Will AI replace postsecondary education administrators?

Unlikely, though parts of the work are changing. About 41m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by AI working on its own. The other 7h 19m (91%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 1.8% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 2 of 27 tasks, about 41m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Formulate strategic plans for the institution. (20m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Provide assistance to faculty and staff in duties such as teaching classes, conducting orientation programs, issuing transcripts, and scheduling events. (20m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)

7h 19m of a typical shift, or 91%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Direct, coordinate, and evaluate the activities of personnel, including support staff engaged in administering academic institutions, departments, or alumni organizations. (51m a shift)
• Plan, administer, and control budgets, maintain financial records, and produce financial reports. (36m a shift)
• Represent institutions at community and campus events, in meetings with other institution personnel, and during accreditation processes. (31m a shift)
• Participate in faculty and college committee activities. (31m a shift)
• Advise students on issues such as course selection, progress toward graduation, and career decisions. (26m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 77% talk face to face with others every day
• 63% are in constant contact with other people
• 57% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important

We track 1 sourced company move that affects this job. Most recent:

• Jul 28, 2025: Virginia Tech uses AI to check admission essay scores (Rolling out)

For the 2 tasks in this job where AI shows up and timing data exists, a typical request takes about 7h 56m for a person alone and about 33m with AI. These are Claude's own estimates from real conversations in April and May 2026 (Anthropic Economic Index). They describe single requests, not whole workdays, and time saved on a task doesn't mean jobs are cut. The biggest gaps:

• Formulate strategic plans for the institution (about 14h 32m alone, 56m with AI)
• Provide assistance to faculty and staff in duties such as teaching classes, conducting orientation programs, issuing transcripts, and scheduling events (about 1h 19m alone, 11m with AI)

On Indeed, job postings in the Education & Instruction sector are at 107% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), down 9.5% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 15,000 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $104,590 a year ($50.29 an hour), 105% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $64,560 and $215,620 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 1.8% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 236,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 15,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 180,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.12% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 183rd largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 236,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a master's degree: about 48% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 5 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: graduate degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Time Management, Management of Financial Resources, Management of Personnel Resources, Negotiation
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 19m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Excel, Facebook
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Human Resources Managers (0m touched, $149k median pay)
• Chief Sustainability Officers (0m touched, $214k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 2 observed in real AI use, 25 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.