Financial Aid Counselor

About North Park

Founded in 1891, North Park University is a Christian university affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church of over 3,200 students from around the country and the world. Located for over 125 years on the land of the Miami and Potawatomi tribes in what is today Chicago’s northside, NPU has recently been designated a Hispanic Serving Institution and is committed to serving diverse populations. Elevating North Park University’s core distinctives of Christian, city-centered, and intercultural, NPU values diversity among its faculty and is committed to building a racially and culturally diverse intellectual community, and strongly encourages the nomination and candidacies of persons who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color regardless of gender.

North Park University is located in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago, one of the most ethnically diverse zip codes in the United States. It is nine miles from downtown Chicago. The North Park campus has often been referred to as an oasis in the heart of the city – a place where students from urban, rural, and suburban backgrounds alike can call home. And all of this within the major metropolitan backdrop of Chicago: one of the world’s largest and most diversified economies, renowned for its museums and music, and voted best large city in the U.S. for four years in a row by Condé Nast Traveler.

Mission

The mission of North Park University is to prepare students for lives of significance and service through education in the liberal arts, professional studies, and theology.

Vision

Building on our core institutional identity—Christian, city-centered, intercultural—our vision is to create a university of uncommon character and enduring excellence, where faith, learning, and service meet.

Position Summary

Provides counsel and financial aid to a portion of the undergraduate and graduate student body while ensuring that all aid is distributed within federal, state, and institutional guidelines.

Essential Responsibilities

• Awards and monitors financial aid for approximately one-third of the traditional undergraduate, plus all students in Graduate Athletic Training, Graduate Music, and the SPS Undergraduate Adult Program
• Ensures students are packaged in compliance with all federal and state regulations
• Counsels students regarding financial aid eligibility
• Oversees all outside scholarships and church match money (PIE) to students. Maintains correspondence with outside scholarship agencies and ensures that students are not over-awarded
• Administers the federal and private student loan program from processing to reconciliation
• Assist with awarding and monitoring of all State Teacher Grant programs
• Assist with processing and awarding tuition exchange
• Gillman programs (Study Abroad)
• Prepares exits for all graduates, withdrawals, and former students. Including the internal communication/report running process.
• Responsible for PELL processing and ensuring monthly and year-end reports are completed accurately and in a timely manner
• Stays aware of changes in financial aid rules and regulations, particularly as it relates to student loans
• Reviews monthly quality control reports to ensure compliance with federal, state, and University financial aid policy
• Supports the Financial Aid Team by assuming and completing other responsibilities as required.
• Provides good customer service to families and students seeking financial aid advice.
• Oversees all components of the Federal Work Study Program.
• Other duties as assigned

Salary Range: $50,000-52,000 per year

Requirements

• Excellent computer skills including Microsoft Office
• Experience with student databases (Ellucian’s Colleague experience required)
• An orientation to detail and precision
• Excellent customer service skills
• The ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing with students, administrators, families and outside constituencies.
• Ability to coordinate many overlapping tasks
• Bachelor’s degree required
• 2+ year’s experience in financial aid required
• Personal commitment to North Park’s mission of Christian higher education.

Benefits

• Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Prescription Plan
• Flexible Spending Account
• Commuter Benefit
• Life Insurance
• Disability Insurance
• Retirement Plan
• Tuition Remission
• Helwig Recreation Center