The Office of Financial Aid is seeking a Financial Aid Counselor I to join our team! The Financial Aid Counselor performs need assessments for students requesting financial aid. Provides counseling and assistance in matters pertaining to financial aid packaging. Conducts need analysis to determine student financial aid packaging options based on individual case circumstances. Reviews student applications for consistency and completeness, verifies accuracy of student and family reported information, and certifies applications. Maintains accurate and thorough file documentation.

Provides interpretation of financial aid policies and assists in problem-solving. The selected candidate will be expected to maintain currency on financial aid packages, state and federal regulations related to financial aid, and University policies and procedures.

The Office of Financial Aid is organized into several units. As part of their training, new financial aid counselors rotate through each unit during their first 18 months. Upon completion of the training, they should be able to perform the following tasks for each unit:

· Document Processing

o Determine when documents were submitted to the Financial Aid Office (FAO)

o Understand how documents are received and processed

· Need Analysis and Verification

o Understand information provided on FAFSA, CSS PROFILE federal income tax returns and W2s, and USC forms

o Become proficient at processing both Tier 1 and Tier 2 files

o Review Special Circumstances letters/information presented by families

o Process Tier 1 Budget, Late, Housing and Computer appeals

· Aid Coordination

o Analyze the cost of attendance and budget for a student

o Differentiate between types of aid used to create a financial aid package

o Add awards to a student’s package as directed by a manager

· Loans

o Identify the different loan programs on SIS

o Originate Stafford and PLUS loans

o Troubleshoot issues regarding disbursement of loan funds

o Assist with SAP or R2T4 as directed by a manager

· Outreach

o Participate on phone contact shifts

o Attend FAO events as needed (both on and off campus)

· Compliance and Training

o Use the FSA Handbook, Dear Colleague Letters, NASFAA resources, etc. to research federal regulations

o Identify student and program eligibility issues

o Assist with audits and self-assessments as needed

o Draft policies and procedures for the Knowledgebase

During the training period, Financial Aid Counselors will have a supervisor of record, but will be trained and supervised by multiple managers as they rotate through their assigned units. After the training period, counselors will be placed with a unit to gain specialized knowledge in that unit with the understanding that they may be called upon for short-term tasks for other units during busy seasons.

Please submit a cover letter and resume as part of your application.

The hourly rate range for this position is $24.98 - $27.15. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

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