Financial Aid Counselor

Furman University; Lexington (MA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

The Financial Aid Counselor at Furman University provides financial aid counseling to prospective students, their parents, and to our current students and their parents.

This includes providing timely and accurate information about applying for financial aid, the timing of decisions, the resources available to finance education costs, borrowing and working, and how the financial fit relates to enrolling at Furman.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and experience in higher education administration.
• Willingness and availability to work outside of normal business hours when workload requires such.
• Ability to communicate effectively with others, including the appropriate use of grammar and mechanics.
• Ability to work as a team with inter-office and intra-office personnel to accomplish office goals and responsibilities.
• Must have excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Experience in common office software, particularly Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Experience with social networking a plus.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a member of the financial aid counseling staff. This involves appointments with students and parents (both prospective and currently enrolled), reviewing and/or revising award packages.
• Administer the federal loans, federal grant, and alternative loan programs including all reporting to the Department of Education.
• Serve as the Federal Work Study liaison with Enrollment Services, requiring a thorough knowledge of Federal Work Study regulations and performing monthly reconciliations.
• Assume creative outreach responsibilities to currently enrolled and prospective students and their parents, when appropriate.
• Assist with Title IV requirements for verification of the data submitted by parents and students on the FAFSA.
• Read FAFSA information and analyze income tax returns, particularly those of business owners.
• Perform appropriate review of Special Financial Circumstance Forms submitted by students.
• Assist with over-award monitoring throughout the year.
• Present financial aid workshops on campus and in high schools in the Greenville-Spartanburg area.
• Participate in state and regional financial aid professional associations as approved by the Senior Director of Financial Aid.

Skills

Communication

Teamwork

Organizational skills

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

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Job Title:

Financial Aid Counselor

Job Family:

Professionals

Full-Time/Part-Time:

Full time

Pay Type:

Salary

Department:

Financial Aid-2

Job Summary:

The Financial Aid Counselor, under the direction of the Associate Director of Financial Aid, will provide financial aid counseling to prospective students, their parents, and to our current students and their parents. This includes providing timely and accurate information about the processes for applying for financial aid at Furman, the timing of our decisions, the resources available to finance the costs of education, the role of borrowing and working, and how the “financial fit” of an institution pertains to choosing to apply and enrolling at Furman. This position works within Furman’s Enrollment Management Department, a holistic “applicant-to-graduate” unit that has the strategic and operational responsibility for meeting the institution’s enrollment goals.

Job Description:

Position Responsibilities:

• Serve as a member of the financial aid counseling staff. This involves appointments with students and parents (both prospective and currently enrolled), reviewing and/or revising award packages, speaking to those calling in for information, assisting Enrollment Services “front line” personnel with financial aid-related questions, etc.

• Administer the federal loans, federal grant, and alternative loan programs including all reporting to the Department of Education. Administration of these programs includes the monthly reconciliation of funds awarded to students, reported to the federal entities, disbursed to the students’ accounts, and posted to Furman’s general ledger.

• Serve as the Federal Work Study liaison with Enrollment Services, requiring a thorough knowledge of Federal Work Study regulations and performing monthly reconciliations of Federal Work Study expenditures.

• Assume creative outreach responsibilities to currently enrolled and prospective students and their parents, when appropriate. These efforts may include social media, campus announcements, etc. All work is done via standards set by the University.

• Assist with Title IV requirements for verification of the data submitted by parents and students on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

• Read FAFSA information and analyze income tax returns, particularly those of business owners. Make appropriate adjustments to reported income based on tax information.

• Perform appropriate review of Special Financial Circumstance Forms submitted by students.

• Assist with over-award monitoring throughout the year.

• Present financial aid workshops on campus and in high schools in the Greenville-Spartanburg area, some that occur at nights and on weekends.

• Participate in state and regional financial aid professional associations as approved by the Senior Director of Financial Aid.

Perform other duties as required:

• The intent of this job classification description is to provide a representative summary of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions in this classification and shall not be construed as a declaration of the specific duties and responsibilities of any position. Employees may be requested to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically present in this description, and some of those tasks may require night and/or weekend work.

Relationships:

• Continuous contact with members of own work unit and immediate supervisor to exchange factual information and explanation of rules, regulations, practices and/or functions.
• Frequent contact with students, parents, other departments, student workers, and general public to exchange factual information and explanation of rules, regulations, practices and/or functions.

Responsibility for Final Decisions:

• Responsible for own work, and must assume responsibility for errors and corrective action(s).
• May assist or instruct others doing similar work, including student workers.
• Some tasks are well defined and repetitive, following prescribed steps, methods and/or procedures, though much work is upon own initiative and creativity.
• Errors are readily detected in the normal course of work by standard check or crosscheck.
• Work is performed independently on routine work; non-routine issues or questions are referred to and/or handled in consultation with supervisor or Executive Director of Financial Aid as well as the associate director(s) of financial aid.

Reports to/ Supervisor:

• Reports to theAssociate Director of Financial Aid

Required Education, Skills, and Training:

• Bachelor’s degree and experience in higher education administration.
• Willingness and availability to work outside of normal business hours when workload requires such.
• Ability to communicate effectively with others, including the appropriate use of grammar and mechanics.
• Ability to work as a team with inter-office and intra-office personnel to accomplish office goals and responsibilities.
• Must have excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Experience in common office software, particularly Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Experience with social networking a plus.

Work Conditions:

• Work is performed under usual office conditions.

Education Requirements:

Bachelors (Required)