Financial Aid Counselor
University of South Carolina
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
University of South Carolina Upstate is hiring a Financial Aid Counselor to manage Direct Federal Loans, loan processing, and counseling for students, parents and staff in Spartanburg, SC. The role handles verification, ED compliance, and NSLDS setup within a supportive team environment.
The candidate should have a bachelor’s degree plus 1+ year of related experience; a Master’s degree is preferred. Strong software knowledge of FA systems and student records is expected; background checks may
Qualifications
- Requires a bachelor's degree in a job related field and 1 or more years of job related experience.
- Preferred Qualifications: Master's degree preferred.
- Familiarity with financial aid software and student information systems is a plus.
Responsibilities
- Representing the Financial Aid office at high school and college recruiting events on campus and some travel to events in the Upstate area.
- Counsels all students prospective and current as well as parents, faculty and staff.
- Monitors loan approvals, rejects, and denials. Responsible for adjustments to loans and other sources of aid. Awards loans both Direct and Private loans and ensures proper integrity of the Financial Aid (FA) system.
- Review and process all loan applications including loan certification.
- Responsible for completing aggregate loan calculations, reviewing daily loan reports, and serve as liaison regarding private loan issues.
- Review student files for SC Teacher Loan Program. Monitors and awards SC Teacher Loan working with SC Student Loan Corporation to ensure awards are correct; and awards are correctly added to the Financial Aid System.
- Responsible for set up of all students within NSLDS system to ensure the transfer, monitor, and alert system is compliant with the ED.
- Other duties as assigned by supervisor.
Education
Job description
Location: USC Upstate, Spartanburg, SC
- Health and Life Insurance
- Retirement Programs
- Paid Tuition Program
- Dependent Scholarships
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Annual Leave
- Sick Leave
- 13 Paid Holidays (including an extended December holiday)
- Paid Parental Leave
- Professional Development Opportunities
Job family: Student Administrative Services
Job function: Financial Aid
Job Level: P1 - Professional
Business Title (Internal Title): Financial Aid Counselor
Campus: Upstate
Work County: Spartanburg
College/Division: USC Upstate College/Division Level
Department: UPS Financial Aid
State Pay Range: G06
USC Market Range: MRC - $41,073 $50,315 $59,556
Anticipated Hiring Range: $41,073 - $44,815; Salary commensurate with education and experience.
Location of Vacancy: USC Upstate, Spartanburg, SC
Part/Full Time: Full Time
Hours per Week: 37.5
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 8:30am - 5pm; Some evenings and weekends as needed are required.
Basis: 12 months
Job Search Category: Fiscal Accounting
Financial Aid Counselor
University of South Carolina Upstate
STA00776PO26
SPARTANBURG, SC
Responsible for the daily operation of Direct Federal Loans (Direct, PLUS, and Perkins) via the Department of Education (ED) website, the SC Teacher Loan Programs and private loan programs on all lender platforms and monitor via the Electronic Loan Management (ELM) and (COD) Common Origination and Disbursement systems. Performs FA counseling to prospects, parents, students, faculty and staff. Performs file review, required follow up and verification of data as required by the ED. Responsible for the oversight of student processing within NSLDS. Awards SC Teaching Fellows.
Requires a bachelor's degree in a job related field and 1 or more years of job related experience, which may be substituted by an equivalent combination of job related certification, training, education, and/or experience.
Preferred Qualifications: Master's degree preferred. Prefer financial aid experience and familiarity with financial aid related software systems and aid modules. Prefer experience with student integrated systems, FA system, and various personal computer software.
Must be prepared to integrate new processing system and software. Must show ability to manage multiple responsibilities with minimal error. Show strong ability to troubleshoot problems and make sound decisions. Harmonious working relationship with colleagues, all students, and families a must. Ability to process and monitor $35+million in educational loans. Ability to ensure that all midyear students who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are correctly coded as FA recipients in accordance with institutional policy. Possess the ability to make sound independent judgments with a highly regulated field. A successful background check is required.
- Representing the Financial Aid office at high school and college recruiting events on campus and some travel to events in the Upstate area.
- Counsels all students prospective and current as well as parents, faculty and staff.
- Monitors loan approvals, rejects, and denials. Responsible for adjustments to loans and other sources of aid. Awards loans both Direct and Private loans and ensures proper integrity of the Financial Aid (FA) system. Responsible for the setup and processing of all loan funds for all lender platforms and monitor via the ELM and COD systems which will ensure the integrity for certification, reallocation, and receipt of funds.
- Review and process all loan applications including loan certification.
- Responsible for completing aggregate loan calculations, reviewing daily loan reports, and serve as liaison regarding private loan issues.
- Review student files for SC Teacher Loan Program. Monitors and awards SC Teacher Loan working with SC Student Loan Corporation to ensure awards are correct; and awards are correctly added to the Financial Aid System.
- Responsible for set up of all students within the NSLDS system to ensure the transfer, monitor, and alert system is compliant with the ED.
- Other duties as assigned by supervisor.
Employees in Safety-Sensitive or Security-Sensitive positions will be subject to pre-employment and post-employment drug testing in accordance with University policy HR 1.95 Drug and Alcohol Testing.
Safety Sensitive or Security Sensitive: No
Hazardous weather category: Non-Essential
Number of Vacancies: 1
Desired Start Date: 11/01/2026
Job Open Date: 10/14/2026
Open Until Filled: Yes
The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, military status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law.
* This University of South Carolina Upstate position is located in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Do you wish to continue applying for this position?
- Yes
- No
* Are you willing and able to submit to a pre-employment background check that may include, but it is not limited to, criminal history, national sex offender search and motor vehicle history as a condition of hire?
- Yes
- No
* Do you have a bachelor's degree in a job related field and 1 or more years of job related experience, which may be substituted by an equivalent combination of job related certification, training, education, and/or experience?
- Yes
- No
* The salary range for this position is $41,073 - $44,815 based on education and experience. Is this salary range acceptable to you?
- Yes
- No
Required Documents
- Cover Letter
- Resume
Optional Documents
- Other Supporting Documents
- List of References and Contact Information
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