Academic Advisor: Pay & Requirements

Overview

Sourced

Advise and assist students and provide educational and vocational guidance services.

O*NET definition of Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors (SOC 21-1012) · Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed.

244,480

in government (SOC 21-1012)

69%

of this occupation works for government

$72,230

median pay in government

State · Local

levels of government

Occupation figures cover every job classified under SOC 21-1012, including Admissions Counselor, School Counselor.

Titles employers use

Academic AdvisorCareer CounselorGuidance CounselorSchool CounselorAcademic CounselorAdmissions CounselorCollege CounselorElementary School CounselorStudent Services CoordinatorVocational Counselor

How people usually get in Editorial

bachelor/master. Requirements vary by employer; each employer page will list its exact rules.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — national estimates by ownership; U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), O*NET 31.0 Database; GovJobsWiki job taxonomy v1 (research round R240) (editorial). Data captured September 30, 2026.

Requirements

Sourced

Typical entry requirements (BLS, SOC 21-1012)

Education needed to enter: Master's degree
Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None

Education workers say the job requires

Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree

Post-Master's Certificate

Share of surveyed workers in Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors (SOC 21-1012) naming each level as required to be hired, 22 respondents, O*NET survey August 2024. Each employer sets its own minimum.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 — education and training assignments by detailed occupation (Tables 5.3, 5.4); U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), O*NET 31.0 Database. Data captured September 30, 2026.

How to get hired

Sourced

Most school counselors need a master's degree in school counseling or a related field and have a state-issued credential. Some states require licensure for career counselors and advisors.

From the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile “School and Career Counselors and Advisors”, published August 27, 2026 · Read the full profile. National guidance; each employer runs its own hiring process.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–35 edition (XML compilation). Data captured September 30, 2026.

Academy and training

Sourced

Training to become competent (BLS)

SOC 21-1012: None

Preparation level (O*NET)

Job zone: Extensive Preparation Needed

Academy length, curriculum and paid-training policies are set by each employer and state; they are part of the employer collection stage.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 — education and training assignments by detailed occupation (Tables 5.3, 5.4). Data captured September 30, 2026.

Promotion ladder

Editorial

Civil-service class series: civil-service class series I → II → III → senior → supervisor → manager, each with a salary range. Typical structure for a civil-service class series; titles, steps and timing differ by employer.

Trainee / Assistant
Level I
Level II (journey)
Level III / Senior
Lead / Principal
Supervisor
Manager
Director / Division Chief

Source: GovJobsWiki job taxonomy v1 (research round R240) (editorial).

Pay

Sourced

Federal

$85,040

State

$57,670

Local

$77,020

All government

$72,230

Private sector

$57,930

Median annual wage by employer type, national, May 2025. Federal includes the U.S. Postal Service; state and local include public schools and hospitals.

Employer type	Workers	10th pct.	25th	Median	75th	90th
Federal	760	$65,940	$74,540	$85,040	$98,720	$115,030
State	66,170	$43,400	$48,010	$57,670	$72,920	$92,240
Local	177,550	$49,690	$61,010	$77,020	$97,900	$120,340
All government	244,480	$47,270	$57,110	$72,230	$92,350	$111,520
Private sector	108,830	$39,310	$46,920	$57,930	$71,370	$84,840

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — national estimates by ownership. Data captured September 30, 2026.

Schedule

Sourced

Work schedule

Regular

99%

Irregular

Seasonal

Typical work week

Less than 40 hours

40 hours

56%

More than 40 hours

40%

Share of surveyed workers in the occupation (O*NET work context, August 2024). Shift patterns and differentials depend on the employer.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), O*NET 31.0 Database. Data captured September 30, 2026.

Day-to-day work

Sourced

Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.4.6
Counsel students regarding educational issues, such as course and program selection, class scheduling and registration, school adjustment, truancy, study habits, and career planning.4.5
Provide crisis intervention to students when difficult situations occur at schools.4.4
Counsel individuals or groups to help them understand and overcome personal, social, or behavioral problems affecting their educational or vocational situations.4.4
Review transcripts to ensure that students meet graduation or college entrance requirements, and write letters of recommendation.4.4
Prepare students for later educational experiences by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.4.3
Refer students to outside counseling services.4.3
Refer students to degree programs based on interests, aptitudes, or educational assessments.4.2
Evaluate students' or individuals' abilities, interests, and personality characteristics, using tests, records, interviews, or professional sources.4.2
Provide students with information on topics such as college degree programs and admission requirements, financial aid opportunities, trade and technical schools, and apprenticeship programs.4.0

The 10 most important of 22 core tasks for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors, ranked by importance (1–5) in the O*NET survey of August 2024.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), O*NET 31.0 Database. Data captured September 30, 2026.

13Derived

By state

Sourced

Median annual wage for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors (SOC 21-1012) in each state, all employers (BLS state estimates do not separate government from private). Highest first.

State	Workers	10th pct.	Median	90th pct.
California	45,140	$51,890	$86,500	$136,660
Alaska	540	$50,870	$82,900	$103,420
Washington	6,610	$57,980	$82,670	$125,950
District of Columbia	1,690	$50,900	$80,470	$113,620
Massachusetts	11,460	$59,460	$79,930	$117,630
New Jersey	8,190	$57,850	$77,910	$108,500
New Mexico	1,780	$46,660	$77,880	$103,110
Maryland	6,600	$48,460	$75,820	$116,650
Rhode Island	1,340	$49,100	$75,000	$102,340
Delaware	1,700	$47,750	$74,070	$96,140
Connecticut	3,370	$46,510	$73,910	$108,540
New York	23,380	$46,100	$71,610	$123,850
New Hampshire	1,650	$47,990	$71,080	$96,630
Texas	31,730	$42,380	$67,900	$101,830
Virginia	9,450	$45,700	$67,660	$103,380
Nevada	2,250	$46,570	$66,710	$94,530
Oregon	3,990	$50,190	$66,690	$119,780
Colorado	6,530	$48,690	$64,780	$97,960
Minnesota	4,200	$47,870	$64,600	$94,100
Vermont	1,120	$50,810	$64,570	$94,010
Kentucky	5,030	$40,840	$64,350	$99,390
Georgia	11,460	$42,040	$63,720	$101,880
Wyoming	770	$49,440	$63,430	$91,330
Wisconsin	5,330	$47,470	$62,690	$86,510
Nebraska	2,190	$45,050	$62,500	$100,160
Illinois	13,580	$44,890	$62,420	$110,580
Louisiana	4,820	$45,340	$61,870	$87,940
Ohio	13,250	$43,010	$61,760	$99,810
Hawaii	1,620	$49,350	$61,730	$93,720
Utah	4,070	$37,260	$61,320	$101,780
Pennsylvania	13,570	$46,200	$60,880	$97,810
South Carolina	6,460	$39,800	$60,340	$86,250
Idaho	1,990	$46,710	$60,320	$79,620
Tennessee	6,470	$42,410	$59,960	$84,550
Arkansas	2,310	$38,520	$59,770	$78,070
Alabama	4,410	$37,670	$59,570	$78,570
Michigan	9,170	$42,380	$59,440	$89,280
Indiana	5,610	$41,180	$59,260	$82,690
North Dakota	840	$46,860	$58,960	$79,500
Mississippi	2,620	$38,580	$58,710	$76,610
Maine	1,780	$45,300	$58,630	$82,460
Arizona	7,330	$46,400	$58,250	$82,240
Missouri	8,890	$41,890	$58,040	$78,740
Montana	890	$39,180	$57,900	$87,610
North Carolina	9,430	$40,400	$57,630	$74,070
Kansas	3,100	$42,020	$56,590	$77,920
Iowa	3,690	$43,470	$56,540	$77,110
West Virginia	1,260	$37,940	$55,520	$73,090
Florida	22,800	$38,290	$53,140	$82,780
Oklahoma	4,830	$38,100	$52,040	$81,630
South Dakota	1,000	$41,560	$51,830	$65,990

51 states with published estimates.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — state estimates. Data captured September 30, 2026.

Not yet collected

These dimensions are part of every job page. We publish them only once they are sourced from official documents such as job postings, pay plans, union contracts and state standards.

05 Probation
Probation length and what ends it
Not yet collected
09 Benefits and pension
Pension plan/tier and formula, retirement age/years, DROP, retiree health, Social Security coverage, 457(b), PSLF eligibility
Not yet collected
10 Union contracts
Bargaining unit, union, current CBA (source link, effective dates)
Not yet collected
11 Transfers and lateral entry
Lateral policy, certification reciprocity, lateral bonus, inter-agency moves
Not yet collected
14 Exam practice
Named exams → OpenExamPrep practice
Not yet collected
15 Employer directory
L4 directory: every employer that hires this job, each with its own facet values
Not yet collected

Academic Advisor

Overview

Titles employers use

Requirements

Education workers say the job requires

How to get hired

Academy and training

Promotion ladder

Pay

Schedule

Day-to-day work

Related jobs

By state

Not yet collected