Assistant Registrar

Teachers College, Columbia University; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 67,000 - 76,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tuition remission

Health, dental, vision insurance

Retirement matching

Job summary

Teachers College, Columbia University is seeking an Assistant Registrar to support day-to-day Registrar operations, including case management, graduation and degree review, and course scheduling. You will collaborate with Enrollment Management, academic departments, and student-facing offices to maintain accurate records and responsive service.

This role reports to the Registrar and provides administrative support to the Vice President for Enrollment Management, with responsibilities across

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or the equivalent in education, training, and experience.
• Experience interpreting policies and handling detailed records.

Responsibilities

• Maintain accurate student academic records and ensure documentation and audit trails.
• Review degree audits, graduation requirements, and degree conferral processes.
• Schedule courses, sections, and instructor assignments with departments.
• Manage Registrar cases in Salesforce or equivalent CRM.
• Provide frontline support to students, faculty, and offices on registrations and policies.
• Monitor workflows and identify opportunities to improve processes and data quality.

Skills

Organizational skills

Analytical thinking

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Student Information System (SIS)

CRM / case management platform

Microsoft Office / Google Workspace

Job description

Posting Summary

The Division of Enrollment Management at Teachers College, Columbia University is seeking an Assistant Registrar to support the delivery of accurate, responsive, and student-centered academic and enrollment services within the Office of the Registrar. The position will also serve the Enrollment Management division by offering administrative support across all functional areas.

Job Summary/Basic Function

Reporting primarily to the Registrar, the Assistant Registrar is responsible for supporting the day-to-day operations of the Office of the Registrar, with primary responsibility for case management, graduation and degree review, academic program changes, academic records maintenance, forms processing, and course scheduling. Working collaboratively with Enrollment Management, academic departments, faculty, and other student-facing offices, the Assistant Registrar ensures the timely and accurate processing of academic transactions and student requests while maintaining the integrity of the College's academic records. The position supports operational excellence within the Registrar's Office by monitoring workflows, resolving complex student record issues, applying academic policies and procedures, and identifying opportunities to improve processes and the student experience. This position will also report to the Vice President for Enrollment Management and serve as their primary administrative support person.

Registrar Duties

Academic Records, Forms & Program Changes

• Maintain accurate and complete student academic records in accordance with College policies, procedures, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Review and process changes to student academic records, ensuring appropriate documentation, approvals, and audit trails.
• Review and process student requests for changes to academic programs, degrees, majors, concentrations, specializations, and other academic plan information.
• Verify that program changes meet institutional requirements and have received all necessary academic and administrative approvals prior to processing.
• Review, process, and monitor Registrar-related forms and requests, ensuring transactions are completed accurately and within established service standards.
• Communicate with students, faculty, academic departments, and administrative offices to resolve incomplete, conflicting, or inaccurate requests.
• Identify and resolve discrepancies in student records across systems and elevate complex policy or records issues when appropriate.
• Support end-of-term academic records processes, including grade processing, academic standing, and related record updates.
• Ensure the confidentiality, security, and integrity of student academic records in accordance with FERPA and institutional requirements.

Graduation & Degree Review

• Coordinate and conduct preliminary and final reviews of student records to determine eligibility for degree conferral.
• Review degree audits and academic records to verify completion of degree requirements, including required coursework, credits, grades, and other institutional and program requirements.
• Identify outstanding degree requirements and discrepancies and coordinate with students, academic departments, faculty, advisors, and other College offices to facilitate resolution.
• Process graduation applications and maintain accurate graduation and degree-completion records.
• Support degree conferral processes, including the preparation and verification of candidate lists and final updates to student academic records.
• Review and resolve degree audit exceptions and graduation-related record issues in coordination with academic programs and Registrar leadership.
• Support diploma and post-conferral processes as assigned.
• Monitor graduation workflows, deadlines, and outstanding requirements to support timely degree completion and conferral.

Course Scheduling & Registration Operations

• Support the development, maintenance, and accuracy of the academic course schedule.
• Coordinate with academic departments to collect, review, and process course offerings, sections, meeting patterns, instructional methods, instructor assignments, enrollment capacities, and other scheduling information.
• Maintain course and section information in the student information/related systems.
• Review scheduling data for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with institutional standards and academic calendar requirements.
• Process approved course additions, cancellations, section changes, instructor changes, enrollment adjustments, and other scheduling updates.
• Identify scheduling conflicts, inconsistencies, and operational issues and work collaboratively with academic departments and College partners to resolve them.
• Support term setup, registration prep, add/drop, and other cyclical Registrar operations.
• Monitor registration and scheduling workflows and identify opportunities to streamline processes, improve data quality, and reduce manual intervention.

Case Management & Student Service

• Review and manage Registrar-related cases in Salesforce, assessing each inquiry to determine the appropriate action, case owner, and resolution pathway.
• Help manage and train frontline staff
• Resolve student, faculty, and departmental inquiries related to registration, academic records, graduation, program changes, enrollment, and Registrar policies/procedures.
• Ensure cases are accurately documented and progressed toward timely resolution, reducing unnecessary reassignment or delays.
• Monitor unresolved and aging Registrar cases and facilitate appropriate follow-up or escalation when necessary.
• Collaborate with other Enrollment Management offices to resolve inquiries
• Identify recurring inquiry trends and recommend improvements to communications, forms, processes, self-service resources, and workflows.
• Support the effective utilization of Salesforce, student information systems, and self-service technologies to improve operational efficiency and the student experience.
• Provide accurate and consistent interpretation of Registrar policies and procedures to students, faculty, staff, and academic programs.

Provide operational support to the Vice President for Enrollment Management, including calendar management, financial reconciliations, and leave reporting in the Vice President’s absence.

Assist in the development, implementation, and maintenance of Enrollment Management policies, procedures, standard operating procedures, training materials, and knowledge resources.

Participate in operational improvement initiatives designed to enhance Enrollment Management’s services and the student experience.

Identify recurring operational issues and recommend process, system, or communication improvements.

Handle financial transactions and budget transfers for the entire division.

Serve as a liaison with IT and Facilities to address divisional operational needs.

Coordinate division-wide meetings, retreats, and social gatherings.

Manage divisional supplies and related operational needs.

Maintain divisional rosters, contact lists, email distribution lists, and organizational charts.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or the equivalent in education, training, and experience.
• 3+ years of progressively professional experience in higher education administration, enrollment management, Registrar operations, student services, academic administration, or a related field.
• Experience supporting day-to-day operations in a fast-paced, student- or customer-facing environment, maintaining, reviewing, or processing detailed records and administrative transactions.
• Experience interpreting and applying institutional policies, procedures, and requirements.
• Experience using a student information system, CRM, case management platform, or comparable administrative technology.
• Strong organizational, analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, cyclical processes, and deadlines while maintaining accuracy.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with students, faculty, staff, academic departments, and administrative offices.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive student information with discretion and in accordance with applicable policies and regulations.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office or Google Workspace.
• Demonstrated commitment to delivering exceptional customer service and fostering a positive, student-centered experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in a Registrar's Office or higher education enrollment management environment.
• Knowledge of Registrar operations, including academic records, registration, graduation, degree conferral, course scheduling, and curriculum-related processes.
• Experience with Banner or a comparable student information system.
• Experience with Degree Works or a comparable degree audit system.
• Proficiency with Salesforce or a similar CRM/case management platform.
• Knowledge of FERPA and best practices related to the management and confidentiality of student academic records.
• Experience conducting degree audits or graduation reviews.
• Experience supporting academic course scheduling and registration processes.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and improve operational processes, workflows, forms, and service standards.
• Ability to develop training materials, knowledge resources, and standard operating procedures.
• Familiarity with metrics and continuous improvement practices to enhance operational efficiency, data accuracy, and the student experience.

Salary Range

$67,200.00 - $76,000

Work Modality

Hybrid

Competitive Compensation And Benefits

The salary range reflects the College’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the compensation for the position at the time of the job posting. Salary decisions are dependent on several factors including but not limited to market and organizational considerations, experience, and qualifications of a selected candidate as well as internal and external equity. Our benefits contribute significantly to the total compensation package that includes medical, dental, vision, and supplemental insurance plans; flexible and hybrid work schedules; tuition remission; life insurance; short and long-term disability insurance; an exceptional employer retirement matching program; health savings accounts (HSA), flexible spending accounts (FSA), Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility, and a robust Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

Hybrid/Remote

Teachers College maintains a hybrid work environment, which provides employees with flexible work arrangements while ensuring we preserve the important aspects of our unique in-person college-campus culture. Depending on role and business needs, colleagues will either work onsite or in a hybrid model (a combination of in-office and virtual days). Employees are expected to live within a 150-mile radius of the College.