How to Become a Financial Aid Consultant

As a financial aid consultant, you help students in need. You must know the financial aid system inside-out. By helping families through the process, you maximize their kids' chances of getting help with college tuition. Here's how you do it.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Become a certified public accountant or certified financial planner. This lets your clients know you have the credentials to manage money.

2. Educate yourself on the financial aid process. Access rules and forms from colleges online. The US Department of Education has a list of resources for financial aid professionals.

3. Keep up to date on financial aid legislation. You need to know how your clients can get the most out of the system. Use the Library of Congress THOMAS website to search with keywords "financial aid."

4. Intern with a financial aid office at a university. You'll learn hands-on what administrators look at and how they judge the work of consultants.

5. Find ways to reach parents. Participate in fundraisers to benefit your local high schools. Distribute fliers in neighborhoods with lots of families.

6. Keep educating yourself about the financial aid process. Take seminars and workshops in finance to become efficient in working the numbers.

7. Offer parents in your community a free seminar on the financial aid process. Make sure you give them useful information to prove you're a reputable consultant.

Tips & Warnings

• Financial aid administrators keep tabs on consultants who don't follow the rules and pass that information along to parents who ask.
• Never make it seem like a client has to go through you in order to apply for federal financial aid.
• Be aware you're fighting prejudice in the field because of many fraudulent colleagues.

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Resources

• Search for information
• Check out the Library of Congress search tool.