Financial Aid Specialist - College Discovery

City University of New York; New York (NY); On-site; USD 71,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

LaGuardia Community College, part of the City University of New York, seeks a Financial Aid Specialist to process Title IV verifications and determine eligibility for the College Discovery program. Under the Financial Aid Manager, you will support day-to-day administration and ensure compliance with federal and NYS rules.

Responsibilities include verifying Title IV, tracking SAP progress, certifying and reconciling awards, generating reports, and assisting students with financial aid questions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree and four years' related experience required.
• Strong communication, interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Flexible schedule; evening hours may be required.

Responsibilities

• Process Federal Title IV verifications and College Discovery program.
• Track and update SAP standards for federal/state aid.
• Identify data issues in packaging, and resolve discrepancies in aid processing.
• Certify and reconcile federal and state awards.
• Determine eligibility for College Discovery, CUNY Reconnect, NYSOP.
• Respond to student concerns and provide assistance.
• Generate management reports and maintain databases as needed.
• Perform ongoing quality control to ensure policy compliance.

Skills

Excellent communication

Organizational skills

Team collaboration

Evening hours flexibility

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

CUNYFirst/PeopleSoft

Microsoft Office

Job description

Financial Aid Specialist - College Discovery

POSITION DETAILS

Founded in 1971 in Long Island City, Queens , LaGuardia Community College is one of seven community colleges of the City University of New York (CUNY). LaGuardia offers more than sixty associate degree programs and more than fifty workforce training, ESOL, GED, and pre-college programs. In 2023, LaGuardia served approximately 24,000 students. More than one-third of LaGuardia’s degree-seeking students are born outside the United States; they come from 136 countries and speak 43 heritage languages. Sixty percent are first-generation college students.

Virtually all LaGuardia students are ethnic minorities (89 percent), 58 percent are women, 27 percent are over the age of 25. Forty-six percent of associate degree students are Hispanic. Upon graduation most students transfer to four-year colleges, typically in CUNY, to complete their baccalaureate degrees. Graduates of career programs such as Nursing, Computer Technology, and Veterinary Technology enter the workforce. LaGuardia ranked fifth among U.S. community colleges in economic mobility – moving low-income students into the middle class and beyond – in studies by Stanford University (2017) and the Brookings Institution (2020).Please visit www.laguardia.edu to learn more.

Under the directions from the Financial Aid Manager, the Financial Aid Specialist will be responsible for processing Title IV verifications and determining students’ eligibility for the College Discovery program; keep abreast of Federal and New York State (NYS) financial aid regulations, policies, and procedures, and assist in the day-to-day administrative tasks for the programs.

The Financial Aid Specialist will, in addition to the CUNY Title Overview, perform the following responsibilities:

• Perform functions required for the compliance and administration of Federal Title IV Verification, and the College Discovery program;
• Assist in tracking, and updating students Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards for federal and state aid;
• Identify and analyze data and take appropriate action to resolve issues in the packaging processing and administering of Federal and NYS grants;
• Assist in the certification and reconciliation of federal, and state awards;
• Assist with determining eligibility for special programs e.g., College Discovery, CUNY Reconnect, New York State Opportunity Program (NYSOP);
• Assist with the resolution of student’s concerns;
• Notify students of missing information or documentation related to verification;
• Provide various management reports;
• Conduct internal quality control reviews and assessments to review compliance with state, and university policies and procedures and update appropriate databases as needed;
• Represent the department on and off- campus as requested andperform other job-related duties as assigned;

QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor's Degree and four years' related experience required.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience working in higher education.
• Experience with CUNYFirst system or PeopleSoft, including running queries.
• Knowledge of federal and state financial aid programs and regulations.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Schedule must remain flexible during peak periods. Evening hours required.

CUNY TITLE OVERVIEW

Administers and supervises financial aid programs and operations.

• Reviews contracts, disbursements, tuition and fees; validates student eligibility for various programs
• Administers, monitors and troubleshoots CUNY financial aid systems as well as Federal and NY State systems in order to ensure integrity of student databases and timely and accurate delivery of funds
• Assists CUNY staff, applicants, and students/families with advice on financial aid issues and eligibility
• May review and reconcile student payroll processing
• Represents the Financial Aid function at Admissions events; works with academic departments as well as Bursar, Registrar, Admissions and Computing offices to assure staff understand and implement financial aid processes correctly
• Assists in the development and evaluation of Admissions processes
• Prepares documentation, instructions, and materials in various media to support financial aid activities
• Performs related duties as assigned.

Job Title Name: Financial Aid Specialist

CUNY TITLE

Higher Education Assistant

FLSA

Exempt

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

$70,815 - $94,909

Salary commensurate with education and experience.

CUNY's benefits contribute significantly to total compensation, supporting health and wellness, financial well-being, and professional development. We offer a range of health plans, competitive retirement/pension benefits and savings plans, tuition waivers for CUNY graduate study and generous paid time off. Our staff also benefits from the extensive academic, arts, and athletic programs on our campuses and the opportunity to participate in a lively, diverse academic community in one of the greatest cities in the world.

CLOSING DATE

Open until filled. Resume review will begin after September 21st.

JOB SEARCH CATEGORY

CUNY Job Posting: Managerial/Professional

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

CUNY encourages people with disabilities, minorities, veterans and women to apply.

At CUNY, Italian Americans are also included among our protected groups.

Applicants and employees will not be discriminated against on the basis of any legally protected category, including sexual orientation or gender identity.

EEO/AA/Vet/Disability Employer.

Job ID: 32704

Location: LaGuardia Community College

Job Type: Full-Time