What Does an International Student Services Director Do?
Every international student and visiting scholar on a campus depends on one office to keep the university's permission to host them. The director of international student services is distinguished from the advisors on staff in that the director answers for that permission, signing federal certifications and setting office policy. Budgets and staff sit with the director too.
Also known as: Associate Director of International Affairs, Director of International Student Immigration Services
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Academic Affairs Vice President (Academic Affairs VP), Academic Dean, Admissions Director, College President, Dean, Financial Aid Director, Institutional Research Director, Provost.
International Student Services Director Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of an international student services director include:
- Serve as principal designated school official for F-1 students and responsible officer for the J-1 program.
- Lead recertification of the school's federal approval to enroll international students.
- Set office policy on immigration advising, document signing and emergency response.
- Hire, train and supervise advisors, documentation staff and front desk assistants.
- Manage the office budget, including fees charged to international students and visiting scholars.
- Advise university leaders on how federal visa changes affect enrollment, hiring and research.
- Oversee visa sponsorship for foreign faculty and researchers, working with outside immigration lawyers.
- Build partnerships with overseas universities and recruitment agencies alongside the admissions office.
- Respond to student crises, such as arrests, hospital stays or sudden loss of funding.
- Report on international enrollment trends and program results to deans and the provost.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as an international student services director, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Expert knowledge of F-1, J-1 and H-1B rules
- Experience as a designated school official
- Leadership of an advising and documentation team
- Budget and fee planning
- Crisis management with a cool head
- Working relationships with immigration attorneys and federal agencies
- Cross-cultural skill and time spent abroad
- Terra Dotta, Sunapsis or a similar immigration case system
Education and Training
To lead an international office, in many universities you will need a master's degree, often in international education, higher education or law, to qualify for the post. Most directors progress from advisor to associate director over years of hands-on immigration work. Some hold law degrees.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $80,870 - $144,370 per year, with a median of $104,590.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Education Administrators, Postsecondary.
Postsecondary education administrators are a mixed group. BLS counts deans, registrars and international office heads together, and it projects employment in that group to grow about 2 percent from 2025 to 2035. Directorships in international offices are a small share of the group's roughly 14,500 openings a year, and hiring tends to follow enrollment from abroad.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Education administrators, postsecondary.
International Student Services Director Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $64,560 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $80,870 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $104,590 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $144,370 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $215,620 |
Highest-Paying States for International Student Services Directors
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are New York ($139,640), New Jersey ($131,570), Massachusetts ($128,970), Delaware ($128,570), Wyoming ($127,960). Pay is lowest in Florida ($83,840), Hawaii ($81,020), Arkansas ($78,240).
Median pay in all 51 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $100,030 |
| Alaska | $103,080 |
| Arizona | $103,280 |
| Arkansas | $78,240 |
| California | $125,460 |
| Colorado | $118,440 |
| Connecticut | $123,190 |
| Delaware | $128,570 |
| District of Columbia | $107,390 |
| Florida | $83,840 |
| Georgia | $110,200 |
| Hawaii | $81,020 |
| Idaho | $101,200 |
| Illinois | $99,770 |
| Indiana | $98,000 |
| Iowa | $89,320 |
| Kansas | $110,020 |
| Kentucky | $114,310 |
| Louisiana | $98,840 |
| Maine | $88,180 |
| Maryland | $118,550 |
| Massachusetts | $128,970 |
| Michigan | $108,500 |
| Minnesota | $104,740 |
| Mississippi | $86,590 |
| Missouri | $104,560 |
| Montana | $102,980 |
| Nebraska | $96,030 |
| Nevada | $88,810 |
| New Hampshire | $104,190 |
| New Jersey | $131,570 |
| New Mexico | $109,480 |
| New York | $139,640 |
| North Carolina | $101,060 |
| North Dakota | $101,600 |
| Ohio | $87,370 |
| Oklahoma | $105,830 |
| Oregon | $120,110 |
| Pennsylvania | $103,740 |
| Rhode Island | $106,520 |
| South Carolina | $95,570 |
| South Dakota | $126,160 |
| Tennessee | $100,850 |
| Texas | $104,390 |
| Utah | $100,420 |
| Vermont | $104,450 |
| Virginia | $120,840 |
| Washington | $127,630 |
| West Virginia | $84,660 |
| Wisconsin | $124,960 |
| Wyoming | $127,960 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as education administrators, postsecondary about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 93% use email every day
- 88% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 83% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 77% usually work more than 40 hours a week
- 76% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
- 73% are on the phone every day
- 68% spend more than half the workday sitting
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Master's degree | 48% |
| Doctoral degree | 37% |
| Bachelor's degree | 8% |
| Post-doctoral training | 7% |
Tools and Software International Student Services Directors 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: Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking, Monitoring.
Knowledge areas used most: English Language, Administration and Management, Education and Training, Customer and Personal Service, Personnel and Human Resources.
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:
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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 11-9033.00 (Education Administrators, Postsecondary). 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.