Assistant Director of Admissions and Financial Aid

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $75,000 - $85,000

Position Summary

Under the general direction of the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, and reporting directly to the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, the incumbent participates in the day-to-day operations of the School’s admissions and financial aid office which processes inquiries and nearly 2,500 applications per year from prospective students to the MFA, MA, summer, certificate, and exchange programs of the School of the Arts, and fields admissions and financial aid inquiries from prospective and current students. Serves as the primary Slate software manager and as the secondary contact for admissions inquiries, financial aid, and billing inquiries. Responsible for the planning and execution of all admissions events including information sessions and admitted student events as well as summer engagement strategies. Processes institutional scholarships, student service positions, teaching assistant positions, and stipends through PowerFAIDS and SIS for approximately 500 admitted students and 850 current students. In association with Columbia’s Office of Student Financial Planning, counsels students on the fundamentals of federal aid, private funding options, and loan repayment. Serves as a primary contact and liaises to faculty admission committees to facilitate the admissions review process. Responsible for monitoring compliance on admissions and financial aid issues. Oversees records in PowerFAIDS, SIS, and Slate. Generates reports and statistics to keep the Deans, Program Chairs, Concentration Heads, and Directors of Academic Administration informed of relevant admissions, enrollment, and fellowship decisions.

Responsibilities

Admissions - 50%

Serves as a key point of contact and provides a high level of service to prospective students throughout the admissions process. Participates in all aspects of the admissions process: receipt of initial inquiry, data entry, organization of admissions dossier for faculty readers, production of letters of acceptance, waitlist, and rejection, and status reporting to Chairs, Deans, and Concentration Directors. Working with the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, oversees the utilization and maximization of software and online admissions systems (Slate, SIS, PowerFAIDS, etc.). Works with the Admissions Assistant to respond to daily mail, e-mail, telephone, and in-person requests from prospective students for basic information about the School and its admissions process and policies.

Responsible for coordinating and attending all in-person and online admissions events, including scheduling, planning, managing, and chronicling. Liaises with venues, catering, faculty, staff, and other University partners.

Assists with writing, database culling, and distribution of mass emails to prospective and admitted students as part of the communications plan devised by the Communications team and the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid. Assists the Communications team in editing and updating online application text and the relevant sections of the School of the Arts website. Liaises with the Communications team on summer engagement strategies.

Works with the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid to prepare the Slate application for each new admissions cycle and to make edits as the season progresses. Works with the Admissions Assistant to schedule interviews and auditions in conjunction with the Programs and faculty review committees.

Writes admissions correspondence and oversees production of online admissions notifications. Works in PowerFAIDS to generate fellowship letters under the direction of the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid.

Partners with faculty admissions committees to prepare and collect rubrics and decision rationales. Monitors faculty admissions committees’ adherence to University policies and other laws and regulations that govern admissions decisions. Monitors adherence to requirements issued by the Office of General Counsel regarding mandated trainings and best practices. Ensures that admitted students submit required attestations as specified in Columbia’s Federal Resolution Agreement.

Reviews application submissions to ensure compliance with Columbia’s University-Wide Standards in Admissions, including verification of letters of recommendation, language proficiency requirements, transcript submissions, and adherence to policies regarding the use of AI in application materials. Monitors submitted applications for evidence of potential fraud.

Oversees and assures the completeness of admissions materials, both hard copy and online.

Liaises with the International Students and Scholars Office and the Office of Student Financial Planning to project and monitor incoming student enrollments.

Financial Aid Administration - 50%

Working closely with the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, assists with the awarding and processing of institutional fellowships, service positions, teaching assistant compensation, and finishing funds through PowerFAIDS and/or the Student Information System for approximately 500 admitted students and 850 current students.

Serves as thought partner to Director of Admissions and Financial Aid to evaluate requests for additional support. Assists with drafting and editing of financial aid correspondence including award letters.

Assists the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid in monitoring the spending of fellowships assigned to each of the programs for financial aid and works closely with the program Directors of Academic Administration and the School’s budget and development offices to monitor financial aid spending.

Counsels over 500 prospective and 850 continuing students in person, over the phone, and via Zoom about institutional and federal financial aid policies and procedures. Working with the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid and the Office of Student Financial Planning, counsels students on basic fundamentals of federal aid and private loans. Works with students to develop long-term repayment and budgeting strategies for meeting the cost of attendance.

Works with the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid in developing financial need analyses for both incoming and continuing SOA students. Assists in generating reports to keep leadership informed of relevant financial aid decisions.

Works with the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, and the Office of Student Financial Planning to develop and implement retention and enrollment management strategies as they relate to the packaging and disbursement of federal, private, and outside aid.

Serves as the primary point of contact on the financial aid team for researching and distributing up to date information on outside funding opportunities for admitted and current students.

Develops and implements communication plans, including web, e-mail, in-person counseling and group presentations regarding financial aid options, repayment plans, personal budgeting, and other critical student financial aid communications.

Other duties as assigned/requested.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and/or equivalent experience required.
• At least three years of admissions and financial aid experience required.
• Demonstrated accuracy in handling detailed work required, along with ability to analyze and synthesize data for reporting purposes.
• Superior customer service and interpersonal skills and excellent written and oral communication skills required.
• Tact, discretion, and ability to maintain complete confidentiality are essential.
• Strong organizational skills required.
• Must have proficiency with standard office software, database systems, and university reporting tools.
• Excellent proofreading/editing skills required.
• Must be able to work under pressure on concurrent projects with frequent interruptions and minimal supervision.
• Willingness to work some evening and weekend hours required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Slate, Student Information System (SIS), and PowerFAIDS strongly preferred.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.