Student affairs dean vs residence hall director

The differences between student affairs deans and residence hall 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 residence hall director. Additionally, a student affairs dean has an average salary of $61,428, which is higher than the $47,193 average annual salary of a residence hall director.

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

Student affairs dean vs residence hall director overview

	Student Affairs Dean	Residence Hall Director
Yearly salary	$61,428	$47,193
Hourly rate	$29.53	$22.69
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	13,641	6,713
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

Student affairs dean vs residence hall director salary

Student affairs deans and residence hall directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Student Affairs Dean	Residence Hall Director
Average salary	$61,428	$47,193
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $125,000	Between $31,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	-	Newark, NJ
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	School of Visual Concepts
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between student affairs dean and residence hall director education

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

	Student Affairs Dean	Residence Hall Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Business	Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Student affairs dean vs residence hall director demographics

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

	Student Affairs Dean	Residence Hall Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 57.0% Female, 43.0%	Male, 46.9% Female, 53.1%
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, 12.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 4.7% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between student affairs dean and residence hall 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.

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.

Student affairs dean vs residence hall 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 residence hall director skills

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

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Student Affairs Dean vs Residence Hall Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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