What Does an Academic Advisor Do?
Almost every college student has a degree plan that is mapped out during the first year and rewritten after that. These plans set the courses, prerequisites, and deadlines that make a student's path to graduation shorter and more certain. Academic advisors help students build and keep those plans, meeting them one on one in college advising offices.
Also known as: Student Academic Specialist, Pre-Professional Academic Advisor, Senior Academic Advisor
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Academic Counselor, Admissions Counselor, Career Counselor, College Counselor, Elementary School Counselor, Guidance Counselor, School Counselor, Student Services Coordinator.
Academic Advisor Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of an academic advisor include:
- Meet students one on one to plan courses, check degree progress and set graduation timelines.
- Run degree audits and explain unmet requirements in plain terms.
- Advise new students at orientation, helping them register for first-semester classes.
- Contact students flagged by early alerts for low grades or missed classes.
- Refer students to tutoring, counseling, disability services or financial aid when needs go beyond advising.
- Approve course substitutions, overloads and withdrawals within college policy.
- Guide pre-professional students on prerequisites and timelines for medical, law or other graduate schools.
- Record advising notes in the student system so any advisor can pick up the conversation.
- Explain academic probation, appeals and readmission steps to students who fall behind.
- Keep up with changes to majors, catalog rules and transfer credit policies.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as an academic advisor, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Degree audit and student systems such as Banner or PeopleSoft
- Knowledge of FERPA privacy rules
- Active listening and clear explanations
- Managing a large caseload of students
- Knowledge of majors, prerequisites and transfer rules
- Cultural awareness with a varied student body
- Organized, timely note-taking
- Calm support for stressed students
Education and Training
While some colleges hire advisors with a bachelor's degree and advising experience, most posts ask for a master's in higher education, counseling or student affairs. Many advisors start out as graduate assistants or peer advisors in an advising office. With experience, you could progress to senior advisor or advising coordinator.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $51,270 - $82,870 per year, with a median of $64,330.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
According to BLS, employment of educational, guidance and career counselors and advisors is projected to grow about 3 percent from 2025 to 2035, with roughly 27,800 openings a year. Academic advisors are one part of that group. Hiring often is tied to enrollment and student success budgets, but advisors always will be needed as colleges try to keep students enrolled and on track to finish.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors.
Academic Advisor Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $45,020 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $51,270 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $64,330 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $82,870 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $104,770 |
Highest-Paying States for Academic Advisors
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are California ($86,500), Alaska ($82,900), Washington ($82,670), District of Columbia ($80,470), Massachusetts ($79,930). Pay is lowest in Florida ($53,140), Oklahoma ($52,040), South Dakota ($51,830).
Median pay in all 51 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $59,570 |
| Alaska | $82,900 |
| Arizona | $58,250 |
| Arkansas | $59,770 |
| California | $86,500 |
| Colorado | $64,780 |
| Connecticut | $73,910 |
| Delaware | $74,070 |
| District of Columbia | $80,470 |
| Florida | $53,140 |
| Georgia | $63,720 |
| Hawaii | $61,730 |
| Idaho | $60,320 |
| Illinois | $62,420 |
| Indiana | $59,260 |
| Iowa | $56,540 |
| Kansas | $56,590 |
| Kentucky | $64,350 |
| Louisiana | $61,870 |
| Maine | $58,630 |
| Maryland | $75,820 |
| Massachusetts | $79,930 |
| Michigan | $59,440 |
| Minnesota | $64,600 |
| Mississippi | $58,710 |
| Missouri | $58,040 |
| Montana | $57,900 |
| Nebraska | $62,500 |
| Nevada | $66,710 |
| New Hampshire | $71,080 |
| New Jersey | $77,910 |
| New Mexico | $77,880 |
| New York | $71,610 |
| North Carolina | $57,630 |
| North Dakota | $58,960 |
| Ohio | $61,760 |
| Oklahoma | $52,040 |
| Oregon | $66,690 |
| Pennsylvania | $60,880 |
| Rhode Island | $75,000 |
| South Carolina | $60,340 |
| South Dakota | $51,830 |
| Tennessee | $59,960 |
| Texas | $67,900 |
| Utah | $61,320 |
| Vermont | $64,570 |
| Virginia | $67,660 |
| Washington | $82,670 |
| West Virginia | $55,520 |
| Wisconsin | $62,690 |
| Wyoming | $63,430 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 98% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 96% are on the phone every day
- 96% use email every day
- 85% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
- 82% spend more than half the workday sitting
- 76% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 54% deal with rude or angry people at least once a week
Tools and Software Academic Advisors Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy helping, teaching or caring for people as well as leading, persuading and making business decisions.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Active Listening, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension, Writing.
Knowledge areas used most: Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Therapy and Counseling, Education and Training, Psychology.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 5 of 5, which means extensive preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
Applying for an Academic Advisor Job
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 21-1012.00 (Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.