University Registrar
A University Registrar provides strategic direction, supervision, and mentorship to a multi-faceted service office, ensuring the integrity of all student data and academic records and compliance with university policy and regulations including FERPA. This is a sample job description from Excelon Associates that you can adapt as a template for your own hire.
What does a University Registrar do?
Reporting to the Executive Director for Admission and Registration Services, the University Registrar provides strategic direction, supervision, and mentorship to a busy, multi-faceted service office distributed across multiple campus locations. The University Registrar is responsible for the maintenance and integrity of all student data and academic records and helps ensure adherence to university policies and procedures as well as state and federal regulations including FERPA.
The role manages all staff and functions associated with student academic records, from course scheduling and registration to records security, transfer credit, grades, degree audit, and conferral. It is a senior academic records leadership role within the higher education sector.
A University Registrar leads the office responsible for the integrity of academic records across an institution. FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, governs the privacy of student education records, and the registrar typically works in student information systems such as Jenzabar or Banner while engaging with the AACRAO professional community.
What does the University Registrar own?
Key responsibilities of a University Registrar
- Ensure the integrity of the university transcript and student academic records including registration activity, enrollment status, and course grades.
- Develop and issue course schedules and the academic calendar, and manage seamless term starts with a growing student population and new programs.
- Oversee the validation, posting, and conferral of certificates and degrees, and coordinate the academic appeal of dismissal and exception to academic policy processes.
- Work with academic leadership to establish, support, and maintain academic programs, including course numbers, titles, credits, and grading schemes.
- Monitor policies governing the privacy and disclosure of information from student records.
- Play a central role in developing and implementing academic and administrative policies affecting students and courses.
- Provide leadership, strategic direction, professional development, and support for the registrar’s team.
- Continually improve the operation and efficiency of the office, collaborating with IT and student service teams on creative solutions and new product rollouts.
- Establish priorities and goals, and design and track metrics and key performance indicators for service levels experienced by students, faculty, and colleagues.
What qualifications does the role require?
- A master’s degree with a minimum of four years of relevant experience as a Registrar, or seven years as an Assistant Registrar, within higher education.
- Five years of supervisory and leadership experience, with experience in academic policy development and student records.
- Demonstrated participation in the registrar service community, such as AACRAO.
- Experience with student information systems (such as Jenzabar or Banner), curriculum and policy management (such as Curriculog or Acalog), and scheduling systems (such as Ad Astra).
- Competency with the Microsoft Office suite, and experience supervising staff in a multi-campus structure preferred.
- Experience with CRM and project management software preferred, and fluency in an additional language a plus.
Why is the University Registrar role important?
The registrar safeguards the academic record, the institution’s most consequential data. A University Registrar ensures accuracy, privacy, and timely degree conferral across campuses, which underpins compliance, accreditation, and every student’s transcript and credential.
Because the role spans records integrity, technology, policy, and team leadership, the strongest registrars pair deep systems knowledge with the judgment to set policy and the leadership to run a multi-campus office. A single error in this function can affect thousands of records.
A hiring note from Excelon
University registrar searches reward seasoned records professionals who combine systems depth, FERPA fluency, and multi-campus leadership. Through our higher education practice, we look for AACRAO-engaged leaders experienced with systems like Jenzabar or Banner who can both set policy and run an office, since this role demands equal command of detail and strategy.
The strongest registrars pair deep systems knowledge with the judgment to set policy and the leadership to run a multi-campus office.
Related sample job descriptions
University Registrar: frequently asked questions
What does a University Registrar do?
A University Registrar provides strategic direction and leadership for the registrar’s office, ensuring the integrity of all student data and academic records, managing course scheduling and registration, degree conferral, and compliance with policies and regulations including FERPA.
What qualifications does the role require?
This sample role requires a master’s degree with a minimum of four years as a Registrar (or seven years as an Assistant Registrar) in higher education, plus five years of supervisory and leadership experience.
How is this different from a Registrar?
A University Registrar is a senior, strategic role leading the office across multiple campuses, supervising associate and assistant registrars, and setting policy. A standard Registrar role is typically narrower in scope and seniority.
What is FERPA?
FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, governs the privacy of student education records. The University Registrar monitors policies governing privacy and disclosure of information from student records.
What systems should candidates know?
This sample values experience with student information systems such as Jenzabar or Banner, curriculum and policy management tools such as Curriculog or Acalog, scheduling systems such as Ad Astra, and participation in AACRAO.
Hiring a University Registrar?
Excelon Associates recruits university registrars, records leaders, and enrollment services professionals for colleges and universities across the United States through our higher education recruitment practice. Retained executive search since 2007, headquartered in Asheville, NC, with offices in Boca Raton and Delray Beach, FL.
More Sample Job Descriptions
Templates you can adapt for your own roles.