Academic Advisor

University of West Los Angeles (UWLA)•Inglewood, CA

20d•Onsite

About The Position

The Academic Advisor provides accurate, timely, student-centered academic guidance to prospective and enrolled students. The role requires an on-site presence multiple days per week for in-person student meetings, collaboration with faculty and staff, and campus-based advising, registration, retention, and student-success activities. The advisor develops projected academic schedules and individualized academic plans, evaluates transcripts, monitors academic progress, and maintains complete records in the institution’s student information system (SIS) and related databases. The advisor supports students in understanding academic goals, program requirements, course selection, academic standing, and graduation planning. The position also contributes to coordinated student communications, student-success initiatives, and institutional compliance, accreditation, state authorization, audit, retention, and planning needs. The role may occasionally involve evening or weekend work for institutional events or student needs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
One to three years of experience in academic advising, registrar services, admissions, student services, or another higher-education administrative role is preferred.
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.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree.
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.

Responsibilities

Maintain an on-site presence multiple days per week and provide in-person appointments, walk-in advising, registration support, orientation, and campus meeting availability.
Meet individually and, when 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, including required courses, sequencing, anticipated completion dates, and potential barriers.
Review official and unofficial transcripts, evaluate prior coursework against institutional requirements, and prepare transfer-credit analyses or recommendations for the appropriate academic departments.
Communicate transcript findings, course equivalencies, and academic-placement recommendations to relevant departments and personnel.
Enter and maintain accurate, timely student records, advising notes, academic plans, transfer-credit information, and degree-progress information in the SIS and related databases.
Monitor student enrollment, course completion, attendance, satisfactory academic progress, academic standing, and remaining degree requirements.
Identify and contact students at risk of falling behind, failing to register, withdrawing, or not completing requirements on schedule.
Assist students with registration, schedule changes, add/drop requests, leaves of absence, withdrawals, academic appeals, and graduation applications in accordance with institutional policy.
Explain academic policies and procedures, including satisfactory academic progress, attendance, course repeats, 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 support services.
Collaborate with Admissions, the Registrar, Financial Aid, faculty, program leadership, and Student Services to coordinate communications and maintain accurate academic records.
Prepare reports and documentation for 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.