Student Financial Services Counselor

About the role

Lackawanna College is a private, accredited college serving the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Our main campus is located in downtown Scranton, and our footprint includes satellite centers in Covington Twp., Hawley, Hazleton, Sunbury, Towanda and Tunkhannock. Our mission is to provide a quality education to all persons who seek to improve their lives and better the communities in which they live. We provide our students with a direct path to a bachelor’s degree, associate degree, or one of many different professional certifications. Additionally, our Continuing Education department helps put the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania back to work with modern career skills. Lackawanna is also one of the most cost-efficient regional higher education institutions.

Responsibilities

• Provide counseling by explaining financial aid award packages based on specific program eligibility and total award amounts;
• Reviews and verifies initial and incoming requests to review student eligibility for various aid program funds;
• Identifies award availability through various sources;
• Calculate various funding to create a total financial aid award explanation;
• Coordinates all incoming requests, including documentation submission;
• Maintains student enrollment, explaining the recalculation of awards when necessary;
• Affords assistance with Student Financial Services presentations as needed to assist with the understanding of office practices such as general guidance of federal, state and institutional aid programs;
• Conduct individual interviews and information sessions with potential and current students/families to accurately inform them of all financial aid options and opportunities, requirements, and the application process, requirements, and payment options to resolve balances;
• Researches, verifies, analyzes, and assesses student financial histories, including defaulted loans and/or repayment obligations at other institutions;
• Acts as the certifying official for the Department of Veterans Affairs to process and certify military students;
• Assists with explaining Title IV refunds and repayments, including U.S. Department of Education and National Student Loan Data Systems notifications;
• Affords assistance in the processing of the FAFSA and other required documents;
• Review financial aid applications for accuracy;
• Initiates and conducts follow-up activities to obtain necessary documentation and paperwork for all federal and state funding agencies;
• Affords assistance in the processing of past-due accounts for the Associate Director of Student Accounts for Student Financial Services;
• Participates as a member of the Office of Student Financial Services during meetings, College events, and other activities;
• Processes cash, checks, credit and debit cards payment transactions;
• Maintain current knowledge of federal and state regulations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree with a preferred minimum of 2 years financial aid knowledge in a position with responsibility for processing and providing quality service to students/families in an education environment;
• Demonstrated previous experience with the financial aid process as it pertains to higher education;
• Experience with Financial Aid delivery systems and especially Starfish, Salesforce, Jenzabar and PowerFaids highly desirable.

Pay

The pay range for this position is $35,000 - $45,000 annually.

Schedule

The schedule for this position is Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM.