Financial Aid Counselor

Financial Aid Counselor

Provides professional, timely assistance regarding application completion and processes, general and program eligibility, and financial planning. Evaluates and analyzes information to determine applicants' eligibility for financial assistance and to determine type and amount of aid to be awarded in accordance with established standards and guidelines. Coordinates the awarding of all federal and state student aid funding, and university and / or private scholarships. Ensures compliance with applicable statutes, regulations, and procedures. Remains current regarding regulations, policies, and procedures affecting scholarships and financial aid, and conducts work fairly. Specializes in processing applications, determining eligibility, and analyzing and fielding considerations for special circumstances. Supports effective management of office.

Responsibilities

1. Service, Processing, and Communications

• Effectively advances processing and service workloads including delivery of services and processing; adjusts accordingly to ensure balanced, timely, accurate, well-documented services and processing within benchmarks established by supervisor and / or office management team
• Provides timely, accurate, and complete information to students, parents, and colleagues
• Determines eligibility for scholarships and financial aid and determines types and amounts to be awarded in accordance with established federal and university standards and guidelines
• Professionally addresses and works toward resolution of complex or novel situations encountered in processing and service work of office
• Ensures professional delivery of services, including maintenance of data / information security, privacy, and confidentiality
• Follows appropriate records management procedures and complies with recordkeeping and archival requirements
• Communicates policies and procedures (including rights and responsibilities) to students, families, and colleagues in an accurate, timely, effective, thorough manner
• Completes multiple complex reports used to monitor and assure service and processing benchmarks, as well as accuracy of eligibility and payments
• Serves as subject matter expert and is proactive in advancing processing, service, and eligibility monitoring

2. Determining Student and Program Eligibility

3. Regulatory and Policy Adherence

4. Training and Professional Development; Professionalism

5. Overall Support of Office and Institutional Operations

Minimum Qualifications Bachelor's Degree in Business, Humanities, Social and Behavioral Science, or a related area, or equivalency (one year of education can be substituted for two years of related work experience); a minimum of one year of experience in counseling, budgeting, public relations, or computer technology; and demonstrated human relations and effective communications skills required. The ability to work with a diverse population of students, and learn and understand federal and state regulations and financial aid procedures are critical elements of this position. Applicants must demonstrate the potential ability to perform the essential functions of the job as outlined in the position description.

Preferences Prefer previous work experience in a higher education setting.