finacial aid
i think that all admission representave must to be prepare to in information how finacial aid work , bacause we are the first face when the prospective student arrive and they always have many questions regading the financial process.
Francesca,
Financial aid officers are the subject matter experts when it comes to that part of the student's admissions process. Use them!
Patty Aronoff
I agree to an extent. as an admissions leader, at my school, we just get a basic understanding of the process and then refer other questions to the FA.
Maryann,
We do not want to mislead.
Financial aid is so complicated that it can be confusing if you don't understand it at high level. It is good thing that this industry understand and recoginizes the importance of make sure the information comes from one department and is consistent.
Arthur,
Introducing the student to financial aid is the best practice in admission.
Deserie, I agree with you 100%. We as Admissions Reps have a lot to focus on when we are enrolling students. Finacial Aid is a different entity that has changes, which we cannot keep up with. If we as Admission Reps are not up to date with the current changes, we could be providing the wrong information to students, which doesn't look good for us and the institution we represnts. Financial Aid questions should be directed to those who are the expert in that arena - Financial Aid Advisors.
Craig,
Good advice to turn the prospective student over to financial aid after the question arises.
Deserie,
This is great advice. Financial aid experts are there for that purpose. We need to let them do their jobs!
As a director of recruting, my recruiters are trained to answer only the basic questions of financial aid. What is the cost of tuition? How do I apply for student aid? When it comes to the question of how much I will qualify for, then it becomes a FA question.
The best thing to do is to let the financial aid department do their job.
Kettia,
Financial aid should be by the experts so as not to mislead the prospective student.
A working knowledge of financial ais is key for an admissions Rep. However, estimates and speficic financial numbers, qualifying should remain with a Financial aid officer.
this one of the things that get me shacken, the student so many question about price on the phone, we can't answer them because we going against the rules. Leave the financial aid work to the financial aid department.
Shavonne,
Great advice. It is best to leave it to the experts.
Amanda,
The financial aid staff can answer complex questions. Good advice to leave it to the experts.
I think their should be a limit on the information given to a student when they meet with admissions. Information can easily be misinterpreted once information is given to the student by the admission representative and then when sitting with the financial aid representative. I believe a video explaining the financial aid process is a good way for information to be delivered to the student. If the student then has additional information the admissions representative can turn the student over to the financial aid department
When it comes to giving out information beyond your expertise is there becomes a level of liability. The Financial Aid department can do the work to figure out the details for the prospective student. There is a lot of room for overstepping if the admissions talks about FA details. I agree that it is good to know how to handle the questions on where they can find out their answers. Directing them to FA will save admissions a lot of trouble.
Glenda,
The best rule of thumb is to leave the financial aid questions to the experts in FA. Guide the prospective student to their department.
