This guide is intended to help financial aid administrators (FAAs) interpret student financial aid information that appears in the Student Aid Report (SAR), a paper output document sent to the student, or in an Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR), which is an electronic record sent to the institution. The guide explains the codes and…

The fifth and final article in a series on the role of the chief business official presents the officials' rating of the relative importance of eight major issues over the next three years. (MLF)

Information is provided on the Student Aid Report (SAR), which is used to determine student eligibility for Pell Grants. Four to six weeks after a student submits a 1986-87 "Application for Federal Student Aid" or one of the non-federal applications, the student will receive the SAR. The student's eligibility status determines which of…

The relationship between financial aid staff and students is examined from the client perspective based on day-to-day contact with various services. The discussion is based on one institution's student survey. (MSE)

A survey of financial aid administrators in Illinois studied the possible relationships of institutional type, job title, and years of experience on administrators' personal security, socialization, self-esteem, autonomy, self-actualization, and feeling of being knowledgeable. (MSE)

This workbook covers all the processes needed to administer the federal direct loan program in schools; it requires familiarity with the basic concepts found in the "Direct Loan School Guide." The eight units of instruction include: Unit 1: an overview; Unit 2: processing loan records, including the EDExpress setup, the processing cycle,…

Discusses the recent challenges to affirmative action and the alternative policies states have used to diversify their college campuses, and describes the role minority-serving institutions and financial aid administrators may play in providing access to higher education for underrepresented groups. (EV)

It is suggested that well-designed and executed institutional research on the effects of student financial aid can help resolve ambiguities about policy and provide useful information for institutional financial planning. Models and methodologies for conducting such research using existing data sources are outlined. (Author/MSE)

The interactions of student financial aid offices with other campus offices, government agencies, and private groups are described. Campus groups that interact with the financial aid office include the following: campus veterans affairs office, student affairs office/dean of students, recruitment staff, campus registrar, chief executive officer,…

This manual is designed to instruct administrators of the Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL) Program in how to take every step possible to administer the program effectively and to minimize the program costs of serving the high risk student. It shows schools how to work with students throughout their time in school, create ownership of the loan(s) by…

The practice of reducing student aid packages by the dollar amount of private donors' gifts to individual students as a means of reducing institutional gift assistance is criticized as effectively subverting the donor's intent in giving the gift and as possibly placing the donor in legal jeopardy. (MSE)

Virginia has developed a state training program for student financial aid administrators. It is coordinated with two previously separate programs, is cost efficient, and has resolved the issues of who should train, what materials should be included, when training should be conducted, and where training should occur. (JMD)

The role of middle-management in college administration is addressed. Focus is on financial aid officers who are good representatives of the major dilemmas faced by middle-managers. For example: their contact with students is limited by paperwork duties; they must look off-campus for training and recognition; and federal regulations greatly affect…

Institutional researchers and student financial aid officers can collaborate to construct the longitudinal data files needed to study students persistence and recommend persistence policy. (Author/MSE)

In serving students, financial aid officers must address issues outside the scope of the financial aid program, including admissions, academic policy, institutional bureaucracy, student consumer education, and pricing. These require policy decisions and resource allocations the financial aid administrator cannot make alone. Cooperation and support…