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Other general clerical workers

How to become a University Administrative Officer

Also called: Private university staff member

Carries out the administrative work needed for a university to run smoothly.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say university is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

A four-year university degree is generally expected, whether you join as a new graduate or mid-career. Some universities accept junior college graduates or do not ask about education. For permanent staff, recruitment is mainly through the university or its corporation's website or job sites. For contract staff and casual staff, vacancies may be filled through agency work or Hello Work (public employment service). No qualifications are required, but some universities need English skills to deal with international students and others. A driving licence can also be useful for business trips. If you work in student career advice, qualifications such as career consultant are useful. After joining, people usually work in various departments, in both academic affairs and administration, and handle a wide range of work. Job titles differ between universities, but careers typically progress through senior officer, section manager and head of administration, and from section manager upwards management work increases. You deal with students, teaching staff, other staff, visitors, high school students and high school teachers every day, so communication skills are needed: for example, individual advice for students, explaining to teaching staff and reaching agreement, sharing information between departments, and answering questions from high school students. You also need accurate office skills for work where mistakes are not acceptable, such as data entry and handling personal information. In addition, you need the ability to understand the needs of high school students and society and use them in running the university.

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Questions people ask

How do I become a University Administrative Officer?

A four-year university degree is generally expected, whether you join as a new graduate or mid-career. Some universities accept junior college graduates or do not ask about education. For permanent staff, recruitment is mainly through the university or its corporation's website or job sites. For contract staff and casual staff, vacancies may be filled through agency work or Hello Work (public employment service). No qualifications are required, but some universities need English skills to deal with international students and others. A driving licence can also be useful for business trips. If you work in student career advice, qualifications such as career consultant are useful. After joining, people usually work in various departments, in both academic affairs and administration, and handle a wide range of work. Job titles differ between universities, but careers typically progress through senior officer, section manager and head of administration, and from section manager upwards management work increases. You deal with students, teaching staff, other staff, visitors, high school students and high school teachers every day, so communication skills are needed: for example, individual advice for students, explaining to teaching staff and reaching agreement, sharing information between departments, and answering questions from high school students. You also need accurate office skills for work where mistakes are not acceptable, such as data entry and handling personal information. In addition, you need the ability to understand the needs of high school students and society and use them in running the university.

How much does a University Administrative Officer earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥5,286,700 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Other general clerical workers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a University Administrative Officer?

Not always. In this job's census occupation group, 55% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of a University Administrative Officer?

Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026