aid director salary

Student affairs deans and finance aid directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Student Affairs Dean	Finance Aid Director
Average salary	$61,428	$58,644
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $125,000	Between $37,000 And $92,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Commonwealth
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between student affairs dean and finance aid director education

There are a few differences between a student affairs dean and a finance aid director in terms of educational background:

	Student Affairs Dean	Finance Aid Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Student affairs dean vs finance aid director demographics

Here are the differences between student affairs deans' and finance aid directors' demographics:

	Student Affairs Dean	Finance Aid Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 57.0% Female, 43.0%	Male, 30.9% Female, 69.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 4.2% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 4.4% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between student affairs dean and finance aid director duties and responsibilities

Student affairs dean example responsibilities.

Experience in the support of transition and retention strategies for multicultural student populations to address differentials in attrition and retention.
Participate in AQIP activities, committees and action learning projects.

Finance aid director example responsibilities.

Manage cash flow for all funds including, FFEL, PELL, FSEOG, alternative loans, and cash.
Manage a majority of payroll ensuring that there are accurate accruals and necessary deductions.
Review and determine outcome of all financial aid appeals.
Assist students, parents, and staff with navigating the financial aid process, by providing guidance with the FAFSA.
Resolve student appeals and special circumstance requests.
Maintain Pell grant accounts from application processing to monthly reconciliation.

Student affairs dean vs finance aid director skills

Common student affairs dean skills

Student Affairs, 13%
Student Life, 8%
Student Conduct, 6%
Title IX, 5%
Student Services, 5%
Student Learning, 4%

Common finance aid director skills

Financial Aid Programs, 9%
Title IV, 8%
State Regulations, 5%
Enrollment Management, 5%
Student Loans, 4%
Federal Regulations, 4%

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Student Affairs Dean
Student Affairs Dean vs Finance Aid Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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