How much does a college administrator make?
a year · about $50 an hour
A typical college administrator in the United States makes $104,590 a year, about $50 an hour, about 2.1× a typical US worker (median, May 2025, US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What do they do?
An administrator might review applications, meet with students and staff, and check budgets or course plans. In a registrar’s office, they update records and help students sign up for classes; student-affairs staff may plan campus events.
Did you know? Some U.S. college administrators build experience while they're still students, working in the registrar's office or as a resident assistant in a dorm.
Is that a lot?
Compared with jobs you knowIf 100 people had this job
Most earn between $64,560 and $215,620How do you become one?
In the United States, earn a bachelor’s degree and usually a master’s in education, business, or social science; small colleges may accept a bachelor’s. Gain campus experience in a registrar’s office or dorm; deans and provosts often need a Ph.D.
School needed: Graduate degree or long training
Good for people who like helping and teaching and leading and selling
Why does pay differ?
In the United States, pay can differ with experience and advanced degrees, which may help administrators move into higher-level jobs such as dean or college leader. It also varies by employer type and location; BLS reports wages across college sectors and local areas, and some administrators work fewer hours in summer.
Where does it pay most?
Highest in New York ($139,640), lowest in Arkansas ($78,240).
See every state
Top 5 and bottom 3 states, typical (median) yearly pay.
Jobs like this
Data table and sources
| Lower earner (10th from bottom) | Typical person (median) | Higher earner (10th from top) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|---|
| $64,560 | $104,590 | $215,620 | about 180,000 |
| State | Typical person (median) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $139,640 | about 7,000 |
| New Jersey | $131,570 | about 4,000 |
| Massachusetts | $128,970 | about 9,000 |
| Washington | $127,630 | about 2,000 |
| California | $125,460 | about 15,000 |
Official definition: Plan, direct, or coordinate student instruction, administration, and services, as well as other research and educational activities, at postsecondary institutions, including universities, colleges, and junior and community colleges.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (bls.gov); descriptions and related jobs from O*NET 31.0. Figures as of May 2025, full-time yearly pay (hourly × 2,080 hours). bls.gov/oes · O*NET OnLine
Pages used for the text
- www.bls.gov/ooh/management/postsecondary-education-administrators.htm
- www.onetonline.org/link/summary/11-9033.00
- www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes119033.htm
Data: US BLS OEWS, May 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY