What Does an Admissions Specialist Do?
Applicants, parents and school counselors depend on admissions specialists for the accuracy of every application file. They make sure that transcripts and test scores are matched to the right person, and each finished file is complete and passed to the review committee on time. Some also rule on residency, which decides who pays in-state tuition.
Also known as: Residency Classification Coordinator, Enrollment Services Coordinator, Residency Classification Specialist
Admissions Specialist Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of an admissions specialist include:
- Open new application files and match incoming transcripts, test scores and letters to each applicant.
- Check files for missing documents and email applicants a clear list of what is still needed.
- Review residency questionnaires and supporting papers to classify students for in-state or out-of-state tuition.
- Enter decisions, fee waivers and status changes in the admissions system, such as Slate or Banner.
- Answer applicant calls, emails and walk-in questions about deadlines, requirements and next steps.
- Prepare complete files for the review committee and follow each one through to a decision.
- Send decision letters and deposit reminders, then confirm enrollment deposits against the student record.
- Flag altered or suspicious documents for a supervisor and hold the file until they are verified.
- Run weekly counts of submitted, complete and admitted applications for the admissions director.
- Handle residency appeals by gathering new evidence and preparing the case for the appeals committee.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as an admissions specialist, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Accurate data entry under deadline pressure
- Slate, Banner or a similar student information system
- Working knowledge of state residency rules for tuition
- Clear, friendly writing for applicant emails and letters
- Discretion with student records covered by FERPA
- Excel for tracking application counts
- Patience with anxious applicants and parents on the phone
- An eye for altered or incomplete transcripts
Education and Training
Working part time in an admissions office as a student is a common way in, since it teaches the filing and data entry the job runs on. A high school diploma is the formal requirement, and new specialists are trained on the job in a short time. Offices where specialists rule on residency, which can change a family's tuition bill for years, tend to favor applicants with a bachelor's degree in any field.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: varies widely for this role, and BLS does not publish pay for it separately. In the wider BLS group it belongs to (Information and Record Clerks, All Other), the middle half of earners made $40,910 to $59,970 a year, and the median was $49,500.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Information and Record Clerks, All Other.
BLS projects employment of information and record clerks, the wider group that includes admissions specialists, to grow less than 1 percent from 2025 to 2035. That is close to flat. Hiring in admissions often is tied to the size of each year's applicant pool, but the group should still see roughly 15,000 openings a year as staff retire or move into advising and registrar jobs.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Information and record clerks, all other.
Admissions Specialist Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $33,870 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $40,910 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $49,500 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $59,970 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $71,420 |
Highest-Paying States for Admissions Specialists
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are District of Columbia ($70,490), California ($58,680), Rhode Island ($58,470), Maryland ($58,060), Indiana ($56,310). Pay is lowest in Nevada ($38,560), North Carolina ($33,880), Wisconsin ($32,470).
Median pay in all 50 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $53,930 |
| Alaska | $48,630 |
| Arizona | $46,290 |
| Arkansas | $44,160 |
| California | $58,680 |
| Colorado | $52,600 |
| Connecticut | $46,680 |
| Delaware | $54,240 |
| District of Columbia | $70,490 |
| Florida | $48,510 |
| Georgia | $47,530 |
| Hawaii | $54,720 |
| Idaho | $49,940 |
| Illinois | $55,270 |
| Indiana | $56,310 |
| Iowa | $49,440 |
| Kansas | $47,050 |
| Kentucky | $48,380 |
| Louisiana | $45,970 |
| Maryland | $58,060 |
| Massachusetts | $47,200 |
| Michigan | $45,760 |
| Minnesota | $52,260 |
| Mississippi | $49,440 |
| Missouri | $45,660 |
| Montana | $47,840 |
| Nebraska | $49,940 |
| Nevada | $38,560 |
| New Hampshire | $43,260 |
| New Jersey | $55,830 |
| New Mexico | $51,630 |
| New York | $52,270 |
| North Carolina | $33,880 |
| North Dakota | $52,440 |
| Ohio | $52,120 |
| Oklahoma | $49,940 |
| Oregon | $49,310 |
| Pennsylvania | $51,130 |
| Rhode Island | $58,470 |
| South Carolina | $49,440 |
| South Dakota | $53,290 |
| Tennessee | $46,450 |
| Texas | $43,240 |
| Utah | $43,010 |
| Vermont | $50,710 |
| Virginia | $50,670 |
| Washington | $53,890 |
| West Virginia | $54,950 |
| Wisconsin | $32,470 |
| Wyoming | $49,940 |
Related Careers
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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 43-4199.00 (Information and Record Clerks, All Other). 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.