Post job

Student support services vs program assistant

The differences between student support services and program assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a student support services and a program assistant. Additionally, a student support services has an average salary of $40,195, which is higher than the $35,193 average annual salary of a program assistant.

The top three skills for a student support services include student support, support services and financial aid. The most important skills for a program assistant are patients, customer service, and data entry.

Student support services vs program assistant overview

Student Support ServicesProgram Assistant
Yearly salary$40,195$35,193
Hourly rate$19.32$16.92
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs140,44896,901
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age4343
Years of experience1212

What does a student support services do?

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. They select appropriate and effective accommodations and provide counseling to the students.

What does a program assistant do?

Program assistants are usually entry-level or junior employees assigned to a department that handles a specific program in the organization. They assist the team they are assigned to in the implementation of the programs. They usually take care of administrative or clerical activities while also getting exposure to actual program management. Program assistants get trained to handle agendas from inception, to sourcing, to implementation, to evaluation. They may also handle documentary support for business cases or other presentation materials that the team may need for a specific part of the program management cycle.

Student support services vs program assistant salary

Student support services and program assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Student Support ServicesProgram Assistant
Average salary$40,195$35,193
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $62,000Between $27,000 And $45,000
Highest paying CityAlameda, CAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateCaliforniaConnecticut
Best paying companyStrategic EducationThe Aspen Institute
Best paying industryEducationGovernment

Differences between student support services and program assistant education

There are a few differences between a student support services and a program assistant in terms of educational background:

Student Support ServicesProgram Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Student support services vs program assistant demographics

Here are the differences between student support services' and program assistants' demographics:

Student Support ServicesProgram Assistant
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 35.4% Female, 64.6%Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 13.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 7.3% White, 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%Black or African American, 13.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 6.7% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between student support services and program assistant duties and responsibilities

Student support services example responsibilities.

  • Manage work flow to ensure all payroll transactions are process accurately/timely.
  • Assist students to complete and submit FAFSA and scholarship applications as well as course registration.
  • Assist students with online FAFSA applications and preparation of loan applications and registering for classes.
  • Document progress notes as students pursue their academic plans and register for classes while maintaining FERPA confidentiality laws.
  • Sign confidentiality agreement due to FERPA regulations.
  • Conduct classroom review sessions for introductory mathematics courses.
  • Show more

Program assistant example responsibilities.

  • Lead classes in anatomy/physiology, medical terminology, transcription.
  • Manage oversight of budget/finance, personnel and continuous program improvement.
  • Assist in achieving and maintaining DoD certification and national accreditation where applicable.
  • Instruct students in C++ and Java programming, robot design and construction.
  • Introduce students to various computer pro- gramming languages (HTML, CSS, JavaScript).
  • Present information about RSVP to community organizations.
  • Show more

Student support services vs program assistant skills

Common student support services skills
  • Student Support, 21%
  • Support Services, 18%
  • Financial Aid, 6%
  • Academic Support, 5%
  • Math, 5%
  • Mathematics, 5%
Common program assistant skills
  • Patients, 12%
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Data Entry, 8%
  • HR, 6%
  • Excellent Interpersonal, 6%
  • Data Collection, 4%

Browse community and social services jobs