What Does a Student Affairs Specialist Do?
Whether students join a club to make friends or to add a line to a resume, most campuses still rely on student organizations to build leadership and a sense of belonging. Student affairs specialists advise those groups and run the orientation, leadership and activities programs around them, with each higher grade adding more programs, staff and budget.
Also known as: Student Affairs Professional, Student Activity Advisor
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Academic Advisor, Academic Counselor, Admissions Counselor, Career Counselor, College Counselor, Elementary School Counselor, Guidance Counselor, School Counselor.
Student Affairs Specialist Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a student affairs specialist include:
- Advise registered student organizations on budgets, elections, event rules and risk planning.
- Train club officers on running meetings, handling money and following campus policy.
- Plan new student orientation sessions and welcome week events with campus partners.
- Review event requests for safety, contracts and facility needs before approving them.
- Oversee student activity fee allocations and audit how organizations spend them.
- Coach student government leaders on proposals, meetings and working with administrators.
- Run leadership workshops, retreats and recognition programs across the academic year.
- Supervise graduate assistants and student workers who staff programs and the activities office.
- Assess attendance and survey results to decide which programs to keep, change or drop.
- Handle complaints and conduct concerns involving student groups, including hazing reports.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a student affairs specialist, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Student development theory and advising practice
- Event planning, contracts and risk management
- Student organization platforms such as Presence or CampusGroups
- Budget tracking for activity fee funds
- Group facilitation and public speaking
- Evening and weekend availability for events
- Knowledge of hazing, Title IX and campus safety rules
- Patience with student leaders who are still learning
Education and Training
Graduates of any major can get in, as student affairs offices are interested in staff who were involved in campus life themselves. Reaching the higher grades without a master's degree might be possible, but specialists with one in higher education or student affairs will have an advantage over other applicants. Graduate assistantships are a common door in.
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.
These jobs are hard to pin down in federal data. In fact, BLS counts them with educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors, and it projects that group to grow about 3 percent from 2025 to 2035. Hiring tends to follow enrollment and student fee income, which keeps the work steadier at larger campuses.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors.
Student Affairs Specialist 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 Student Affairs Specialists
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 Student Affairs Specialists 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 a Student Affairs Specialist 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.