Financial Aid Counselor

The Financial Aid Counselor provides direct financial aid counseling and support to students enrolled at Rocky Vista University. This role is responsible for guiding students through the entire financial aid lifecycle—from initial application and loan packaging to enrollment adjustments, ongoing financial literacy, and repayment preparation—ensuring compliance with federal and private loan regulations.

As part of the student journey, the Counselor acts as a trusted advisor to students and families, helping them understand eligibility requirements, borrowing responsibilities, creditworthiness, and long-term financial planning. The Counselor plays a pivotal role in debt management, credit counseling, and private loan counseling, equipping students with the tools to make informed borrowing decisions, budget effectively, and prepare for successful repayment after graduation

.
This position reports to the Associate Director, Financial Ai

• ent Counsel prospective, current, and graduating students on all aspects of federal and private loan programs, including eligibility, application processes, disbursements, and renewal require men
• ts.
  
  Provide individualized credit counseling to help students understand credit scores, creditworthiness, and their impact on loan approval and repayme
• nt.
  
  Deliver private loan counseling, ensuring students fully understand loan terms, lender requirements, and repayment responsibiliti
• es.
  
  Provide debt management counseling, helping students and graduates understand responsible borrowing, repayment options, and long-term financial impa
• ct.
  
  Guide students through entrance and exit loan counseling, ensuring compliance with federal require men
• ts.
  
  Counsel students on budgeting, credit management, and meeting financial obligations to the University and their lende
• rs.
  
  Act as a primary point of contact for assigned caseload of active and prospective students, providing proactive outreach and timely respons
• es.
  
  Respond to all student inquiries within 24–48 hours, escalating complex cases to leadership or appropriate departments as need

• ing Review and evaluate financial aid applications, including ISIRs, to determine eligibility and resolve conflicting informati
• on.
  
  Package federal and private loans in accordance with DOE regulations and lender require men
• ts.
  
  Process budget adjustments, cost of attendance recalculations, and aid revisions for students with curriculum or enrollment chang
• es.
  
  Certify private loan eligibility and ensure compliance with lender and federal require men
• ion Develop and deliver financial literacy education for students through one-on-one sessions, group workshops, and presentatio
• ns.
  
  Present at orientations, webinars, and class meetings to support student awareness of financial aid processes and responsibiliti
• es.
  
  Provide ongoing outreach throughout the student journey, ensuring students understand financial aid at pre-matriculation, enrollment, mid-program, and graduation mileston
• es.
  
  Monitor and track loan counseling completion, ensuring timely compliance with federal and lender require men
• nce Partner with Admissions, Registrar, Bursar, and Student Affairs to ensure seamless integration of aid with enrollment, billing, and student servic
• es.
  
  Maintain strict compliance with federal regulations, FERPA, Title IV, and lender polici
• es.
  
  Evaluate unusual or extenuating circumstances submitted by students for professional judgment consideration and prepare recommendations for leadersh
• ip.
  
  Attend training seminars and stay up to date on changes in financial aid regulations, loan servicing, and best practic

• ing Monitor daily, weekly, and monthly financial aid reports to ensure accuracy of…