All careersEducation, law & social work

College Administrator

$104,590
median / year
$64,560 – $215,620
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Manage a college's academics, admissions, or student services, set policy, and oversee staff and budgets.

You may also see this posted as: Academic Affairs Vice President (Academic Affairs VP), Academic Dean, Dean, Registrar, Admissions Director, College President.

Where you work

Colleges and universities

The hours

Weekday hours, plus campus events

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • Design or use assessments to monitor student learning outcomes.
  • Recruit, hire, train, and terminate departmental personnel.
  • Direct, coordinate, and evaluate the activities of personnel, including support staff engaged in administering academic institutions, departments, or alumni organizations.
  • Advise students on issues such as course selection, progress toward graduation, and career decisions.
  • Plan, administer, and control budgets, maintain financial records, and produce financial reports.

Good fit if you like…

Social

helping, teaching, caring for, or supporting other people

Enterprising

leading, persuading, selling, or turning an idea into action

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

O*NET job zone 5 of 5

Extensive preparation—often graduate education and significant experience—is common.

Work styles that matter most

Leadership OrientationDependabilityIntegritySocial Orientation

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointStudent information systems SIS softwareFacebook

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$104,590
per year
Hourly median
$50.29
per hour
What most earn
$64,560–$215,620
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~15,100
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+1.7%
Little change
Working in the U.S.
180,470
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

BLS estimates 2.2% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

Master's degree

Training path: Master's degree.

Related work experience: Less than 5 years.

On-the-job training: None.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

AdministrationBudgetingCommunicationLeadership

The honest take

Running the business of higher ed — admissions, student life, or a department — usually after years on campus.

Standard Occupational Classification 11-9033. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.