The person who advises students at a college, university, or post-secondary program — academic planning, course selection, degree progression, and helping students navigate the institution — typically working with a caseload of assigned students. As a Student Advisor, you're part academic guide, part connector to resources, part trusted voice in students' college decisions.
Student Advisor pay typically runs $52K–$83K at this level, and jobs in this field are projected to grow 4% through 2034.
A typical week tends to mix scheduled advising appointments, walk-in questions during peak enrollment periods, degree audits, and intervention with students who are struggling academically or considering withdrawal. You'll often work with students whose academic concerns are intertwined with financial, family, or mental health issues. Knowing institutional policy and curriculum in real depth matters because students rely on your accuracy.
Coordination involves academic departments and faculty, financial aid, registrar, student affairs, sometimes residence life or athletics, and parents in some contexts. Caseload sizes vary widely — at large institutions, individual student depth can be hard to maintain.
People who tend to thrive here are patient, organized, and warm with students navigating significant transitions. If you need fast-paced or strategic work, the case-by-case advising rhythm can feel methodical. If you find satisfaction in being a steady adult presence for students through college and helping them stay on track to degrees, the work tends to feel meaningfully relational and impactful.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Social Services roles →The person who advises students at a college, university, or post-secondary program — academic planning, course selection, degree progression, and helping students navigate the institution — typically working with a caseload of assigned students. As a Student Advisor, you're part academic guide, part connector to resources, part trusted voice in students' college decisions.
Median pay for a Student Advisor is about $65K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $44K to $106K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Service Orientation, and Critical Thinking.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 3.5% through 2034, with roughly 342,350 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Student Ministries Director, Life Skills Coach, and Transition Specialist.
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