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The differences between finance aid advisors and finance aid officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a finance aid advisor and a finance aid officer. Additionally, a finance aid officer has an average salary of $38,163, which is higher than the $37,791 average annual salary of a finance aid advisor.
The top three skills for a finance aid advisor include financial aid, customer service and FAFSA. The most important skills for a finance aid officer are financial aid, customer service, and FAFSA.
| Finance Aid Advisor | Finance Aid Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $37,791 | $38,163 |
| Hourly rate | $18.17 | $18.35 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 127,378 | 146,154 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A finance aid advisor specializes in helping clients, mostly students and parents, understand financial aid programs available in learning institutions. They primarily provide advice, such as which programs will suit the students' needs, their requirements, or how the procedures will be. To carry out their duties, a finance aid advisor must conduct interviews with students, assess their background information and financial histories, respond to inquiries and concerns, review financial aid requests, perform extensive research and analysis, and coordinate different services while adhering to the institutions' policies and regulations.
A finance aid officer helps students get financial aid. They procure scholarships and loan applications and help students to fill them out. They may also help students find employment on- or off-campus, assist students in finding grants for educational funding, or provide money-management advice. Some finance aid officers help medical personnel get insurance information.
Finance aid advisors and finance aid officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Finance Aid Advisor | Finance Aid Officer | |
| Average salary | $37,791 | $38,163 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $49,000 | Between $29,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | Oakland University | Columbia University in the City of New York |
| Best paying industry | Education | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a finance aid advisor and a finance aid officer in terms of educational background:
| Finance Aid Advisor | Finance Aid Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between finance aid advisors' and finance aid officers' demographics:
| Finance Aid Advisor | Finance Aid Officer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.6% Female, 70.4% | Male, 27.5% Female, 72.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 6.4% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |