Financial Aid Program Coord

Position Overview

The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships reports to the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management which includes the following functional units: Undergraduate Admissions, Graduate Admissions, International Admissions, Enrollment Marketing & Communications, Enrollment Management Services, Financial Aid and Scholarships, Student Lifecycle Technology, and the Office of the University Registrar.

The University of Kansas Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships (FAS) serves students, families, and the community by providing federal, state, and institutional financial aid information and resources to assist students in achieving their educational goals. FAS is committed to providing quality financial aid services to its constituents while maintaining accountability in the administration of public, institutional, and private financial aid funds. Services are designed to support the educational goals of the individual student and the goals of the university as they relate to retention and graduation.

This position is responsible for the administration of Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards and the management of areas that ensure compliance with Title IV aid eligibility regulations. This position requires strong interpersonal skills, proficiency with various technologies, strong public communication and writing skills, attention to detail, the ability to work with a wide range of student populations, as well as an aptitude for administering financial aid programs to ensure compliance with all Federal Title IV regulations. The staff member in this position must effectively administer financial aid and scholarship programs in support of our mission to ensure access and support progression and performance of our students.

Job Description

40% Administers Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Requirements:

• Prepares and presents appeals to the internal and external SAP committees.
• Reviews and communicates appeal decisions to students, including requirements before a student is packaged, using discretion and professional judgment.
• Coordinates the end of term and weekly SAP review processes, including the review of all reports and communications to students.
• Involves extensive knowledge of the SAP module and on-going interaction with Student Lifecycle Technology staff to develop additional reports as the university expands the academic curriculum.
• Responsible for preparing the Ellucian system for appeal processing each semester. Interacts with staff and external partners to implement improvements to the SAP appeal process in the system as needed.
• Packages aid for students with appeal approvals.
• Oversees SAP related duties performed by the SAP Team and coordinates workload. Provides training and timely feedback surrounding performance and timely service delivery for constituents.
• Primary liaison with academic and student service units to ensure a comprehensive and student-centric approach to the recruitment, retention and persistence of students as they navigate financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress standards and appeal processes.
  
  
  

40% Administers Financial Aid Packaging Tasks & Cost of Attendance:

• Conceptualizes, creates, reviews, and updates policies and procedures to effectively meet the goals and requirements of the programs, ensuring transactional activities are student friendly and compliant with federal regulations.
• Develops, seeks approval and implements the policy and procedure for calculating the Cost of Attendance figures each academic year. May involve conducting surveys.
• Ability to access secure data in the Federal Student Aid Application Systems (requires a valid social security number and applicants cannot be in default on a federal student loan).
• Adjusts budgets and determines financial aid eligibility for non-degree seeking, dissertation, Study Abroad, licensure, and other groups who need budgets adjusted.
• Reviews repeated coursework and determines how it affects financial aid eligibility.
• Coordinates financial aid overawards, ensuring compliance with federal regulations. Determines when repayment of aid is required.
• Performs various reconciliation and quality assurance tasks, focusing on data integrity and accuracy. Runs queries and consults with Student Life Cycle Technology as needed to improve processes.
• Determines aid packages and budgets for dual career students. Collaborate with KU Medical Center colleagues to ensure students are awarded appropriately.
• Packages federal, state, and institutional aid. Involves overriding disbursement rules when appropriate.
  
  
  

15% Financial Education and Service Delivery:

• Counsels prospective and current students and families regarding school-related financial aid concerns, and responds fully to escalated inquiries, including the application and awarding process, budgeting and the securing of resources to meet expenses.
• Responds to complex questions (including escalated calls and visits) from prospective students, current students, parents, campus colleagues and others regarding financial aid programs and additional funding needs to attend, progress and graduate.
• Develops materials and provides training on program areas, financial aid policies, processes and procedures to other EM units and external partners such as the Undergraduate Advising Center, the KU Advising Network, and TRIO to support student access, retention, progression and completion.
• Responsible for keeping the Knowledgebase up to date and providing updates in staff meetings.
• Develops communications related to program areas and implements communication strategy to ensure proper guidance is provided to students throughout the financial aid process.
• Assists with outreach activities (e.g. FAFSA completion, high school events) to support recruitment activities in conjunction with KU Admissions, as well as other financial aid events on campus for current students.
  
  
  

5% Supervision and Data Integrity

• Supervises staff functionally and has direct supervision assignment.
• Provides training and timely feedback surrounding performance, including focus on data integrity, accuracy, and timely service delivery for constituents.
• Clearly and routinely communicates expectations for project completion and task completion.
• Routinely audits data entry to ensure compliance with federal awarding rules, and state/institutional policies and procedures.
  
  
  

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with two years relevant experience OR Master’s degree at time of appointment.
  
  
  

This position requires a formal degree in the cited discipline area(s) to ensure that candidates have advanced knowledge, analytical skills and professional competencies necessary to perform the duties of the position. The level of degree is commonly recognized as the standard qualification for similar roles in the public and private sector, ensuring that the university remains competitive with industry aligned practices, enhances collaboration with external partners, and supports the delivery of services and programs that meet professional and market-driven expectations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in compliance, financial aid, scholarships, admissions, advising or related area of higher education. Prefer minimum two years professional financial aid experience at a post-secondary institution.
• Experience creating efficiencies through technology, including experience with data query and analytics as evidenced by application materials.
• Excellent communication skills as evidenced by the application materials.
• Experience with interpreting federal regulations and developing/implementing programs to comply with those regulations.
• Strong service delivery skills, including working with a wide range of populations, as evidenced by application materials.
• Experience and skill in problem-solving for a variety of situations as evidenced by application materials.
• Record keeping skills and ability to organize and manage multiple detailed tasks accurately, as evidenced by application materials.
  
  
  

Additional Candidate Instructions

In addition to the online application, the following documents are required to be considered for this position:

• Cover letter describing how you meet the required and preferred qualifications.
• Resume
• List of three (3) professional references
  
  
  

Only complete applications will be considered.

Application review begins September 22nd, 2025. and will continue until a qualified pool of applicants are identified.

Contact Information to Applicants

Liz Weiler

weiler@ku.edu

Advertised Salary Range

50,000

Application Review Begins

Monday September 22, 2025

Anticipated Start Date

Wednesday October 15, 2025