How To Become A Student Services Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a student services specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Cassandra Woods,

William Hill

As a student services specialist, you will serve the purpose of being the first point of contact between the educational institution you work for and the students trying to gain admission into it. You will be performing a variety of tasks, mainly directed towards helping students in guiding them through the various aspects of the institution.

Some of the duties and responsibilities that you will be performing in this capacity include providing the students with college/university admission services, interviewing potential students, data entry of new students, helping potential candidates in filling out admission forms and other formalities. Moreover, you will also verify social security numbers, distribute information regarding the educational facility you work for, and assist students with various issues and problems around the campus. Essential skills required for this role are excellent communication skills, interpersonal, organizational, and attention to detail.

A high school diploma or a GED may suffice for this role's educational requirements; however, having an associate's or a bachelor's degree in a relevant field may be given preference. Moreover, prior work experience in an office setting or a similar position will prove advantageous. The average hourly pay for this role is $18.97, which amounts to $39,449 annually.

What general advice would you give to a student services specialist?

Cassandra Woods

Director of Advising and Career Services, University of Arkansas Pulaski Tech

The best advice I can give to a graduate is to be patient, resourceful, and persistent. That perfect career opportunity, that you thought would be there once you graduated, may not come immediately. Be open to positions unrelated to your field of study and never give up.

ScoreStudent Services SpecialistUS Average

Salary

3.2

Avg. Salary $40,644

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.0

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.62%

Asian 3.74%

Black or African American 10.64%

Hispanic or Latino 14.20%

Unknown 3.76%

White 67.03%

Gender

female 68.75%

male 31.25%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

9.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a student services specialist

Explore student services specialist education requirements

Most common student services specialist degrees

Bachelor's

64.5 %

Master's

15.1 %

Associate

14.0 %

Start to develop specific student services specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	27.40%
Support Services	5.34%
Social Work	5.25%
Phone Calls	5.00%
Data Entry	4.76%

Complete relevant student services specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New student services specialists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a student services specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real student services specialist resumes.

Research student services specialist duties and responsibilities

Manage and coordinate all aspects of EOF program special events and leadership-relate activities.
Serve as DSO (designate school official) for the U.S.
Process requests via phone, fax, and email within FERPA guidelines.
Respond to campus and student inquiries, emails, and phone calls on a daily basis.

Prepare your student services specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your student services specialist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a student services specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable student services specialist resume templates

Build a professional student services specialist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your student services specialist resume.