Financial Aid Offices Face Intensifying Staffing Challenges Amid Pandemic
Survey
May. 2022
Sample Size:
518
Demographics:
administrators
Topics:
Administration
Top Findings:
- Half of respondents to the original survey reported operating at a 75% staffing capacity for both award years 2019-20 and 2020-21. Another 56% of respondents reported in the follow-up survey that they were operating at a reduced staffing capacity and thus did not have time to complete the original survey.
- Most offices reported having difficulty filling up to 5-6 positions for both award years 2019-20 and 2020-21.
- Forty percent of institutions indicated they do not feel they have the resources to maintain administratively capability standards. Nearly 80% voiced concern about their ability to be administratively capable in the future. More than half (56%) are concerned about their ability to adequately serve students with current staffing levels.
- An overwhelming majority (86%) reported not receiving enough qualified applications, and the large majority of those (67%) felt it was squarely an issue of salary restrictions that made the job uncompetitive.