Student Financial Aid Counselor II

Prairie View A&M University; Prairie View (TX); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Prairie View A&M University is seeking a Student Financial Aid Counselor II to advise students and families on financial aid options and requirements. You will manage casework, conduct workshops, and collaborate with campus partners to align outreach with university goals.

Requirements include a Bachelor's degree and at least one year in higher education, with strong communication and customer service skills. The role emphasizes student-centric financial literacy and timely aid processing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 1 year of related experience in higher education including financial aid or admissions.
• Knowledge of financial aid counseling, eligibility rules, verification, and student records.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day counseling to students and parents about financial aid programs.
• Assist with FAFSA completion and document verification to support early aid processing.
• Coordinate outreach activities, workshops, and events for financial literacy and aid awareness.
• Collaborate with Academic Advising and Career Services to align outreach with institutional goals.
• Engage with students via appointments, walk-ins, calls, and emails to resolve questions about bills and aid.

Skills

Organizational skills

Customer service

Written communications

Verbal communications

Active listening

Interpersonal skills

Multitasking

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

BANNER software

NSLDS

COD

CPS

Awards Management/Blackbaud

Job description

Job Title: Student Financial Aid Counselor II (Agency Prairie View A&M University) Department: Student Financial Aid

Proposed Minimum Salary: Commensurate

Job Location: Prairie View, Texas

Job Type: Staff

Under general supervision and as part of the CARE team, the Financial Counselor will provide outreach, literacy, and counseling to students and parents about financial aid programs, eligibility requirements, financing options, and student account related questions. As a collaborative group, they work closely with the Executive Director and Associate Director and are responsible for the development and implementation of policies, procedures, and communication plans to ensure that Office and University wide goals are successfully met.

Responsibilities

• Provides day-to-day case management, advisement, and counseling to students and parents about financial aid programs.
• Provide holistic approach to counseling and case management for students (and parents) which includes: affordability, costs of education, financial awareness, campus resources, and payment options.
• Provides clear, accurate, and personalized support to help students and families navigate the complex financial aid application processes.
• Coordinate application follow-up activities for new students, including FAFSA completion, application document completion and verification completion with the intent to assist student with early as possible completion of their financial aid application.
• Have direct contact with students and parents on an appointment, walk-in basis, and over the phone and other communication platforms.
• Performs outreach (phone calls, e-mails, text messaging campaigns, events, etc.) to current and prospective students who need assistance navigating their bills, financial aid renewal, refunds, etc.
• Conducts events and outreach/retention programming to engage with students, and to help ensure the on-time renewal of financial aid.
• Work closely with the leaders of the other areas of the CARE team members and CARE leadership (Academic Advising and Career Services) to ensure that programming and outreach conducted is uniform, cohesive, integrated, personalized to target audiences, and aligned with institutional objectives.
• Partner with academic advisor to suggest various academic strategies to help a student meet the financial aid satisfactory academic progress requirements for the retention of aid.
• Works with leadership and colleagues to determine the needs for outreach programs, projects, activities, and in-person/virtual services and identifies and advocates for best practices that enhance students' experiences.
• Conducts Financial Aid 101 workshops, Financial Literacy trainings, High School Financial Aid Nights, and other events throughout the year.
• Facilitate a non-credit financial literacy course available to students in both a synchronous and asynchronous format.
• Collaborate with campus partners, such as the Center for Student Success and Career Services to extend the reach, impact, and network of support for students and families.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree.
• One year of related experience working in higher education including exposure to admissions and financial aid or case management in a related field.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of word processing and spreadsheet applications.
• Knowledge of financial aid counseling, verification, rules and regulations.
• Ability to multitask and work cooperatively with others.
• Ability to work individually or as a team.
• Ability to organize and make decisions.
• Knowledge of the customer service and outreach processes as they pertain to the financial aid department in a higher education environment, and of the related trends, issues, and accepted practices.
• Ability to write precise, well-organized emails and letters while using appropriate vocabulary and grammar.
• Ability to deal effectively with a wide variety of individuals and situations requiring diplomacy, friendliness, poise and firmness.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize work and meet deadlines.
• Ability to apply thorough knowledge of policies to a variety of individual situations.
• Recommends procedures to ensure compliance in a learning community.
• Ability to work cooperatively with others.
• Utilizes excellent constituent service skills with all interactions.
• Work accurately with high volume and instill similar standard with the counseling unit.
• Skill in effectively analyzing and interpreting policies, practices, and guidelines with strict attention to detail in all areas of work.
• Thorough knowledge of policies, regulations, and practices with student records services.
• Strong problem identification, critical thinking, and problem solving skills; judgment and decision-making ability.
• Ability to assess processes and implement improvements.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Active listening skills.
• Customer service orientation.
• Interpersonal skills.
• Thorough knowledge of particular Financial Aid core functions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Thorough knowledge of common University-specific computer application programs.
• Thorough knowledge of advising and counseling techniques.
• Thorough knowledge of University policies, processes, and procedures and of Federal and State laws pertaining to the privacy rights of students and access to student information.
• Thorough knowledge of BANNER software and its components.
• Thorough knowledge of third-party software (NSLDS. COD, CPS, Awards Management/Blackbaud, etc.) .

Background Check Requirements

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer

For more than 140 years, Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) has been igniting passion in its students. With an established reputation for producing engineers, nurses, and educators, PVAMU offers baccalaureate degrees, master’s degrees, and doctoral degree programs through nine colleges and schools. The University has an enrollment of more than 8,500 students. Designated an institution of “the first class” in the Texas Constitution, PVAMU is the second-oldest public institution of higher education in the state and a member of The Texas A&M University System. The University is dedicated to fulfilling its land-grant mission of achieving excellence in teaching, research, and service. PVAMU is conveniently located near the rapidly growing residential and commercial area known as the Northwest Houston Corridor. The developing Northwest Houston Corridor offers newly developed suburban communities, a variety of shopping and dining near the Houston Premium Outlets and is a short, 35-minute commute into downtown Houston.

For more information, visit www.pvamu.edu.

The following links will open in a new tab. https://youtu.be/xcPdDOR3KTE https://youtu.be/NjUKQY1hVI8 About PVAMU Human Resources Employee Benefits Office of Equal Opportunity PVAMU Newsroom PVAMU YouTube