Financial Aid Specialist I
Southern New Hampshire University is a team of innovators dedicated to transforming lives through education. The Financial Aid Specialist I will manage the financial aid life cycle, ensuring accurate processing of loans, grants, and scholarships while adhering to regulations and compliance requirements.
Responsibilities
- Complete understanding of the financial aid cycle, regulations and compliance aspects, and processes fluently. Reviews files for eligibility of federal and private loans institutional, state and federal grants and institutional 3rd party scholarships to be recalculated and disbursed to students or returned to lender efficiently and accurately
- Evaluate unusual/mitigating circumstance documentation/information and exercise judgment by making adjustments or revisions to award(s)
- Responsible but not limited to performing Return to Title IV Funds calculations (all populations), Return to Lender calculations and Tuition Assistance Calculations
- Responsible but not limited to performing Pell Recalculation, Originating/Certifying Loans, Disbursements and Reconciliations
- Generate and analyze system-generated data such as grades and enrollment status or award status to verify continued compliance and eligibility of students receiving aid under federal, state and institutional guidelines; notify students of changes in eligibility of awards and alternatives to amend the situation
- Troubleshoot processing problems and technical issues with regard to the COD system and Banner software. Apply corrective action. Consult with the appropriate resources when necessary such as processing support teams
- Identify missing, incomplete, or incorrect student information and resolve through communication. Apply corrective action
- Serve an important role in the Business Process Redesign and process improvement initiatives to build efficiencies and automation of processes within Student Financial Services. Leverage the full potential of the COD system, NSLDS information, University Reports (Argos & PowerBi), Perceptive Content, UNIFY and Banner functionality
- Responsible for electronic communication with the DOE Title IV Wide Area Network, including download and upload of applications, corrections, NSLDS and PELL grant data in and out of both the DOE and the Ellucian systems
- Interpret ISIR import data and research items as necessary to resolve conflict
- Process all Federal loans, and all of the eligibility requirements, reconciliation of award budget dollars, all calculations, consideration to regulations and compliance factors, and institutional policies and procedures
- Attendance, punctuality, and reliability are essential functions of this role
- The manager may assign other duties, responsibilities or activities at any time
Skills
- Complete understanding of the financial aid cycle, regulations and compliance aspects, and processes fluently
- Reviews files for eligibility of federal and private loans institutional, state and federal grants and institutional 3rd party scholarships to be recalculated and disbursed to students or returned to lender efficiently and accurately
- Evaluate unusual/mitigating circumstance documentation/information and exercise judgment by making adjustments or revisions to award(s)
- Responsible but not limited to performing Return to Title IV Funds calculations (all populations), Return to Lender calculations and Tuition Assistance Calculations
- Responsible but not limited to performing Pell Recalculation, Originating/Certifying Loans, Disbursements and Reconciliations
- Generate and analyze system-generated data such as grades and enrollment status or award status to verify continued compliance and eligibility of students receiving aid under federal, state and institutional guidelines; notify students of changes in eligibility of awards and alternatives to amend the situation
- Troubleshoot processing problems and technical issues with regard to the COD system and Banner software
- Identify missing, incomplete, or incorrect student information and resolve through communication
- Serve an important role in the Business Process Redesign and process improvement initiatives to build efficiencies and automation of processes within Student Financial Services
- Responsible for electronic communication with the DOE Title IV Wide Area Network, including download and upload of applications, corrections, NSLDS and PELL grant data in and out of both the DOE and the Ellucian systems
- Interpret ISIR import data and research items as necessary to resolve conflict
- Process all Federal loans, and all of the eligibility requirements, reconciliation of award budget dollars, all calculations, consideration to regulations and compliance factors, and institutional policies and procedures
- Attendance, punctuality, and reliability are essential functions of this role
- Bachelor's degree preferred plus 1+ years of experience in a processing or financial aid environment or equivalent education and experience
- Exposure to integrated computer systems with complex multi-level structures and software
- Must be proficient in Microsoft Office with Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Visio
- Strong oral and written skills
- Must demonstrate strong attention to detail
- Solid comprehension of mathematical concepts and equations
- Employment is dependent upon successful access to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), which requires all federal loans to be in good standing and not in default; and a credit check to review that student loans are not in default
Benefits
- High-quality, low-deductible medical insurance
- Low to no-cost dental and vision plans
- 5 weeks of paid time off (plus almost a dozen paid holidays)
- Employer-funded retirement
- Free tuition program
- Parental leave
- Mental health and wellbeing resources
Company Overview