Financial Aid Counselor-Loan Coordinator - Bellarmine University

Financial Aid Counselor-Loan Coordinator

Locations: Louisville, KY

Type: Full-time Exempt

Bellarmine University is a dynamic, growing university with a strong liberal arts focus in the Catholic higher education tradition and a bold vision for the future. Bellarmine has undergraduate and graduate enrollment of approximately 3,200 students and continues to add new academic programs while maintaining small class sizes and personal attention to students. Bellarmine is listed in the Princeton Review's Best 387 Colleges and is recognized as a top U.S. university in rankings published by U.S. News & World Report and Forbes. In a survey by The Princeton Review, students praised Bellarmine as a place that is "welcoming to every single person and makes an effort to include everyone." Bellarmine students, faculty and staff engage in more than 25,000 cumulative hours of service each year, in Louisville and around the nation and world.

Deeply embedded in the heart of Louisville, Bellarmine is an engaged partner expanding learning opportunities, enhancing career networks and economic growth, and advancing equity and quality of life for its neighboring communities. By connecting the campus, the community, and the curriculum through engaged scholarship and action, we enhance social and civic engagement, including faculty, staff, and student-led, asset-based initiatives.

Bellarmine is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer and encourages applicants with diverse backgrounds to apply.

Job Description:

Reporting to the Assistant Director of Financial Aid, the Financial Aid Counselor is responsible for providing comprehensive financial aid counseling and support to prospective and continuing students.

Responsibilities include:

• Provide high-quality customer service to prospective and continuing students regarding financial aid eligibility and processes
• Analyze federal financial aid applications to determine students' financial need
• Prepare and award financial aid packages and perform all duties related to the financial aid process
• Interact professionally with students and parents, including in challenging situations, to resolve financial aid?related issues
• Utilize and update databases and process applications for financial aid received from students
• Collect and analyze student financial data to determine aid eligibility and make awards in accordance with federal, donor, and institutional guidelines
• Evaluate documentation related to unusual or mitigating circumstances submitted by students
• Exercise professional judgment by adjusting cost of attendance, contribution, or dependency status, as appropriate
• Assist in the preparation and presentation of information related to federal financial aid, scholarships, employment, and grants, for various campus groups, as well as high school students and parents at meetings, workshops, group discussions, and recruitment events
• Plan, organize, and administer loan programs, including Federal Direct Loans, Parent PLUS Loans, Graduate PLUS Loans, and alternative loan programs
• Resolve any issues with direct loans by reviewing the comment codes on the FAFSA form.
• Process and monitor budgets for institutional loans, create Master Promissory Notes on ECSI (third-party partner)
• Analyze system-generated reports (e.g., grades, enrollment status, award status) to ensure continued compliance with federal and institutional eligibility requirements
• Notify students of changes in award eligibility and provide guidance on available options
• Respond to questions, inquiries, and requests from students, parents, and guardians in person and in writing regarding financial aid programs and eligibility

Requirements:

• One year of financial aid experience in a school, college, or university setting
• Knowledge of financial aid eligibility requirements, application procedures, aid programs, cost of attendance, student indebtedness, responsible money management, and financial planning

Please note: Visa sponsorship is not provided for this position.