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University of Southern California
Financial Aid Counselor I
🇺🇸
Los Angeles, California
🕑
Full-Time
💰
$25 - $30
per Hour
💻
Financial Aid
🗓️
October 14th, 2026
Financial Aid
Higher Ed
Compliance
Edtech.com's Summary
University of Southern California is hiring a Financial Aid Counselor I to assess student need and build financial aid packages for students requesting assistance. The counselor reviews applications for completeness, verifies family-reported information, and explains aid policies while helping resolve individual student cases. The role also requires staying current on federal and state aid regulations and university procedures.
Highlights
- Process Tier 1 and Tier 2 aid files, checking FAFSA, CSS PROFILE, tax returns, W-2s, and USC forms for consistency and accuracy.
- Review special circumstances letters from families and handle Tier 1 budget, late, housing, and computer appeals.
- Analyze each student's cost of attendance and budget, then add awards to the aid package as a manager directs.
- Originate Stafford and PLUS loans and troubleshoot problems with the disbursement of loan funds.
- Assist with satisfactory academic progress (SAP) and return of Title IV funds (R2T4) cases under a manager's direction.
- Staff phone contact shifts and attend Financial Aid Office events on and off campus as needed.
- Research federal regulations through the FSA Handbook, Dear Colleague Letters, and NASFAA resources to spot student and program eligibility issues.
- Support audits and self-assessments, and draft policies and procedures for the office Knowledgebase.
- Calls for a bachelor's degree, or equivalent combined education and experience, plus up to six months of experience in financial analysis and evaluation.
- The hourly pay range is $25.00 to $30.00.
Financial Aid Counselor I Full Description
The Office of Financial Aid is seeking a Financial Aid Counselor I to join our team! The Financial Aid Counselor I performs need assessments for students requesting financial aid. Provides counseling and assistance in matters pertaining to financial aid packaging. Conducts need analysis to determine student financial aid packaging options based on individual case circumstances. Reviews student applications for consistency and completeness, verifies accuracy of student and family reported information, and certifies applications. Maintains accurate and thorough file documentation.
Provides interpretation of financial aid policies and assists in problem-solving. The selected candidate will be expected to maintain currency on financial aid packages, state and federal regulations related to financial aid, and University policies and procedures.
Document Processing
- Determine when documents were submitted to the Financial Aid Office (FAO)
- Understand how documents are received and processed
Need Analysis and Verification
- Understand information provided on FAFSA, CSS PROFILE federal income tax returns and W2s, and USC forms
- Become proficient at processing both Tier 1 and Tier 2 files
- Review Special Circumstances letters/information presented by families
- Process Tier 1 Budget, Late, Housing and Computer appeals
Aid Coordination
- Analyze the cost of attendance and budget for a student
- Differentiate between types of aid used to create a financial aid package
- Add awards to a student's package as directed by a manager
Loans
- Identify the different loan programs on SIS
- Originate Stafford and PLUS loans
- Troubleshoot issues regarding disbursement of loan funds
- Assist with SAP or R2T4 as directed by a manager
Outreach
- Participate on phone contact shifts
- Attend FAO events as needed (both on and off campus)
Compliance and Training
- Use the FSA Handbook, Dear Colleague Letters, NASFAA resources, etc. to research federal regulations
- Identify student and program eligibility issues
- Assist with audits and self-assessments as needed
- Draft policies and procedures for the Knowledgebase
Please submit a cover letter and resume as part of your application.
In addition, the successful candidate must also demonstrate, through ideas, words and actions, a strong commitment to USC's Unifying Values.
The hourly range for this position is $25.00 - $30.00. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.
Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree, Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education. Minimum Experience: 0 - 6 months. Minimum Field of Expertise: Financial analysis and evaluation.
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