Financial Aid Assistant

Salary : $33,280.00 - $37,440.00 Annually
Location : Aurora, IL
Job Type: Full-Time Staff
Job Number: 202500196
College/School: Financial Aid
Department: Financial Aid
Opening Date: 04/14/2026


Aurora University (AU) is committed to the transformative power of learning by creating a student-centered environment and an equity of experience and opportunity, to ensure that students, faculty, and staff of all backgrounds feel welcome and included. Our culture of collaboration, generosity, and belonging make it a special place for students, faculty, and staff.

AU is grounded in the transformative opportunity it provides to a diverse student body. As a private university with a public mission and a commitment to making a difference in peoples' lives, AU has a long history of resilience and of providing access to an education that values innovation, focuses on continuous improvement, and has a positive impact on the communities we serve. We are proud of our service to and economic impact on the state of Illinois, where over 80% of our students stay to live and work, where 90% of our students come from, and where we foster strong community partnerships to develop the workforce in areas such as nursing, education, business, technology, and social work.

We are looking for passionate and purposeful individuals who represent the full diversity of Aurora and who demonstrate a sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, ability, identity, and ethnic backgrounds present in our community. When you join the team at AU, you can expect to be part of an inclusive, innovative, and equity-focused community that approaches higher education as a matter of social justice requiring broad collaboration among faculty, staff, students, and community partners.

At AU we believe that continuous learning is a fundamental part of working life, and our goal is for all colleagues on our campus to feel supported and equipped to realize their full potential. We actively support our community by providing all employees with opportunities to engage in professional development activities, as well as a range of tuition and employee benefits that can be found

Position Purpose:


The Financial Aid Assistant supports learning by in taking financial aid documents and assisting in financial aid processing tasks. This position also provides customer service to our students and their families through email, phone, and in person. The Financial Aid Assistant performs these duties consistent with the university's mission, accreditation standards, and regulatory guidelines

Core Competencies:

1. . Represents Aurora University in the most positive manner with prospective, former and current students, clients, suppliers and the community we serve. Interacts effectively with a diverse group of faculty, staff, students and other customers of our service, learns and uses operating practices of the department and Aurora University.
2. Upholds the Mission Statement: Aurora University is an inclusive community dedicated to the transformative power of learning. As a teaching-centered institution, we encourage undergraduate and graduate students to discover what it takes to build meaningful and examined lives. Our singular goal is to empower our students to achieve lasting personal and professional success.
3. Handles all information with tact and discretion and recognizes the confidential nature of university business.
4. Supports learning through performance of essential job functions and performing other duties and functions as necessary or as assigned, including voluntary participation in university committees, activities and events.

Essential Job Functions:

• Processes mail from all acceptable submission methods, which includes evaluating and entering the information into Colleague and importing and indexing the documents correctly into the student's electronic file.
• Assist the Senior Financial Aid assistant in coordinating all information necessary for the transmission of offer letters to students.
• Imports all students' FAFSA records and verifies accuracy of status in the Colleague system. This is required to start the financial aid process for each student.
• Responds to emails from the main financial aid email account.
• Covers the front desk, answer phone calls, and greets students and parents.
• Provides customer service on assigned days via answering all calls coming through the main line.
• Provide backup coverage to the Senior Financial Aid Assistant.
• Perform other duties as assigned

Essential Job Requirements:

Education : High School diploma.

Experience : One to three years' experience providing administrative support, preferably in a higher education setting.

Skills:

• Must have attention to detail.
• Ability to manage and complete multiple responsibilities, in a fast paced work environment, with a high degree of independent organization.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong customer service orientation.
• Ability to handle confidential information.
• Ability to interact with a diverse group of faculty, staff, students, and parents and to develop strong working relationships with colleagues, staff, administrators, students, and the general public.
• Strong proficiency using a computer. Able to learn and utilize computer systems and applications.

Physical Requirements: Ability to move about campus and spend long periods of time at a computer work station. Ability to interact via telephone, in person, and via electronic media.

The anticipated pay rate for this position is $16-$18 per hour. This compensation is subject to change at the sole discretion of the university, based on institutional needs.


The pay range referenced in the job posting is the budgeted amount the university reasonably expects to pay for this position. The final pay rate will not be below the lowest pay rate listed herein.

Benefit-eligible positions offer excellent benefits including health, dental, life, vision, long term disability, a 403(b) retirement plan through TIAA, and tuition remission.
Aurora University is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Aurora University offers competitive, flexible benefits to eligible employees.

• Health Insurance
  Choice of HMO or PPO offered through BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois.
• Dental and Vision Insurance
  Choice of two dental plans and vision insurance offered through Blue Cross Blue Shield.
• Life Insurance and AD&D
  1.5 times annual salary, dependent on age. Additional life insurance also may be purchased for self, spouse, and children.
• Long Term Disability
  60% of salary, taxable and nontaxable options.
• TIAA Retirement Account
  The University offers a 403b retirement plan, administered by TIAA. Matching contributions offered first day of employment to eligible employees, at the discretion of the University and Board of Directors.
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
  FSAs are available for medical costs and dependent care costs.
• Paid Time Off
  Vacation, personal, and sick leave are provided to eligible employees.
• Holidays
  The university observes nine major holidays where the university is closed.
• Tuition Assistance
  Tuition assistance for AU undergraduate courses is available to eligible employees and eligible family members beginning the term following one (1) year of regular, full-time employment. Tuition assistance for graduate programs paid at 60% for employee following Senior Leadership approval.
• Tuition Exchange Consortiums
  AU is a member of the Tuition Exchange (TE) and the Council of Independent Colleges Tuition Exchange Program (CIC-TEP) enabling full-time employees and eligible family members to be eligible for tuition assistance at more than 600 universities nationwide. Eligibility for the CIC-TEP and TE programs is one (1) year of regular, full-time employment as of 8/31.

To see more benefits details and breakdowns please see our benefits guide
01


Which statement below best describes the highest level of education you have completed?

• High school graduate, diploma or the equivalent (GED)
• Associate degree
• Bachelor's degree
• Master's degree
• Professional degree
• Doctorate degree
• Doctor of Philosophy

02


How many years of administrative support experience do you have?

• No experience
• Less than 1 year of experience
• 1 year but less than 2 years of experience
• 2 years but less than 3 years experience
• 3 or more years of experience

03


Do you have experience working in a higher education setting?

• Yes
• No

04


Which of the following describes your highest level of Microsoft office (Microsoft word, Excel, Powerpoint) proficiency?

• I do not have enough skills to meet the definition of Basic level below.
• Basic
• Intermediate
• Advanced

Required Question