Registrar
A Registrar manages student records and academic requirements, from file management and grade oversight to degree audits, course registration, and compliance. This is a sample job description from Excelon Associates that you can adapt as a template for your own registrar hire.
What does a Registrar do?
A school registrar manages student records from enrollment through graduation. Core duties include course registration, attendance and grade oversight, enrollment verification, transcript and degree audits, and safeguarding academic records under FERPA. In this sample role the Registrar also orders books and uniforms ahead of class start.
It is a detail-intensive role that sits at the center of academic operations. Accuracy matters at every step, because the records a Registrar maintains drive registration, graduation eligibility, and the school's compliance standing.
A Registrar is the administrator who owns a school's student records and academic processes. The role includes degree audits, which confirm a student has met graduation requirements, transcript audits for credit transferability, and tracking Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), the standard that confirms students are progressing well enough to stay enrolled.
What are the essential responsibilities?
- Manage student files and maintain student data within the Nexus system.
- Oversee attendance and grades within Nexus.
- Manage and update student statuses in a timely manner.
- Manage student Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).
- Conduct degree audits for student graduation.
- Conduct transcript audits for transferability.
- Enroll students into the system and register them for courses.
- Create, manage, and deactivate terms.
- Create and publish student schedules.
- Order books and uniforms one month prior to class start.
- Complete and maintain an Individual Development Plan or Summary as needed.
- Attend regularly scheduled in-services and discipline-specific professional development.
- Complete an annual appraisal with the Campus Director.
Hiring a Registrar? Excelon Associates recruits registrars, enrollment leaders, and student services executives for schools and universities. Start a search with our higher education practice.
What qualifications are required?
Education and experience. Minimum of a high school diploma, with an associate degree preferred, plus at least one year of experience in a related field.
- Strong organizational skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook.
- Strong interpersonal and oral and written communication skills.
What are the working conditions?
What does a Registrar earn?
In Excelon Associates' registrar searches, offers have typically landed between $70,000 and $125,000 per year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics groups registrars under postsecondary education administrators (SOC 11-9033), which carried a median annual wage of $103,960 in May 2024. That category also includes deans and admissions leadership, so registrar pay at many institutions sits below its midpoint.
Institution type moves the number more than anything else. Career school and K-12 registrar roles tend toward the lower half of the range, while university registrars managing large student information systems, multiple campuses, or heavy compliance workloads command the upper half.
A hiring note from Excelon
The Registrar role rewards precision over flash. The strongest candidates treat student data as something to protect, catch the small errors before they become compliance problems, and stay calm during the registration and graduation crunch. Fluency in the school's student information system, Nexus in this case, shortens the ramp considerably.
A good Registrar is invisible when everything works, and indispensable the moment a record, a transcript, or a graduation date is on the line.
Frequently asked questions
What does a Registrar do?
A Registrar manages student records and requirements, including file management, attendance and grade oversight, degree and transcript audits, course registration, scheduling, and compliance within student files.
What is a school registrar?
A school registrar is the administrator responsible for a school's student records, including registration, attendance, grades, transcripts, and graduation audits. The title is used at K-12 schools, career schools, colleges, and universities, and the registrar is typically the custodian of academic records under FERPA.
What qualifications are required for a Registrar?
This sample role requires a minimum of a high school diploma, with an associate degree preferred, and at least one year of experience in a related field. Strong organizational skills and proficiency in Word, Excel, and Outlook are expected.
What systems does a Registrar use?
This role works within the Nexus student information system to maintain records, oversee attendance and grades, manage statuses, and run degree and transcript audits, alongside the Microsoft Office suite.
Is travel required for this role?
Travel is less than 10 percent. The Registrar works in a normal office environment and may occasionally be required to lift up to 10 pounds.
What is a degree audit and what is SAP?
A degree audit confirms a student has met all requirements to graduate, and a transcript audit checks transferability of credits. SAP, or Satisfactory Academic Progress, is the standard schools use to confirm students are progressing well enough to remain eligible for enrollment and aid.
How much does a Registrar make?
Registrar offers in Excelon Associates' searches have typically ranged from $70,000 to $125,000 per year, against a BLS median of $103,960 for the broader postsecondary education administrators category (SOC 11-9033, May 2024). Institution type and system scope drive where a role lands in that range.
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Excelon Associates recruits registrars and academic operations professionals for higher education institutions nationwide. Retained executive search since 2007, headquartered in Asheville, NC. The average Excelon search delivers a slate of 5 qualified candidates in 3 to 5 weeks, with 88 searches completed in the last 12 months.
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