Student Financial Aid Coordinator

Student Financial Aid Coordinator

The Student Financial Aid Coordinator, under the direction of an Assistant Director or above, assists in the design, development and implementation of departmental processes and / or programs. Recommends policies and procedures to ensure effective coordination of departmental programs.

Job Function :

• Provides supervisory support to the Director of Student Financial Aid in managing the Financial Aid work flow and processing of Dependency Overrides, Professional Judgments, and Satisfactory Academic Progress appeals for students as well as Financial Aid functions related to Compliance and Testing.
• Processes in-house corrections for the Federal Student Aid Report (includes monitoring problems with the correction process and communicating them to the supervisor.)
• Assists in training coworkers in various financial aid processes.
• Works independently on several matters of significance. It single-handedly is working with all our students and families who submit Federal Professional Judgment Appeals. As first contact, this position makes the initial determination as to whether the student is eligible to submit an appeal. This position determines the type of documentation required for a strong appeal packet. Documentation submitted must meet certain thresholds to keep the University in compliance with federal regulations.
• In addition, when working yield events for incoming freshmen, this position meets with students and families and will assess, on a case-by-case basis, how best to help meet educational expenses. It works with all types of aid to offer additional funding to create the most comprehensive financial aid package, including grants, scholarships, waivers, loans and work study.
• Responsible for auditing, evaluating and monitoring students' financial aid records to determine eligibility and compliance in awarding financial aid programs. Performs federal / state mandated audit of parent / student personal financial data. Evaluates students' financial aid files against supporting documents, i.e. parents and student taxable income from federal tax forms, un-taxable income, family household size, number in college, and assets of the family. Determines eligibility for awarding financial aid programs (Federal, State, and Institutional) and takes care of over-awards. Assists with the loan programs for awarding and disbursing of funds. Assists with refunds and repayment calculation and process for all Title IV programs.
• Hosts several off campus events at Duval County Public high schools as well as high schools in surrounding counties. Demonstrates a high level of professionalism in order to maintain university reputation with community stakeholders. Performs presentations and outreach such as high school visits, Open Houses, BEACON events, College Goal Sunday, Financial Aid Nights, etc.
• In managing the University's default rate, this position reviews the ever-changing landscape of student loans. On a monthly basis, it is updating our defaulter profile, providing key information to leadership so that the University is aware of trends and can proactively affect this measurement. Schools with high default rates are in danger of restrictive processes and at worst, the loss of participation in federal financial aid programs.

Departmental Requirements : Must possess excellent communication skills, both written and verbal; must be well organized; must have strong computer skills; must have strong interpersonal skills.

Supervision Exercised : This position is non-supervisory.

Supervision Received : Position is supervised by and reports to the Associate Director of Financial Aid. The incumbent develops procedures for performing a variety of complex duties within established guidelines; has considerable freedom while the work is in process and receives instructions on new assignments.

Level of Public Contact : The incumbent will have frequent contact with members of the university community regarding student Financial Aid issues, particularly other Enrollment Services offices (One Stop, Admissions, etc.) In addition, there will be frequent contact with staff from the Florida Department of Education. This position will also have occasional contact with staff from lending institutions, guarantors and loan servicers.

Monetary Responsibility : Position monitors student financial aid awards to insure accuracy of disbursement. Errors could result in liability for reimbursement to federal, state or private agencies and possible audit findings.

Policy-making and / or Interpretation : Responsible for interpreting rules and regulations governing all state and federal financial aid programs as established by audit reports, regulatory changes in the Title IV programs and Federal Registers. This position must use Financial Aid Administrator level professional judgment. These are unique situations for each student who requests a Federal Professional Judgement Appeal. We are required by US DOE to handle each situation on its own merit. This position has broad guidelines (which funds are need based vs. merit based and the total cannot exceed Cost of Attendance). However, it must use its judgment to determine the appropriate type fund and amount.