The Average Salary of an Entry-Level Administrative Assistant With a College Degree
- The average annual salary of an administrative assistant in the United States was $45,860 per year or $22.05 per hour as of May 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest 25 percent earned up to $34,920 per year or $16.79 per hour, and the middle 50 percent earned between $34,921 per year and $54,750 per year, or $26.32 per hour. The highest 25 percent earned more than $54,751 per year.
- An administrative assistant with little to no experience and a college degree can expect to earn in the lowest 25th percentile of the salary range. Administrative assistant salary ranges can vary depending on location. Having a college degree increases your starting wage over those who have no degree, but not having significant experience limits your starting salary.
- Earning a bachelor's degree typically will not help you earn too much more than someone with an associate degree. According to TheJobFool.com, having a bachelor's degree instead of only a bachelor's degree increases a new administrative assistant's median salary by about 10 percent. Once an administrative assistant is more experienced, holding a bachelor's degree only increases the salary over having an associate degree by 4 percent.
- A job description for an assistant for studio operations position at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., posted in August 2011 on the university's website indicated that the position provided administrative assistance for the fine arts department. The job required a bachelor's degree in art or fine arts and paid between $13.46 and $18.42 per hour. An administrative assistant position at Collin College in McKinney, Texas, posted in August 2011 required at least an associate degree. The salary range for this position was between $29,384 and $33,055 per year. A new administrative assistant could expect to earn on the lower end of this scale. In positions requiring only a high school diploma, those with college degrees can expect to earn slightly more than the lowest starting salary.