Education Administrator, Postsecondary Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

Education Administrators, Postsecondary earn a median of $104,590 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 105% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $50.29/hr. The middle half earn between $80,870 and $144,370. The top 10% earn $215,620 or more.

The median hourly wage for education administrators, postsecondary is $50.29 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). On a full-year basis the $104,590 annual median works out to about $8,720 a month before tax.

BLS does not publish a starting salary. The nearest measure is the low end of the pay range: the lowest-paid 10% of education administrators, postsecondary earn less than $64,560 a year and the bottom quarter less than $80,870 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). New workers often start near that end, but where a particular job starts depends on the employer, the state and the credentials you bring, so read these as the bottom of the range rather than a guaranteed entry wage.

Yes, more often than not. The median is $104,590, so more than half of education administrators, postsecondary earn over $100,000 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). In 37 states the median itself is above $100,000: New York ($139,640), New Jersey ($131,570), Massachusetts ($128,970), Delaware ($128,570), and 33 more.

The highest state medians for Education Administrators, Postsecondary are New York ($139,640), New Jersey ($131,570), Massachusetts ($128,970) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, South Dakota moves to the top at $142,415.

BLS does not split education administrators, postsecondary' pay by specialty or employer, but its range shows how far the top end runs: the highest-paid 10% earn more than $215,620, against a median of $104,590 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Location moves pay the most in the published data: the best-paying states are New York ($139,640), New Jersey ($131,570), Massachusetts ($128,970). BLS also counts a specialty career inside this occupation (college athletic director), which shares its federal pay figures.

Yes. BLS reports a master's degree as the typical entry-level education for Education Administrators, Postsecondary, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as extensive preparation. Employers typically expect less than 5 years of related work experience first. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 47.9% hold master's degree.

BLS does not publish a fixed length; it depends on the route. What it does publish: the typical way in for education administrators is a master's degree, plus less than 5 years of work experience in a related occupation. O*NET classes the work as needing extensive preparation.

It is growing, but slowly: 1.8% over 2025–2035 against 3.5% for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 14,500 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

Postsecondary education administrators oversee student services, academics, and faculty research at colleges and universities. A core O*NET task: participate in faculty and college committee activities. Employers most often ask for Analytical or scientific software, Data base user interface and query software, Document management software.

Most work more than 40. In O*NET's survey of people in the job, 77% of education administrators, postsecondary usually work more than 40 hours a week, 11% work exactly 40 and 13% work fewer. 86% say their schedule is regular and 14% irregular. Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, Work Context.

O*NET scores Education Administrators, Postsecondary highest on the Social, Enterprising and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ENFJ, ESFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.

Women make up 66.4% of education administrators, postsecondary, against 47.1% of all employed people: more women than in the workforce as a whole. 25.9% are 55 or older, close to the 23.2% across all jobs. The median worker is 47.1 years old (all workers: 42.1). Source: BLS Current Population Survey, 2025 annual averages, for the Census group "Education and childcare administrators".