How to hire a student success counselor

How to hire a student success counselor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step student success counselor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a student success counselor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new student success counselor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a student success counselor do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a student success counselor, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a student success counselor to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a student success counselor that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of student success counselors and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Student Success Counselor	Description	Hourly rate
   Student Success Counselor	School counselors help students develop academic and social skills and succeed in school. Career counselors assist people with the process of making career decisions by helping them develop skills or choose a career or educational program.	$14-28
   Counselor	Often, counselors are known to be the go-to person in times we are in need of emotional and psychological support. They help people to manage and overcome the issues which affect their mental health and well-being... Show more	$9-32
   Student Support Services	The one who shows the track of academic pursuit is student support service. Equipped with a wide range of knowledge themselves, such people provide auxiliary aids and services to the aspirants... Show more	$12-29

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Social Work
   • Professional Development
   • Financial Aid
   • Phone Calls
   • Student Services
   • Persistence
   • Student Retention
   • Mental Health
   • Enrollment Management
   • Conflict Resolution
   • Data Collection
   • Career Services
   • Study
   • Mathematics

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Organize civic reflection discussions, manage tutoring schedules, tutor during mathematics workshops, and mentore for student success.
   • Utilize Salesforce to manage advertising programs for business owners.
   • Instruct GED classes on math and English classes.
   • Obtain CPR training and license.
   • Tutor in English, mathematics and social studies.
   • Skil in FAFSA, scholarships and grant writing.

   More student success counselor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your student success counselor job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A student success counselor salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a student success counselor in Alabama may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level student success counselor usually earns less than a senior-level student success counselor. Additionally, a student success counselor with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average student success counselor salary

   $42,838yearly

   $20.60 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level student success counselor salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 31, 2026

   Average student success counselor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$55,254	$27
   2	California	$54,494	$26
   3	New Jersey	$51,503	$25
   4	Pennsylvania	$48,806	$23
   5	Washington	$47,520	$23
   6	Ohio	$47,118	$23
   7	Michigan	$42,752	$21
   8	Illinois	$42,098	$20
   9	Wisconsin	$42,082	$20
   10	South Carolina	$42,015	$20
   11	Minnesota	$40,950	$20
   12	Alaska	$40,000	$19
   13	New Mexico	$38,931	$19
   14	North Carolina	$38,511	$19
   15	Texas	$38,289	$18
   16	Colorado	$37,701	$18
   17	Arkansas	$36,525	$18
   18	Arizona	$36,508	$18
   19	Florida	$36,301	$17
   20	Nebraska	$35,725	$17

   Average student success counselor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Kern Community College District	$74,611	$35.87	6
   2	Strategic Education	$63,459	$30.51
   3	Long Beach City College	$63,115	$30.34	1
   4	New York University	$61,844	$29.73	6
   5	Mercy College	$59,933	$28.81
   6	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	$58,575	$28.16	1
   7	Arizona College	$58,237	$28.00	8
   8	Hartwick College	$56,445	$27.14
   9	Emory University	$55,144	$26.51	5
   10	Rutgers University	$54,997	$26.44	44
   11	Ohlone College	$54,155	$26.04
   12	Santa Clara University	$52,393	$25.19	1
   13	Chicago Public Schools	$52,147	$25.07	15
   14	The City University of New York	$51,592	$24.80	35
   15	LA State University Continuing	$50,651	$24.35	78
   16	St. Ambrose University	$50,229	$24.15
   17	University of Nebraska at Omaha	$49,980	$24.03	36
   18	University of Rochester	$48,342	$23.24	23
   19	Durham Public Schools	$47,429	$22.80	12
   20	University of Wisconsin System	$47,064	$22.63	8

4. Writing a student success counselor job description

   A student success counselor job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a student success counselor job description:

   Student success counselor job description example

   The Inland Empire Black Student Success Collaborative (IEBSSC) was established by Cal-SOAP in 2020. The mission of the program is: to provide coordinated outreach to facilitate academic support and opportunities for scholarships, mentorship, and workforce development for African American students, with the overarching goal of improving academic and early adulthood outcomes. The collaborative includes representatives from local colleges and universities, the superintendent's office, local school districts, community service providers, local businesses, and community leaders. The VISTA project will focus on building an infrastructure for the IEBSSC, including the development and implementation of strategies for marketing, social media, event planning, communication, outreach, and coordination of resources. Additionally, partnerships will be developed between the IEBSSC and African American student support services from local colleges and universities. The purpose of such partnerships will be to provide students with scholarship opportunities, as well as to provide incoming African American students with a network of supportive adults and peers to improve postsecondary persistence and retention. Developing infrastructure to support the IEBSSC and facilitating partnerships with local colleges and universities will be vital to establishing a high school to postsecondary education pipeline for African students. Further help on this page can be found by clicking here.
   
   Member Duties : Develop a social media presence on all major platforms; review and update the IEBSSC website. Plan a series of outreach and education events for students and families Conduct an audit of existing organizations that support Black students, reach out to introduce the IEBSSC and build relationships, and develop a plan to work together so that Black students experience seamless support from high school to college, and continue to experience tailor support from community based organizations. Create a database of organizations and individuals with specific services or interest areas tagged. Create opportunities for networking and mentoring. Research and implement strategies for a mentoring program.
   
   Program Benefits : Health Coverage* , Childcare assistance if eligible , Choice of Education Award or End of Service Stipend , Training , Living Allowance , Education award upon successful completion of service , Relocation Allowance .
   Terms :
   
   Permits attendance at school during off hours , Car recommended , Permits working at another job during off hours .
   
   Service Areas :
   
   Community and Economic Development , Children/Youth , Community Outreach , Education .
   
   Skills :
   
   Community Organization , Public Speaking , General Skills , Education , Fund raising/Grant Writing , Youth Development , Recruitment , Leadership , Communications , Team Work .

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find student success counselors for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your student success counselor job on Zippia to find and recruit student success counselor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting student success counselors requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new student success counselor

   Once you've found the student success counselor candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a student success counselor?