How To Become A Vice Chancellor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a vice chancellor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A Vice-Chancellor is to a university what a principal is to a school. This means the Vice-Chancellor is the highest authority in the university, both in terms of academics and administration. This person oversees the university council while also securing finances that'll allow the institution to achieve its aims and objectives. He/She or she is also responsible for carrying out essential civic and ceremonial duties.

That said, the route to becoming a vice-chancellor is not the easiest or quickest. The government appoints vice-Chancellors, and they usually do so in recognition of the candidate's exceptionality as an academician. However, this person must have had ten years of experience as a university professor or as a high-caliber member of any other equivalent establishment.

In the end, all the effort put into winning the post of vice-chancellor pays off. Why? $116,870 is what a Vice-Chancellor makes in the United States per year. In fact, people on a much higher cadre of this post earn about $214,000. Not bad.

ScoreVice ChancellorUS Average

Salary

7.9

Avg. Salary $110,441

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

8.1

Growth Rate 7%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.70%

Asian 4.31%

Black or African American 11.09%

Hispanic or Latino 13.96%

Unknown 3.99%

White 65.95%

Gender

female 51.82%

male 48.18%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress Level

8.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.8

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a vice chancellor

Explore vice chancellor education requirements

Most common vice chancellor degrees

Bachelor's

63.6 %

Master's

17.7 %

Doctorate

8.6 %

Start to develop specific vice chancellor skills

Skills	Percentages
Oversight	14.55%
Human Resources	10.09%
Professional Development	7.22%
Strategic Plan	7.09%
Academic Affairs	5.78%

Complete relevant vice chancellor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New vice chancellors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a vice chancellor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real vice chancellor resumes.

Research vice chancellor duties and responsibilities

Manage students by establishing an appropriate climate and earning respect through effective leadership techniques.
Key responsibilities include full operational oversight, business development strategy and implementation, and campus compliance with reporting and accreditation requirements.
Direct all homecoming and alumni appreciation activities.
Create all freshman first-semester schedules and register students as necessary.

Prepare your vice chancellor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your vice chancellor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a vice chancellor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Vice Chancellor Resume templates

Build a professional Vice Chancellor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Vice Chancellor resume.

Apply for vice chancellor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a vice chancellor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do vice chancellors rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Vice Chancellor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019

Pros

-Moral and academic standard improvement of students.

Cons

Conscious and unconscious abuse of students