Senior Advisor, Financial Aid

The Enrollment Division at the University of Denver works to attract, enroll, and graduate an optimal mix of qualified students that will enrich the composition of the University community. The division, which consists of Undergraduate Admission and Financial Aid, seeks to enroll students who will become leaders, scholars, artists, entrepreneurs, and public servants uniquely qualified to live in and shape a global society. The Financial Aid Office is dedicated to serving and educating students, families, colleagues, and the community through the financial aid process from pre-enrollment to program completion. We value empathy and integrity, knowledgeable and professional staff, advocacy and access, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, clear and consistent communication, and compliance. We have primary responsibility for the undergraduate financial aid process and we also serve the graduate student population.

Position Summary

The Senior Financial Aid Advisor (FAA) develops a thorough knowledge of federal, state, and institutional financial aid topics to determine aid eligibility. The Senior FAA primarily conducts file reviews to ensure aid is awarded in compliance with federal, state, and institutional regulations and policies and resolves discrepancies in a timely and effective manner. File review includes an intensive focus on completing the verification process, reviewing applications for conflicting information, and preparing files for packaging.

The Senior Financial Aid Advisor (FAA) ensures aid eligibility by reviewing files for compliance with regulations and resolving discrepancies. Key tasks include the verification process, addressing FAFSA issues, ensuring data integrity, repackaging aid, processing federal and private loans, document management and providing excellent customer service.

Further, the Senior FAA provides professional advising service, which includes a thorough explanation of need analysis and steps required to complete financial aid application process.

Essential Functions

Determine financial aid eligibility:

• Assesses a family's ability to pay for education expenses by evaluating income and assets reported on the FAFSA, CSS Profile, and financial documents. Functions as an expert in need analysis, both federal and institutional methodologies, and explains complex financial aid calculations and the results and rationale behind financial aid awarding in a simple and easy to understand manner. Responsible for reviewing current financial circumstances of DU families and determining if they qualify for various appeals.
• Serves as initial reviewer for special circumstance appeals and makes well-reasoned recommendations for action.

Evaluate and identify issues and problem-solve student applicant data conflicts:

• Problem solves for aid applicants, resolves FAFSA comment codes and rejects, verifies, and reviews files, revises aid awards, adjusts student budgets, corrects over awards, monitors students on satisfactory academic progress (SAP).
• Assists other advisors in processing and resolving data issues.

Manage documents:

• Administer the in-flow of financial aid documents via variety of channels (mail, email, DocuSign)
  • Exercise attention to detail to ensure accuracy and completeness
• Assist with supervision of senior peer advisor assigned to document processing
• Facilitate communication regarding status of document processing
• Work with communications team to ensure correctness and functionality of document content
• Troubleshoot current and potential issues with documents process with particular emphasis on technical aspects

Provide professional advising services:

• Maintains a thorough knowledge of financial aid topics including costs of attendance, federal and institutional need analysis, award packaging, financial aid options, outside scholarships and other resources, payment and financing options, loan applications and certifications, billing, disbursement, aid applications, withdrawals, re-admits, timelines/deadlines, policies, and procedures.
• Manages highly sensitive financial and personal issues; therefore, must exhibit independent judgment, tact, and diplomacy, maintain strict confidentiality, and adhere to FERPA and HEA data sharing regulations.
• Works with students and families as well as DU community members on the financial aid application process, eligibility, need analysis, awards, disbursement, federal/state institutional policies procedures. Helps students to craft a financial plan to make DU affordable.
• Creates and updates email templates to ensure accurate and effective communications to students and families.
• Supports students with the financial aid process th