Admissions Counselor, Accelerated Undergraduate

About The Role

PLNU is a Christian liberal arts university in the evangelical, Wesleyan tradition, offering quality undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. We provide higher education in a vibrant Christian environment where minds are engaged and challenged, character is modeled and formed, and service is an expression of faith. PLNU is an institution that is committed to reflecting the rich diversity of God’s kingdom. We therefore encourage applications from culturally diverse candidates.

Benefits

We are pleased to offer attractive benefits and resources. This includes benefits such as health, dental, tuition benefits for employees and dependents, competitive retirement matching, vacation and sick time, and 15 paid holidays per year. In addition, we have many opportunities to engage with our community including staff chapel and a robust wellness program.

Job Summary

PLNU is looking for a highly motivated, goal-oriented Admissions Counselor to support enrollment growth for our Accelerated Undergraduate online programs within the Graduate and Professional Studies Division. This position is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys working toward measurable goals, is highly organized and detail-oriented, and is passionate about helping adult students achieve their educational goals.

The Admissions Counselor will manage prospective students throughout the admissions process, from initial inquiry through enrollment and the start of classes. Because PLNU’s online programs offer multiple entry points throughout the year, including new terms beginning approximately every eight weeks, this role requires the ability to simultaneously manage students at different stages of the enrollment process while maintaining consistent, proactive communication and a strong sense of urgency.

The successful candidate will demonstrate a growth mindset, strong time management and follow-through, and comfort working in a highly collaborative and transparent team environment. This includes regularly communicating progress, activity, pipeline status, challenges, and enrollment projections with department leadership and team members. The Admissions Counselor must be able to balance independent ownership of their work with shared team goals, established processes, coaching, and performance expectations.

While this role does not have an assigned community college recruitment territory, the Admissions Counselor will participate in virtual and in-person recruitment activities, information sessions, presentations, outreach events, and other initiatives designed to generate interest in PLNU's online undergraduate programs.

This position is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement, meaning several days each week the staff member may be able to work from home. The primary office location on in-office days will be PLNU’s Mission Valley Regional Center in San Diego, CA with occasional presence at PLNU’s at other recruitment locations as needed.

This position is responsible for meeting or exceeding assigned enrollment and recruitment goals.

Job Status

Full time
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Job Description

Salary

Pay range $25.00 - $26.00 ( annualized $52,000 - $54,080)
Actual salary offered is determined by the candidate’s experience, education, skills, and other factors, including internal equity and university funding resources.

What You'll Be Doing

Manage all aspects of the Accelerated Undergraduate online student recruitment and admissions process, including inquiry development, inquiry management, pre-admissions advising, transcript evaluation, applicant counseling, admissions decisions, acceptance processing, enrollment support, and proactive student follow-up.
Manage a high-volume portfolio of prospective students across multiple online undergraduate programs and enrollment terms, including programs with new starts approximately every eight weeks.
Proactively communicate with prospective students through phone calls, Zoom meetings, voicemail, texting, and email throughout the admissions and enrollment process.
Maintain consistent and timely outreach to inquiries, applicants, accepted students, and other assigned prospective students in accordance with established department contact expectations.
Build relationships with prospective students, understand their educational and career goals, identify potential barriers to enrollment, and provide clear next steps throughout the admissions process.
Evaluate applications for admission according to established university and program criteria.
Conduct preliminary transcript reviews and provide prospective students with information regarding transferability, remaining requirements, program structure, and the admissions process.
Maintain accurate, timely, and detailed student records in the admissions CRM, ensuring that student status, communication, appointments, activities, and next steps are consistently documented.
Closely monitor the admissions pipeline for upcoming eight-week terms and proactively identify students who need additional support or follow-up to complete the enrollment process.
Meet or exceed established enrollment, activity, conversion, and student engagement goals.
Provide regular updates to supervisors and enrollment leadership regarding applicant pipelines, recruitment activity, enrollment projections, barriers to enrollment, and progress toward goals.
Use data, CRM reporting, and feedback to identify opportunities to improve student engagement, conversion, and enrollment outcomes.
Participate in individual and team performance discussions, coaching, training, and ongoing professional development designed to strengthen recruitment and admissions effectiveness.
Collaborate closely with fellow Admissions Counselors, Enrollment Contact Center, Student Success, Financial Services, Records, Marketing, academic departments, and other university partners to provide students with a coordinated enrollment experience.
Participate in virtual and in person recruitment activities including information sessions, webinars, appointments, presentations, and other online events.
Maintain knowledge of PLNU programs, admissions requirements, policies, student resources, enrollment processes, and changing program offerings.
Work occasional evenings and weekends as needed for recruitment events, student appointments, or other department initiatives.
Perform other related responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree required.
Experience in university enrollment, admissions, recruitment, student services, customer service, or sales preferred.
Experience working with adult, online, transfer, or nontraditional students preferred.
Proficiency in computer software including Google Suite and Zoom; experience with Salesforce or another CRM is preferred.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to communicate effectively with prospective students through multiple channels including phone, video, text, email, and in-person interactions.
Must be highly motivated with a high level of enthusiasm for promoting new and expanding academic programs to prospective students.
Commitment to a high-performance culture and to achieving individual and team enrollment goals.
Demonstrated ability to receive feedback, adapt to changing needs, and continuously improve performance.
Strong attention to detail and ability to maintain accurate records while managing a high volume of prospective students.
Excellent time management, prioritization, and organizational skills.
Ability to manage competing priorities and accomplish tasks under the pressure of multiple deadlines and frequent enrollment starts.
Ability to work independently while maintaining consistent communication, accountability, and transparency with supervisors and team members.
Ability to exercise strong interpersonal skills in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with prospective students, peers, faculty, staff, and other university partners.
Strong teamwork skills and demonstrated willingness to contribute to shared department priorities and goals.
Ability to analyze student pipelines and individual student circumstances to determine appropriate next steps and prioritize outreach.
Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, including public speaking and presentation skills.
Evidence of Christian commitment and active church involvement. In addition, staff agree to live in agreement with PLNU’s Community Life Covenant.
The job offer is contingent on the successful completion of a background check. PLNU will consider qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with state and local "Fair Chance" laws.

Physical Requirements

The work is primarily sedentary and may require sitting for extended periods of time.
Use of computer equipment including computer keyboard, mouse, and monitor.
Vision to read documents, email, correspondence, and reports on paper and computer monitors.
Hearing and speaking to communicate effectively with others in person, virtually, and by phone.
Will also stand, stoop, push, pull, and lift up to 25 lbs. throughout the day.
Must be able to work evenings and/or weekends if needed and have reliable transportation for occasional in-person recruitment activities.

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At PLNU, we believe in pursuing calling together. Deep and meaningful relationships between students, faculty, and staff is vital in nurturing our shared community and expressing God’s love. We are looking for enthusiastic candidates to join us in empowering our students to reach their greatest personal, spiritual and professional potential.

Point Loma Nazarene University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures.