This position serves as the primary financial aid coordinator for designated professional schools, colleges and Graduate students from across the University. This position serves as the principal contact for questions related to the financial aid records of professional students that come from students, departmental staff, and One Stop Student Services. This position provides expertise in aid awarding, aid adjustments, and borrower-based loan awarding. This position involves considerable student counseling and support via email, phone calls, one-one appointments, orientations, and outreach.

Academic Support Resources supports hybrid and flexible working arrangements. Work arrangements are determined in coordination with supervisors depending on the nature of the unit and position. The arrangement for this position will be determined upon hire between employee and supervisor.

For further information about flexible work arrangements, please visit this link: https://hr.umn.edu/Employees/Current-Employees/Work-Flexibility/Overview-Work-Flexibility

*This is a 2-year temporary position.*

Essential Job Functions

Financial Aid Counselor for Professional Programs and Graduate Students (80%)

• Review records for students in professional programs and graduate students: adjust budgets and aid for federal, state, University, and private aid programs.
• Advise professional program staff and graduate program staff on current federal, state, and University financial aid policies.
• Work with various administrative staff for the professional programs and graduate student staff to coordinate the awarding of scholarships, grants, Health Professions Loan, tuition waivers, and other awards.
• Serve as a principal contact for One Stop Student Services and Office of Student Finance staff for questions related to professional and graduate programs and financial aid.
• Serve as the principal contact for students in designated programs in relation to financial aid.
• Provide research and respond to elevated and complicated student situations.
• Respond to financial aid inquiries related to students in these programs via phone, email, in-person appointments, and outreach.
• Provide financial aid outreach for current and prospective professional program and graduate students
• Provide orientation sessions for new students as needed in graduate and professional programs.
• Provide assistance to evaluate and process institutional emergency grants for all professional and graduate students.
• Responsible for staying informed of changing program requirements from designated professional and graduate programs, and facilitating appropriate changes in aid processing.
• Award and adjust federal, state, University, and private aid awards in accordance with federal, state, and University policies.
• Provide financial aid counseling to graduate and professional students in all careers. This includes: in-person appointments, orientations, emails (SalesForce and personal), phone calls, and outreach for designated professional program(s).
• Process daily financial aid queries for the Graduate and Professional Unit within the Office of Student Finance. Understand and apply all guidelines, policies, and regulations in making appropriate adjustments to studentsâ™ records. Queries may include: budget queries, manual packaging queries, Satisfactory Academic Progress queries, NEDEU, tuition benefits, non-resident tuition waivers, Regents Scholarships, Student Financial Transactions, and payroll fellowships.
• Apply professional judgment and processes financial aid appeals, which include: Cost of Attendance appeals, Professional Educational Development appeals, Satisfactory Academic Progress appeals.
• Process study abroad cost estimate forms for graduate and professional students.

Graduate and Professional Financial Aid Report Processing (20%)

• Process private loan applications from students in graduate/professional careers.
• Collaborate with Financial Aid-IT to develop new queries or tweak existing queries, as necessary.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• BA/BS degree plus at least four years of relevant experience, or Master's degree plus at least two years of relevant experience.
• Orientation to detail and the ability to handle high volume processing while adapting to changing priorities.
• Must have effective communication, customer service, and time management skills.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft suite (Excel and Word), and Google Suite.

Preferred Qualifications (Core Competencies)

• Knowledge of University, state, and federal financial aid regulations and familiarity with University of Minnesota policies and procedures.
• Understanding of and experience with PeopleSoft Student Financial processing, Salesforce, and the Federal Needs Analysis formula.
• Experience working in a higher education setting.
• Masterâ™s degree and additional years of experience preferred.

About University of Minnesota Twin Cities

The University of Minnesota, founded in the belief that all people are enriched by understanding, is dedicated to the advancement of learning and the search for truth; to the sharing of this knowledge through education for a diverse community; and to the application of this knowledge to benefit the people of the state, the nation, and the world.

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