Academic Advisor

Position Summary

The Academic Advisor provides accurate, timely, and student-centered academic guidance to prospective and enrolled students. This position requires a consistent on-site presence multiple days per week to conduct in-person student meetings, collaborate with faculty and staff, and support campus-based advising, registration, retention, and student-success activities. The Academic Advisor develops projected academic schedules, evaluates transcripts, monitors academic progress, and maintains complete records in the institution’s student information system (“SIS”).

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Maintain an on-site presence multiple days per week, with availability for in-person student appointments, walk-in advising, registration support, orientation, and campus meetings.
• Meet individually and, as appropriate, in groups with prospective and enrolled students to discuss academic goals, program requirements, course selection, academic standing, and graduation planning.
• Create and maintain projected academic schedules and individualized academic plans that identify required courses, appropriate sequencing, anticipated completion dates, and potential academic barriers.
• Review official and unofficial transcripts, evaluate prior coursework against institutional requirements, and prepare clear transfer-credit analyses or recommendations for review and action by the appropriate academic departments.
• Communicate transcript-evaluation findings, course-equivalency information, and academic-placement recommendations to the Registrar, Admissions, program chairs, faculty, financial aid personnel, and other relevant departments.
• Enter, update, and maintain accurate and timely student records, advising notes, academic plans, transfer-credit information, and degree-progress information in the SIS and related institutional databases.
• Monitor student progress toward completion, including enrollment, course completion, attendance, satisfactory academic progress, academic standing, and remaining degree requirements.
• Proactively identify and contact students who may be at risk of falling behind, failing to register, withdrawing, or not completing program requirements on schedule.
• Assist students with registration, schedule changes, add/drop requests, leaves of absence, withdrawals, academic appeals, and graduation applications, consistent with institutional policy.
• Explain institutional academic policies and procedures, including satisfactory academic progress, attendance, course repeat, transfer credit, probation, academic dismissal, and graduation requirements.
• Conduct graduation and degree-completion reviews; identify outstanding requirements and coordinate with relevant departments to resolve record discrepancies.
• Refer students to appropriate institutional resources, including faculty, tutoring, disability services, financial aid, career services, counseling, and other student-support services.
• Collaborate regularly with Admissions, Registrar, Financial Aid, faculty, program leadership, and Student Services to ensure coordinated student communication and accurate academic records.
• Prepare reports and maintain documentation needed for institutional compliance, accreditation, state authorization, audits, retention initiatives, and internal planning.
• Participate in orientation, registration periods, commencement preparation, student-success initiatives, staff meetings, and professional development.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution; master’s degree preferred.
• One to three years of experience in academic advising, registrar services, admissions, student services, or another higher-education administrative role preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret transcripts, curriculum requirements, academic policies, and degree-completion standards.
• Experience using a student information system and maintaining detailed, confidential student records.
• Strong organizational, analytical, communication, and customer-service skills.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, manage competing priorities, and work effectively with students from diverse backgrounds.
• Ability and willingness to work on-site multiple days per week and occasionally work evenings or weekends for institutional events or student needs.
• Knowledge of FERPA and ability to protect confidential student information.

Preferred Qualifications

• Extensive experience in higher education, counseling, education, student affairs, business, or a related field.
• Experience with transfer-credit evaluation, degree audits, academic scheduling, and student-retention initiatives.
• Familiarity with accreditation, state regulatory, and institutional compliance requirements.
• Experience advising adult, transfer, international, online, graduate, or nontraditional students.

UWLA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status, age, ancestry, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.