Financial Aid Counselor 

STATUS: Full-Time
DIVISION: Enrollment Services – Financial Aid
REPORTS TO: Director of Financial Aid
SUPERVISES: N/A
FLSA STATUS: Exempt

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Financial Aid Counselor is an administrative staff position and entails responsibilities involving all aspects of financial aid.  A balanced combination of organizational and customer service skills is required, as well as excellent attention to detail and the ability work to in a progressive office.

ACCOUNTABILITIES AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS 

• Provide counsel and advise students and families regarding the processes for federal, state and private aid sources for higher education as well as related institutional policies and costs;
• Assess aid applications to determine if and what types of follow up documentation is required and to determine eligibility for financial aid based on federal, state, and institutional guidelines;
• Perform verification process on all selected applicants;
• Evaluates professional judgment and dependency override documentation provided by the student;
• Processes unofficial and official withdrawal R2T4 calculations;
• Responsible for Michigan Tuition Grant/State Aid certifying and reconciling with State at year-end;
• Dedicated staff person for work-study program within the office – main contact for students, supervisors, and Human Resources office;
• Represent the College and Financial Aid Office at various college and financial aid events – including some evening and weekend hours;
• Perform additional duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree;
• At least 2 years of experience in a higher education setting working with student financial aid and dealing with regulatory compliance issues; 
• Exceptional customer service and interpersonal skills, including a strong sensitivity to diverse student populations; 
• Self-motivated and able to work well independently and as part of a team; 
• Excellent organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills;   
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Colleague/Ellucian software system
• Experience with various federal processing systems (COD, EDconnect, NSLDS, ELM, FAAccess to CPS Online).

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This job operates in a professional office and college campus environment.  The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. The employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to handle or feel and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

ABOUT CCS

College for Creative Studies is a nonprofit institution; it is one of the leading art and design colleges in the world. CCS is ranked by LinkedIn as a top three design school in the US and the best in the Midwest, based on alumni success. CCS has state-of-the-art facilities to support the complete range of creative production, from traditional art forms such as painting, glassblowing, foundry, and printmaking, to the most contemporary systems, including the latest digital imaging technology and extensive rapid prototyping output tools. The College currently enrolls more than 1,400 undergraduate and graduate students. It offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 13 majors:  Advertising Design, Art Education, Art Practice, Communication Design, Craft and Material Studies, Entertainment Arts, Fashion Accessories Design, Illustration, Interior Design, Photography, Product Design, and Transportation Design. It also offers a Master’s degrees in four majors: Color and Materials Design, Interaction Design, Systems Design Thinking, and Transportation Design.  

The College for Creative Studies, a leading college of art and design, represents a community composed of individuals with many perspectives, personal experiences, values, identities and worldviews and we value the diversity this brings to our organization.  CCS is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. We consider applicants for all positions without regard to age, race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.

The College for Creative Studies subscribes to the principle of equal opportunity in its employment, admissions and educational practices and strives to provide an environment and workplace free from unlawful harassment or discrimination. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are part of our Core Institutional Values and we encourage applications from all individuals.

Applicants are encouraged to apply immediately. The search will close when a suitable candidate is hired. Interested candidates should submit the following in PDF format:  Resume, cover letter and a list of professional references should be submitted to:  hr@collegeforcreativestudies.edu

CCS website:     https://www.ccsdetroit.edu/

The College for Creative Studies is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.