Graduate Admissions & Financial Aid Lead

Boston College; Massachusetts; Hybrid; USD 74,000 - 93,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tuition remission

Medical, Dental, Vision

Life Insurance

Retirement plans

Paid holidays

Sick & vacation

Job summary

Boston College seeks an Associate Director of Graduate Admissions & Financial Aid to lead the Graduate Enrollment Office's staff and oversee the applicant experience. The role combines admissions leadership with financial aid oversight, budgeting, and strategic recruitment and yield events.

You will supervise staff, guide prospective students, and collaborate with academic departments and campus partners to deliver integrated services and reliable funding options.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required.
• Master’s degree or advanced coursework in business, higher education management preferred.
• Three to five years of admissions and/or marketing experience in higher education.
• Strong organizational, prioritization and project management skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, interpersonal, and customer service skills.
• Ability to identify and enhance diversity in recruitment.
• Energetic and motivated to meet and exceed goals.
• Proficiency with MS Office and familiarity with Slate preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provides leadership and management of the prospective student and applicant experience, including supervision of the Admissions Specialist and Graduate Assistants.
• Manages the office’s day-to-day operations, ensuring timely follow-up communications.
• Guides staff on handling applicant queries throughout the application cycle.
• Makes routine decisions and escalates complex cases to the Assistant Dean.
• Conducts counseling sessions with prospective students and applicants on programs and funding.
• Ensures accurate financial aid information is reflected on webpages and communications.
• Collaborates with Academic Departments and campus partners to deliver integrated services.
• Tracks budget, analyzes metrics, and reports on financial aid activity.
• Allocates the Lynch School’s tuition remission budget with the Assistant Dean and works with the Dean’s Office on doctoral assistantships.
• Manages and allocates financial aid awards in the student system and coordinates with University Student Services.

Skills

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Teamwork

Customer service

Learning ability

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Master’s degree or advanced coursework in higher education management

Tools

MS Office

Slate

CRM systems

Social networking tools

Job description

Boston College Introduction

Founded in 1863, Boston College is a Jesuit, Catholic university located six miles from downtown Boston with an enrollment of 9,654 full-time undergraduates and 5,072 graduate and professional students. Ranked 37 among national universities, Boston College has 923 full-time and 1,336 FTE faculty, 2,822 non-faculty employees, an operating budget of $1.4 billion, and an endowment in excess of $3.9 billion.

Job Description

Associate Director, Graduate Admissions & Financial Aid

As a critical member of the Graduate Admission and Financial Aid team at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, the Associate Director will serve in a cross functional role to support the mission of the Graduate Enrollment Office. In its first primary function, the Associate Director will provide leadership and management to the office staff in order to promote a smooth and positive applicant experience. The Associate Director supervises staff and oversees the day-to-day office operations. The Associate Director will be an expert in the Lynch School graduate programs and the admissions process in order to provide quality guidance to prospective students and to the front-line staff. In its second primary function, the role will support strategic enrollment efforts through the administration and management of financial aid and scholarship programs, including managing budgets and advising prospective and current students on financial packages and options. In addition, the Associate Director will be a key contributor to recruitment and yield events, serving as lead on some events and presenting at others.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provides leadership and management of the prospective student and applicant experience, including supervision of the Admissions Specialist and Graduate Assistants.
• Manages the office’s day-to-day operations, ensuring all inquiries receive timely and accurate follow-up communications.
• Provides guidance to staff on how to handle various applicant queries throughout the application cycle.
• Makes judgment calls on routine applicant issues and escalates complex cases to the Assistant Dean.
• Conducts one on one counseling sessions with prospective students, applicants and current students, advising on program details and funding opportunities.
• Ensures that the webpage and office communications share accurate and helpful financial aid and funding information.
• Works collaboratively with campus stakeholders including Academic Departments, Associate Deans, and Student Services to ensure students receive high quality, integrated services.
• Analyzes business processes and makes recommendations to improve efficiency of processes related to admissions and financial aid. Tracks budget and metrics and provides data and reporting/analysis related to financial aid.
• Makes decisions on the allocation of the Lynch School’s tuition remission budget, in conjunction with the Assistant Dean.Collaborates with the Dean’s Office and departments on doctoral student assistantship appointments, stipend payments, and tuition remission.
• Tracks, enters, and approves financial aid awards in the student system. Liaises with University Student Services on financial aid and billing matters.
• Serves as lead on a portfolio of virtual and in-person recruitment and yield events, and participates as a key contributor on others.

Full-Time Equivalent Hiring Range: $74,450 to $93,050; salary commensurate with relevant experience.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required. Master’s degree or advanced coursework in business, higher education management preferred.
• A minimum of three to five years of professional level admissions and/or marketing experience within higher education required.
• Strong organizational, prioritization and project management skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, interpersonal, and customer service skills.
• Skill in locating and reaching out to potential candidates and in increasing the diversity of the School.
• Enthusiasm for the mission of the Lynch School of Education and Human Development and excitement about the opportunity to promote the Lynch School to wider publics.
• Highly energetic and enthusiastic with the motivation to meet and exceed goals.
• Strong computer skills including MS Office and a thorough knowledge of social networking sites. Willingness and ability to learn new software programs and technologies quickly. Working knowledge of Slate preferred.
• Cooperative team player who works well independently and with others in a team-oriented, fast-paced environment.

Closing Statement

Boston College offers a broad and competitive range of benefits depending on your job classification eligibility:

• Tuition remission for Employees
• Tuition remission for Spouses and Children who meet eligibility requirements
• Generous Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Low-Cost Life Insurance
• Eligibility for both University-Funded 401k and Employer-Sponsored403bRetirement Plans
• Paid Holidays Annually
• Generous Sickand Vacation Pay
• Additional benefits can be found onhttps://www.bc.edu/employeehandbook

Boston College conducts pre-employment background checks as part of the hiring process.

Boston College is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any legally protected category, including disability and protected veteran status. Boston College's Notice of Nondiscrimination can be viewed athttps://www.bc.edu/nondiscrimination.