Sara Kaufman

In 2020, Sara joined College Aid Services as a Senior Consultant, bringing with her a wealth of financial aid expertise. In the industry since 2007, she has amassed extensive experience serving vocational/technical, undergraduate, graduate, and professional students across both public and private sectors.

Sara began her career in a Financial Aid Counselor position with Nova Southeastern University. This initial position laid the groundwork for her future endeavors, allowing her to provide counseling and support to students and families. Over time, Sara’s passion for assisting students led her to explore various facets of financial aid processing.

Following her time at Nova, Sara took on the role of Financial Aid Specialist at Valencia College. She then progressed to become a Senior Financial Aid Counselor at Barry University School of Law. Her journey continued as she assumed the responsibilities of Assistant Director of Financial Aid and Athletic Compliance at the University of Miami, ensuring compliance with financial aid regulations while supporting student-athletes. Sara’s dedication to student success led her to the role of Director of Financial Aid Advising at Broward College, where she provided strategic guidance and oversaw financial aid processes. After Broward, she was the Financial Aid Officer at Osceola Technical College before culminating her previous chapter as the Director of Financial Aid at Lincoln Memorial University.

Sara has worked in several areas of financial aid, including awarding, reconciliation, Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), verification, and veteran benefits. She has assisted clients in many ways, including leveraging e-forms solutions, file review, and verification processing. Her financial aid and compliance expertise supports College Aid Services’ assessment, interim staffing, remote processing, technology support, and training solutions.

Sara has served as an instructor/trainer for the SASFAA New Aid Officer, FASFAA New Aid Officer, and Intermediate Aid Officer Workshops. She has also presented at FASFAA Regional Workshops.

Sara earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Management from the University of Central Florida in 2007 and a Master of Business Administration from Nova Southeastern University in 2010.

Sara also holds NASFAA credentials in the areas of Professional Judgment, Satisfactory Academic Progress, and Student Eligibility.