Financial Aid Staff

(Adopted from the NASFAA Statement of Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct for Financial Aid Professionals)

The Financial Aid Professional shall:

1. Maintain the highest level of professionalism.
2. Refrain from taking any action for his or her personal benefit.
3. Refrain from taking any action he or she believes is contrary to law, regulation, or the best interests of the students and parents he or she serves.
4. Ensure that the information he or she provides is accurate, unbiased, and does not reflect any preference arising from actual or potential personal gain.
5. Be objective in making decisions and advising his or her institution regarding relationships with any entity involved in any aspect of student financial aid.
6. Refrain from soliciting or accepting anything of other than nominal value from any entity (other than an institution of higher education or a governmental entity such as the U.S. Department of Education) involved in the making, holding, consolidating or processing of any student loans, including anything of value (including reimbursement of expenses) for serving on an advisory body or as part of a training activity of or sponsored by any such entity.
7. Disclose to his or her institution, in such manner as his or her institution may prescribe, any involvement with or interest in any entity involved in any aspect of student financial aid.
8. Make every effort to assist students with financial need.
9. Educate students and families through quality consumer information.
10. Respect the dignity and protect the privacy of students, and ensure the confidentiality of student records and personal circumstances.
11. Ensure equity by applying all need analysis formulas consistently across the institution's full population of student financial aid applicants.
12. Provide services that do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age, or economic status.
13. Commit to the highest level of ethical behavior and refrain from conflict of interest or the perception thereof.