Financial Aid Director
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
A Financial Aid Director directs the allocation of financial aid funds and services at a college or university. Applies college policies regarding aid, manages institution's programs and outreach efforts, assists selected applicants, maintains confidentiality, and oversees employees in the financial aid office.
Job Outlook
There were 71 Financial Aid Director job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 2055 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Higher Education Administrator industry, which includes the Financial Aid Director career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2016:
Salary
Many new Financial Aid Director jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $116,402.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $115,025.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Financial Aid Director postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $102,276.
Education and Experience
Posted Financial Aid Director jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 0% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 77.27% |
| Master's Degree | 47.98% |
| Doctoral Degree | 3.55% |
| Other | 2.09% |
Posted Financial Aid Director jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 12.81% |
| 3 to 5 years | 71.08% |
| 6 to 8 years | 11.23% |
| 9+ years | 4.88% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Financial Aid Director positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Communication (58.83%)
- Management (53.19%)
- Leadership (50.27%)
- Customer Service (50.07%)
- Operations (46.08%)
- Planning (26.96%)
- Packaging And Labeling (25.6%)
- Coordinating (24.82%)
- Problem Solving (24.67%)
- Microsoft Office (24.38%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- State Regulations (23.08%)
- Financial Aid Counseling (8.99%)
- Loans (47.56%)
- Enrollment Management (28.17%)
- Finance (21.26%)
- Reconciliation (26.14%)
- Auditing (36.43%)
- Student Services (33.26%)
- Financial Aid Eligibility (11.28%)
- Financial Aid Management (12.01%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- PeopleSoft Applications (9.51%)
- Student-Centred Learning (9.2%)
- Statistics (7.95%)
- Student Information Systems (18.66%)
- SAP Applications (12.94%)
- Project Management (6.81%)
- Higher Education (13.1%)
- Family Educational Rights And Privacy Act (10.24%)
- Financial Services (17.62%)
- Debt Management Planning (6.91%)
- Regulatory Compliance (8.68%)
- Continuous Improvement Process (4.57%)
- Billing (7.43%)
- Data Analysis (9.36%)
- Accounting (19.18%)
- Workflow Management (9.77%)
- Policy Development (7.38%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.
- Reconciliation (100%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Financial Aid Director skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Director of Financial Aid
- Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships
- Director of Student Financial Aid
- Director of Student Financial Services
- Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid
- Director of Scholarships
- Assistant Director of Student Financial Services
- Financial Aid Associate
- Assistant Director of Financial Services
- Executive Director of Finance
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Financial Aid Counselor / Specialist
- Student Support Administrator
- Student Affairs Administrator
- Director of Student Affairs
- Campus Director
- Director of Admissions
- Higher Education Program Coordinator
- Provost
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Financial Aid Director jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Boston University (16)
- Florida Technical College (14)
- University of Chicago (14)
- Unitek Learning (14)
- Johns Hopkins University (12)
- Columbia University (12)
- Roger Williams University School of Law (11)
- Success Education Colleges (11)
- College of Health Care Professions (10)
- Pepperdine University (9)
North Carolina
- University of North Carolina (8)
- Western Carolina University (7)
- Appalachian State University (5)
- Wake Forest University (4)
- North Carolina A & T State University (3)
- Johnson C Smith University (3)
- Elon University (3)
- University of North Carolina Asheville (2)
- Atrium Health (2)
- William Peace University (2)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.