Student Services Adviser
Student services advisers help students work through enrolment, course choices and the personal difficulties that get in the way of finishing a qualification.
- Median salary*
- $77,000
4.5%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 2,600
0.0%vs last year
- Projected growth*
- +6%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours*
- 38/wk
−2h vs all jobs
- Shortage status*
- Not in shortage
national
They work in universities, TAFEs, schools and private colleges, usually in a student support or student experience team alongside counsellors, admissions staff and academic advisers. The role is broader than counselling: advisers give information, make referrals and solve the practical problem in front of them, and they are often the first person a student contacts when something goes wrong. Most of the work is one to one, in person, by phone or online, with a steady amount of record keeping between appointments.
How much do student services advisers earn?
The median full-time salary for a student services adviser is $77,000 per annum, before tax, up $16,300 since 2018.
Pay depends heavily on the sector: universities and TAFEs set classifications under enterprise agreements, while private colleges and schools set their own rates and vary more. Senior adviser, team leader and casework-heavy roles sit higher on those scales than general student administration. Part-time and fixed-term contracts are common, which changes what a full-time equivalent figure actually means in a given year.
What does a student services adviser do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Advising students on enrolment, course selection and study pathways
- Referring students to counselling, health, financial or disability support services
- Keeping case notes and student records up to date in systems such as Callista, StudentOne or Salesforce
- Running orientation, transition and equity programs for new and at-risk students
- Following up with students whose attendance or results have flagged them as being at risk
What skills do student services advisers need?
Employers look for casework and client support, counselling and support work, community engagement, backed by Microsoft 365 fluency and strong written communication.
Specialist skills
- Casework and client support
- Counselling and support work
- Community engagement
Software and tools
- Microsoft 365
- Canvas
- Salesforce
- Callista
- StudentOne
General skills
- Written communication
- Empathy and interpersonal care
- Stakeholder management
- Attention to detail
- Customer service
Is the job growing?
About 2,600 people work as student services advisers in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 6% over the decade to 2035. That's modest growth: demand is steady rather than booming.
How do you become a student services adviser?
Here's the path most student services advisers take, step by step.
- 1Get a degree in a related field
Education, social work, psychology, youth work, behavioural science and community services are all accepted, and around 52% of people in the role hold a bachelor degree. Schools and private colleges will sometimes take a diploma with strong student-facing experience.
- 2Work with students while you study
Peer mentoring, orientation volunteering, student union roles, residential life and casual work in a student centre all build the experience employers ask about. They also show you can handle a distressed student calmly without escalating everything.
- 3Start in a student support or admissions role
Student support officer, admissions officer and transition officer positions are the usual paid entry points. Two or three years in one gives you the system knowledge and the casework examples that adviser interviews draw on.
- 4Add a qualification for welfare-heavy or senior roles
A graduate certificate or diploma in counselling, career development or student services opens senior adviser and casework positions, and about 26% of people in the role have a postgraduate qualification. A diploma in community services or youth work is the common alternative for school and private college roles.
Ready to apply as a student services adviser?
Whether you're working toward becoming a student services adviser or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a student services adviser move to?
Moving into Youth Worker typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $18,900 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youth Worker The adviser's student welfare and engagement skills carry into youth work, with a short course in youth support needed. | +$18,900 | 67% | short course |
| Family Violence Practitioner Student services advisers bring crisis awareness and referral skills to family violence work, with a short course in family violence practice. | +$14,000 | 60% | short course |
| Family and Relationship Counsellor Student support experience underpins counselling work, but a diploma in counselling is needed to practise as a family and relationship counsellor. | +$0 | 80% | reskill |
| Employment Consultant Advising students on study and career options translates well to helping job seekers, with a short course in employment services. | −$4,200 | 75% | short course |
| Mental Health Worker The adviser's welfare and referral skills suit mental health support work, with a short course in mental health required. | −$12,000 | 71% | short course |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a student services adviser?
The typical student services adviser is 37 years old; 74% are women, 63% work full-time, and full-timers average 38 hours a week.
- 37
- Median age
- 74%
- Female share
- 63%
- Full-time
- −2h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a student services adviser?
The job runs to the academic calendar, so the pace swings across the year. Orientation and enrolment are intense, mid-semester is steadier casework, and exam periods bring a rush of students in distress. Advisers who enjoy it tend to like the variety of problems and the visible result when a student stays enrolled, and they need to be comfortable holding a difficult conversation without carrying it home.
What people like
- You see the result of your work. A student who was about to withdraw finishes the semester, and you usually know which conversation turned it around.
- No two days bring the same problem. An enrolment error, a fee debt, a mental health crisis and a timetable clash can all arrive before lunch, which suits people who like variety.
- The campus calendar gives the year a shape. Orientation, census dates and exams set a rhythm, with quieter stretches between them for program work and follow-up.
- You work with people who chose this work. Student support teams tend to be collegial, and you build working relationships with counsellors, academics and admissions staff across the institution.
What people find hard
- The hard cases are not yours to fix. Students arrive with housing trouble, family violence or serious mental illness, and your job is to refer well rather than resolve it, which wears on some people.
- Enrolment and results weeks stack up. Those periods bring a queue at the door and a full inbox, appointments run late, and the routine enquiries keep coming on top of the urgent ones.
- The record keeping never stops. Case notes, referrals and reporting have to be written up in the student system, and privacy and audit rules mean the record matters as much as the conversation.
- Job security varies by institution. Student services teams are regularly restructured when funding shifts, and project and equity roles are often fixed-term contracts.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ student services advisers?
Education and Training employs the largest share of student services advisers, followed by Other Services.
Top employing industries
- 1Education and Training
- 2Other Services
- 3Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 52% | |
|---|---|---|
| Postgraduate | 26% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 13% | |
| Other | 9% |
Will AI replace student services advisers?
AI has taken over a real slice of this job. Routine questions about course dates, fees and enrolment steps are increasingly answered by chatbots and self-service portals, and student management systems do more of the record keeping. What remains is the conversation itself: reading a student's situation, deciding which service actually fits and advocating when a case falls between teams. Exposure is moderate, concentrated in the administrative layer.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Meeting students about welfare, study or personal problemsWorking out what is really going on, and whether the answer is a payment plan, a leave of absence or a counselling referral, happens face to face and often on the spot.35%low
- Writing case notes and updating student recordsSystems such as Callista and StudentOne prefill more of the record and flag at-risk students automatically, though the notes themselves still come from the conversation.25%moderate
- Answering routine questions about courses, fees and datesChatbots and FAQ portals now handle much of this, which frees time but means advisers spend more of the day on the cases that did not resolve online.20%high
- Running orientation, transition and equity programsScheduling, invitations and follow-up surveys are increasingly automated, while the event itself and the relationships with academic and support staff are not.20%moderate
Moves least exposed to AI
These career moves from student services adviser work are rated low for AI exposure:
- Youth Worker
High skill overlap (67%), short course to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
- Family and Relationship Counsellor
High skill overlap (80%), reskill to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
- Mental Health Worker
High skill overlap (71%), short course to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
- Family Violence Practitioner
High skill overlap (60%), short course to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
Common questions about becoming a student services adviser
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do student services advisers earn?
The median is $77,000 per annum, before tax, for full-time work. Pay moves with the sector and classification level: university and TAFE roles are set by enterprise agreements, while private colleges and schools set their own rates, and part-time work is common.
How do you become a student services adviser?
Most people start with a bachelor degree in education, social work, psychology or a related field, then take a paid student support, admissions or transition officer role. Experience with students, such as peer mentoring or orientation volunteering, carries weight in a first application alongside the degree.
Are student services advisers in demand?
Student services advisers are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 6% over the decade to 2035. The occupation is small, so most openings come from people leaving or moving between institutions rather than from new positions being created.
Will AI replace student services advisers?
Not the core of the job, though routine enquiries about courses, fees and dates are steadily shifting to chatbots and self-service portals. Students still need a person to read their situation, work out what is actually wrong and make the right referral, and student management systems assist that work rather than replace it.
What can student services advisers move into?
The skills transfer to youth work, employment services, mental health support and family violence practice, because the casework and referral side of the job overlaps closely. Family violence practitioner roles typically pay more ($14,000 more), while a counselling qualification opens a move into family and relationship counselling, where the client work runs longer term.
What is the difference between a student services adviser and a counsellor?
Advisers give information, practical help and referrals, while counsellors provide ongoing therapeutic support and usually hold a counselling qualification. Many student services teams employ both, and advisers refer students on when an issue goes beyond enrolment, study or welfare navigation.
Related roles
- Employment Consultant
- Youth Worker
- Family and Relationship Counsellor
- Mental Health Worker
- Family Violence Practitioner
- Youth Worker
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