Financial Aid Advisor

Position: Financial Aid Advisor I
* Occasional travel
* May be asked to work weekends, holidays, and outside regular business hours during peak periods
* Must comply with Texas A&M System Policy 07.02 Texas Higher Education Fair Lending Practices
* Must be in good standing on all Federal Student Loans. The U.S. Dept. of Education will not grant access to student loan data for any individual who is in default status. Access to such information is a necessity for this position. Must be able to rectify default status within three months of employment. Good standing must be maintained for continued employment.
* Under close supervision, learns to use discretion and independent judgment to advise and counsel students and their families on financial aid and scholarships
* Assists with reviews of student files and adjusts as needed
* Learns the student financial aid/scholarship process and shadows team members
* Award, revise and/or approve the disbursement of financial aid through the specific controls of program policy and guidelines
* Communicate with students and their families via multiple methods (i.e. email, in-person, phone, etc.)
* Review application data against additional data received and resolve discrepancies or adjust data in Banner/Compass as appropriate
* Collaborate with on campus representatives regarding students’ financial aid concerns
* Learns, interprets, and maintains knowledge of current federal, state, and institutional policies, procedures, and regulations pertaining to financial aid
* Learns how staff interact with students and help transition students from prospective to currently enrolled students
* Ensure processing activities adhere to established policies and procedures while using critical thinking skills
* Participates in and assists in the planning and execution of events for departmental initiatives (e.g. financial aid awareness programs, Aggieland Saturday, New Student Conferences)
* Learns how to respond to various questions that may require researching and consolidating data regarding financial aid and scholarships
* Attends local, state, and national workshops, and conferences
* May assist with presentations
* Learns to certify Veteran Affairs (VA) education benefit requests, reviewing submitted VA documentation for completion and notifying students if there are discrepancies, missing information, or incomplete documentation.
* Learns to track missing/incomplete student uploaded documentation in Banner/Compass.
* Learns to update team status report figures/dates.
* Learns to process and send VA debt letters received to Student Business Services (SBS) for repayment.
* Learns to review and process completed Primary Institution Letters (PILs) uploaded by students.
* Learns to reconcile VA payments with tuition and fees contracts.
* Learns to use discretion to respond to various questions related to federal military education benefits.
* Learns to work with the team and supervisor to resolve discrepancies or other problems.
* Learns to process eligible Hazelwood Exemption requests, reviewing submitted Hazelwood documentation for completion and notifying students if there are discrepancies, missing information, or incomplete documentation.
* Learns to assist in reporting Hazelwood exemptions to the Texas Veterans Commission.
* Learns to use discretion to respond to various questions related to state military education benefits.
* Learns to assist Aggie One Stop staff with student questions.
* Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
* No experience required.
* Ability to meet deadlines and maintain a high level of accuracy, professionalism, and customer service.
* Working knowledge of Microsoft Office software.
* Ability to work individually or as a team in a dynamic organization.
* Good interpersonal communication skills.
* Must be literate in the English language and able to comprehend, give and follow both written and verbal instructions.
* Ability to organize and make decisions.
* Ability to work well under pressure.
* Ability to use tact, diplomacy, and judgment in dealing with all customers.

We are a prestigious university with strong traditions, Core Values, and a community of caring and…