A financial aid advisor evaluates the financial needs of students based on a variety of documents that vary financial status in addition to a personal interview. The financial aid advisor awards financial aid according to government and institutional guidelines and regulations.
Many schools have college advisors that specialize in financial aid. These individuals help students and their families determine how they are going to finance their high education. Students should meet with their college advisor regularly to review the progress of their financial aid application.
Duties of a Financial Aid Advisor:
- A financial aid advisor will save you time and frustration by assisting you in the cumbersome task of searching for student loans, scholarships and other forms of aid
- A financial aid advisor can save you money by getting you the financial assistance you need, which you may not have found on your own
- A financial aid advisor will take you step by step through the countless financial aid forms, making sure that you don’t overlook anything
- A financial aid advisor will protect you from making errors on these forms, especially the FAFSA, which can cost you a significant amount of money, thus saving you even more money in the long run
- A financial aid advisor can put together a personal plan for you, with the goal of decreasing the amount of student loans you will need to take out by increasing scholarship rewards
- A financial aid advisor can review all financial aid programs you are interested in, letting you know if you are getting a fair deal or not
- A financial aid advisor will provide you with the reassurance that aid is in your grasp, and that making college affordable is nothing short of possible
If a student has selected an institution that does not offer financial aid advising or would like more specialized assistance, consider hiring a financial aid consultant. Many people do not see speaking with a financial aid professional as a necessity. However, these experts know how to complete your forms efficiently and correctly, thus obtaining maximum financial aid eligibility for you. It’s important to remember that a substantial amount of the FAFSA documents that are sent in each and every year are not filled out correctly, costing people valuable dollars in financial assistance. This is a blunder that you want to avoid at all costs, and a financial advisor can make sure that these errors are not made.
When looking to speak with a financial aid advisor, make sure the advisor has a few years of professional experience helping people in similar situations. The more experience an individual has, the better skilled they will be in the process. Also, everyone qualifies for a financial aid service. There should not be any sort of interview before meeting with an advisor. If so, the advisor is probably not a legitimate source, and you should look elsewhere for assistance.
Another important thing to remember is that need-based financial aid (aid received from the federal government, for example) cannot be guaranteed by a financial aid advisor. If you are deemed credit worthy after submitting the FAFSA, you are automatically guaranteed 100% of the difference between the aid you can receive and the cost of attendance at your school. Promising something that you are already entitled to is a scam, and something to watch out for.
As long as you are well informed about what to look for in a financial aid advisor, there should be no problem at all finding a professional to speak to about getting you the financial assistance you need. You do not have to go through this process alone, and financial aid advisors are available to help make the transition into college a simple and completely doable experience.
