Admissions Director Job Description, Qualifications, and Outlook

In this article, you’ll find out more about the admissions director job description, how much admissions directors make, and what they do every day. You can learn about the qualifications you need and the training that you will go through as part of working in this field.

Admissions directors offer guidance and support to students applying to college. Not only do they look over the applications that come in every year, but they also oversee the admissions board, which consists of the professionals making the final decision on who receives acceptance letters. Working in admissions often requires a master’s degree and strong organizational skills.

Job Overview: What Does an Admissions Director Do?

Since the buildings on college campuses are only open during certain hours, admissions directors only work those housrs. According to the admissions director job description, these people can work in any school that looks at applications for the coming year, including private preschools, high schools, and community colleges. Directors usually spend most of their time inside an office or working in other places on the campus.

Admissions Director Job Duties

• Create a list of requirements for students applying to the school.
• Evaluate all applications based on specific criteria to determine who gets an acceptance letter.
• Provide records to the financial aid department to help students who need financial assistance.
• Oversee the admissions board to ensure they follow all requirements.
• Work with various departments across the campus to reach out to prospective students.
• Act as the public face of the school during networking and admissions events.
• Host and plan for recruiting events to encourage prospective students to apply.
• Occasionally do interviews to speak with students planning to apply.
• Answer questions over the phone, through email, or in person from students.
• Coordinate with other departments and professionals before upcoming events on campus.

Admissions Director Job Essential Skills

Leadership. Admissions directors must have strong leadership skills because they are responsible for running the entire admissions department and overseeing the work others do.

Communications skills. Communicating is an important part of working as an admissions director. They need to know how to effectively communicate with both prospective and current students, as well as department heads and other workers.

Organizational skills. As an admissions director, you will need to keep track of all admission policies and write new policies too. You’ll also need to organize all the applications received for the coming year and keep track of the notes recorded during admissions meetings.

Becoming an Admissions Director

Whether working in a retirement home, vocational school, or university, you’ll need at least a master’s degree to work as an admissions director. Many directors get their start as administrators and gain more experience before applying for these jobs. While in graduate school, you’ll develop the skills that you need to work as an administrator.

Qualifications and Training

Becoming an admissions director requires both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. Majoring in business as an undergrad helps you develop better leadership and organizational skills, but you’ll also learn how to manage and work with employees. During your senior year in college, you can apply to graduate school. Most grad school programs require you to take and submit the score from your GRE, which is a type of graduate exam similar to the SAT.

To get your graduate degree, you need to do either an internship or some type of fieldwork. The university will assign you to a school, where you will have the chance to work in the admissions department or in an administrative office. Health care management programs will let you gain the same amount of experience as you work on an MBA or a similar degree. You’ll just work in a hospital or a similar facility instead of a school.

Work Experience

You absolutely cannot get a job as an admissions director without professional experience. In addition to the internship that you can do in college and the fieldwork you’ll do in graduate school, you also need some practical experience. You can expect to spend a few years or more working in the admissions department and then a few additional years working on the admissions board before you qualify to work as a director. This helps you understand how the admissions process works, and what schools and other facilities look for in applicants, as well as how the different departments work together before you take on a leadership role.

Working Hours

The admissions director job description typically includes set hours on weekdays. They rarely work on weekends, but some university directors work weekends to recruit new students and host programs for incoming students. If you work in a health care facility, you can expect to work more weekends because these facilities do not shut down on the weekends like schools do.

As these positions are salaried ones, you will not receive overtime, even if you work more than 40 hours in a single week. A 40-hour work week is standard in the admissions director job description, and you should not find yourself working outside of your set schedule that often.

Job Outlook and Advancement Opportunities

Once you reach the position of admissions director, you’ll find that there aren’t many higher positions. Those working in colleges and other types of schools may become president or dean of that school after gaining more experience in the admissions department. While there isn’t much of a change, those working in this area can earn quite a bit more.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for post-secondary education administrators is $90,760 per year or more than $40 an hour. Though you may not get overtime pay, you will get benefits in the form of paid vacation time, paid time off, and health insurance. The BLS also estimates that the need for administrator will grow by 9%, which is a faster than average rate.

PayScale puts the median salary for admissions directors alone at more than $55,000 a year. The top 10% of all directors earn $85,000 a year or more.

Conclusion

Admissions directors keep a list of admission criteria and look at all incoming applications to find out if those applying meet said criteria. Though most work in colleges and vocational schools, elementary schools, preschools, and retirement homes all use directors to browse through applications.

The admissions director job description also includes hosting recruitment events and working with various departments on special projects. Though you can earn more than $50,000 a year as an admissions director, you’ll need at least a master’s degree before you get a job.