Financial Aid Coordinator and Data Specialist

About the role

The Financial Aid Coordinator and Data Specialist supports the financial aid office by managing student financial aid processes while maintaining, analyzing, and reporting on financial aid data. This role combines direct student service with data management responsibilities, ensuring accurate processing of financial aid awards and reliable reporting for institutional and regulatory purposes. This position is primarily office-based, with periodic evening or weekend hours during peak enrollment and financial aid processing periods (e.g., FAFSA season, orientation, registration).

Responsibilities

• Counsel students and families on financial aid options, application procedures, and eligibility requirements.
• Review and process financial aid applications, including FAFSA data, verification documents, and appeals.
• Determine student eligibility for federal, state, and institutional aid programs.
• Package financial aid awards in compliance with federal and state regulations and institutional policy.
• Respond to student and family inquiries regarding award status, deadlines, and required documentation.
• Assist with the administration of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study programs.
• Support satisfactory academic progress (SAP) reviews and appeals processes.
• Maintain accurate and secure student records across the admissions CRM (e.g., Slate, Recruit) and financial aid management system (e.g., Banner, PowerFAIDS), ensuring data integrity from inquiry/application through enrollment and aid disbursement.
• Track and report on admissions funnel metrics (inquiries, applications, admits, deposits, yield) alongside financial aid metrics (FAFSA completion rates, award packaging status, verification completion, aid acceptance rates) to identify trends affecting enrollment.
• Build and maintain data feeds/integrations between the admissions CRM, student information system (SIS), and financial aid system to ensure applicant and aid data stay synchronized.
• Perform regular data audits comparing admissions and financial aid records to catch discrepancies (e.g., mismatched applicant IDs, missing FAFSA links, incomplete award data) before they affect student communications or disbursements.
• Analyze the relationship between aid packaging and enrollment yield to support merit and need-based aid strategy discussions with Admissions and Financial Aid leadership.
• Generate ad hoc and recurring reports for enrollment management, including net tuition revenue projections, discount rate analysis, and aid leveraging models.
• Support required federal and state reporting, including FISAP, IPEDS (including admissions and financial aid components), and state grant agency submissions.
• Reconcile applicants and aid data with the registrar’s office and business office to ensure consistency across systems throughout the enrollment lifecycle.
• Develop and maintain dashboards tracking admissions funnel and financial aid processing status for use in enrollment management meetings.
• Identify data discrepancies between admissions and financial aid platforms and collaborate with IT, the registrar, or software vendors (CRM/SIS support) to resolve system or integration issues.
• Stay current on federal Title IV regulations, state aid program requirements, and institutional policy changes.
• Assist in preparing documentation for financial aid audits and program reviews.
• Recommend process improvements to increase efficiency and accuracy of aid processing and data reporting.
• Participate in training on regulatory updates and financial aid software systems.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• One to three years of experience in financial aid administration, higher education administration, or a related data-focused role.
• Strong understanding of federal and state financial aid regulations (Title IV preferred).
• Proficiency with financial aid or student information systems and standard office/data software