Scholarships & Financial Aid Advisor I

Job Title

Scholarships & Financial Aid Advisor I

Agency

Texas A&M University

Department

Scholarships And Financial Aid

Proposed Minimum Salary

$17.31 hourly

Job Location

College Station, Texas

Job Type

Staff

Job Description

Our Commitment

Texas A&M University is committed to enriching the learning and working environment for all visitors, students, faculty, and staff by promoting a culture that embraces inclusion, diversity, equity, and accountability.  Diverse perspectives, talents and identities are vital to accomplishing our mission and living our core values .

Who we are  

The mission of Scholarships & Financial Aid is to provide students and their families with information and financial resources to attend Texas A&M University, along with support programs that promote higher education and developmental opportunities. We administer scholarships and financial aid, which include the following programs:  grants, student loans, student employment, veteran educational benefits, athletic aid coordination, short-term loans, and emergency tuition and fee loans. In addition our office provides advising on the programs listed above. Our office also assists students in gaining financial literacy knowledge through our Money Education Center. Our office is responsible for processing student aid and veteran educational benefits for College Station, Galveston, all Health Science Center sites and Qatar which totaled approximately $836 million in financial aid assistance for the prior academic year.

The Academic Affairs Recruiting Office assisted with the creation and posting of this job requisition for Scholarships & Financial Aid.

What we want

Scholarships & Financial Aid is seeking a Financial Aid Advisor I, to be responsible for Satisfactory Academic Progress, reconciling scholarship accounts, and over-site of the retention email box. This position will also manage the travel and awards process and provide assistance on the business side of scholarships. We are looking for a detail-oriented individual who is passionate about providing excellent customer service while assisting students and families with their financial needs. Our selected candidate will subscribe to and support our commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability as stated above. If this description appeals to you, we invite you to apply to be considered for this opportunity.

What you need to know

Proposed minimum salary: $17.31 hourly

Cover Letter & Resume: A cover letter and resume are strongly recommended.

COVID-19 information :   Texas A&M University monitors local, state and federally mandated health guidelines to keep students, employees, prospective employees, and visitors as safe as possible. For the latest information regarding Texas A&M’s COVID-19 response, please visit the University’s COVID-19 website . For COVID-19 employment-related information, please visit the Division of Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness’ COVID-19 website .

Required Education:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to meet deadlines and maintain a high level of accuracy, professionalism and a customer service orientation.
• Working knowledge of word processing and spreadsheet programs.
• 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 relate well with a diverse student population.
• Ability to multi-task and work cooperatively with others.

Other Important Requirements / Factors

• Some evening and weekend work may be required.
• 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.

Preferred Experience:

• Some experience in planning, organizing, or in higher education.

Responsibilities:

• Scholarship & Financial Aid Advising - Greets students and parents promptly and warmly in person, by phone, or email. Informs students and parents of options for funding an education. Guides students through the application for and processing of financial aid.  Learns to explain terms and conditions of financial aid awards clearly and thoroughly. This may include satisfactory academic progress (SAP) appeals, and loan and indebtedness counseling. Maximizes federal, state, and institutional financial aid options using discretion and independent judgment. Learns to advise on campus resources available to students for both financial aid and nonfinancial aid issues. Provides information on outside funding resources. Serves each student according to individual needs. Serves as secondary for the Scholarships main email.

• Donor Relations - Learns to reviews/processes disbursement validation/minimum enrollment reports on private scholarships. Assists with the  OMEGA process for processing checks.

• Awards - Learns to process Over Awards thru OMEGA and submits General Motors annual report. Assists with conducting on and off campus presentations, seminars, and/or workshops for students and professional development training. Assists in planning and executing of special events, and preparing direct support and materials for University Scholarship Committee activities. Serves as the backup for the OGAPs office to determine who is to be awarded and who to cancel off on a daily basis.

• Accounting & Reconciliation - Learns to monitor the Foundation and the Association of Former Student account balances on a monthly basis. Learns to prepare and request Transfer of Funds reports and reconciliation.

• Vouchers - Assists with processing and returning funds to donors due to student ineligibility for scholarship or non-enrollment at Texas A&M University CS. Assists with preparing vouchers and transferring funds to Texas A&M University Galveston.

• Outside Scholarship and Rules/Regulations - Learns to coordinate with PHEAA, Vermont Higher Education, and Maryland Higher Education to post awards. Learns to interpret and maintain knowledge of current federal, state, and institutional policies, procedures, and regulations pertaining to financial aid, student employment, and scholarships. Assists with the review, revision, and interpretation of complex rules, regulations, procedures, and policies. Performs other duties as assigned.

Instructions to Applicants: Applications received by Texas A&M University must either have all job application data entered or a resume attached. Failure to provide all job application data or a complete resume could result in an invalid submission and a rejected application. We encourage all applicants to upload a resume or use a LinkedIn profile to pre-populate the online application.

In accordance with the federal contractor vaccination mandate , specific facilities at The Texas A&M System may be considered a covered contractor workplace with covered contractor employees. Therefore, successful applicants for this position may be subject to the federal mandate to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment unless an approved medical or religious accommodation is in place.

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/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer committed to diversity.