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What does a finance aid director do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read

A finance aid director oversees finance aid officers that deal with student loans, fees, scholarship grants, insurance, and other loans. They organize cash flow for all funds available. They analyze applications, grant scholarships and loans to students, and provide information on benefits and restrictions included with financial aid. They also help students resolve loan defaults or underpayments. They must have good communication skills to facilitate talks between students and universities.

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Finance aid director responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real finance aid director resumes:

  • Manage cash flow for all funds including, FFEL, PELL, FSEOG, alternative loans, and cash.
  • Manage a majority of payroll ensuring that there are accurate accruals and necessary deductions.
  • Review and determine outcome of all financial aid appeals.
  • Assist students, parents, and staff with navigating the financial aid process, by providing guidance with the FAFSA.
  • Resolve student appeals and special circumstance requests.
  • Maintain Pell grant accounts from application processing to monthly reconciliation.
  • Process and educate military and veterans on domicile laws relate to tuition and tuition assistance.
  • Develop and implement billing practices within all state and federal regulations; compile information for Medicare cost and quarterly balance reports.
  • Originate loans, create disbursements, and print miscellaneous reports and financial aid information in EdExpress database.

Finance aid director skills and personality traits

We calculated that 9% of Finance Aid Directors are proficient in Financial Aid Programs, Title IV, and State Regulations. They’re also known for soft skills such as Computer skills, Problem-solving skills, and Organizational skills.

We break down the percentage of Finance Aid Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Financial Aid Programs, 9%

    Provide specialized assistance and information to students and parents regarding financial aid programs and services.

  • Title IV, 8%

    Enhanced Student Finance operations to include automated Title IV packaging, digital imagining, and electronic scholarship management software.

  • State Regulations, 5%

    Interpret and implement federal and state regulations, procedures and eligibility requirements.

  • Enrollment Management, 5%

    Work closely with Enrollment Management to articulate affordability to prospective and current students.

  • Student Loans, 4%

    Counseled potential students/parents on Federal Student Loans, Financial Aid available.

  • Federal Regulations, 4%

    Complied with institutional, state, and federal regulations by implementing updates and completing comprehensive reports.

Common skills that a finance aid director uses to do their job include "financial aid programs," "title iv," and "state regulations." You can find details on the most important finance aid director responsibilities below.

Computer skills. One of the key soft skills for a finance aid director to have is computer skills. You can see how this relates to what finance aid directors do because "postsecondary education administrators need to be comfortable working with computers so they can use software to manage student and school records." Additionally, a finance aid director resume shows how finance aid directors use computer skills: "coordinate the implementation of financial aid computer system to facilitate production of financial aid awards and reports. "

Problem-solving skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling finance aid director duties is problem-solving skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "administrators need to react calmly when a difficult situation arises and develop creative solutions." According to a finance aid director resume, here's how finance aid directors can utilize problem-solving skills in their job responsibilities: "resolved student concerns regarding financial aid eligibility. "

Organizational skills. finance aid directors are also known for organizational skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to finance aid director responsibilities, because "administrators need to be organized so they can manage records, prioritize tasks, and coordinate activities with their staff." A finance aid director resume example shows how organizational skills is used in the workplace: "managed organizational cash flow and forecasting. "

Interpersonal skills. A big part of what finance aid directors do relies on "interpersonal skills." You can see how essential it is to finance aid director responsibilities because "postsecondary education administrators need to build good relationships with colleagues, students, and parents." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical finance aid director tasks: "practice strong customer service, interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills. "

All finance aid director skills

The three companies that hire the most finance aid directors are:

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Compare different finance aid directors

Finance aid director vs. Dean

A dean is responsible for overseeing the educational operations of the assigned department, enforcing school policies, and monitoring the students' progress by coordinating with the teachers and setting up procedures to improve teaching methods. Deans administer educational training and programs for the students, as well as extra-curricular activities to develop the students' social behavior, maximize their potentials, and increase their self-confidence. They also handle the department's budget, accurately allocating resources and funds to different activities and educational materials.

The annual salary of deans is $27,674 higher than the average salary of finance aid directors.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between finance aid directors and deans are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like enrollment management, financial aid, and student body.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between finance aid directors and dean. For instance, finance aid director responsibilities require skills such as "financial aid programs," "title iv," "state regulations," and "student loans." Whereas a dean is skilled in "curriculum development," "oversight," "scholarship," and "human resources." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Deans tend to make the most money working in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $78,533. In contrast, finance aid directors make the biggest average salary, $60,971, in the education industry.The education levels that deans earn slightly differ from finance aid directors. In particular, deans are 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a finance aid director. Additionally, they're 6.8% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Finance aid director vs. Student dean

A Student Dean is focused on responding to students' needs at a college or university. They plan and direct university activities related to student services and campus life.

Student dean positions earn higher pay than finance aid director roles. They earn a $853 higher salary than finance aid directors per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both finance aid directors and student deans have skills such as "financial aid," "student body," and "progress monitoring. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, finance aid director responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "financial aid programs," "title iv," "state regulations," and "enrollment management." Meanwhile, a student dean has duties that require skills in areas such as "behavior issues," "staff development," "crisis intervention," and "student achievement." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Student deans may earn a higher salary than finance aid directors, but student deans earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $50,535. On the other hand, finance aid directors receive higher pay in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $60,971.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Student deans tend to reach higher levels of education than finance aid directors. In fact, they're 16.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 6.8% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Finance aid director vs. New member educator

A New Member Educator is a person who prepares new members to uphold the standards and ideals of a fraternity and sorority and continually strives to improve it especially found in colleges and universities. These positions are; educating initiated and active members on how to support and mentor the younger members to become successful within an organization, recruit new members whose ideals match those of the organization, assist new members to navigate campus, and make use of campus resources.

On average scale, new member educators bring in lower salaries than finance aid directors. In fact, they earn a $24,457 lower salary per year.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, finance aid directors are more likely to have skills like "financial aid programs," "title iv," "state regulations," and "enrollment management." But a new member educator is more likely to have skills like "customer service," "phone calls," "role model," and "cash handling."

New member educators make a very good living in the education industry with an average annual salary of $47,301. On the other hand, finance aid directors are paid the highest salary in the education industry, with average annual pay of $60,971.new member educators typically earn lower educational levels compared to finance aid directors. Specifically, they're 6.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Finance aid director vs. Registrar

A registrar's role is to process and maintain accurate records within an institution or establishment. They are the main point of communication to obtain various kinds of information. In schools, a registrar is in charge of keeping a student or educator's academic, personal, and financial records. They also have the task of arranging a student's course and class schedules. Furthermore, a registrar may also have other administrative tasks such as responding to calls and other forms of correspondence, producing reports, and process requirements.

Registrars average a lower salary than the annual salary of finance aid directors. The difference is about $18,012 per year.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between finance aid directors and registrars, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a finance aid director might have more use for skills like "financial aid programs," "title iv," "state regulations," and "enrollment management." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of registrars require skills like "patients," "customer service," "medical terminology," and "patient registration. "

In general, registrars earn the most working in the health care industry, with an average salary of $36,641. The highest-paying industry for a finance aid director is the education industry.registrars reach lower levels of education compared to finance aid directors, in general. The difference is that they're 7.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of finance aid director

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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