Client Communication and Ethics Flashcards

An enrollment counselor discovers that a prospective student provided inaccurate income information on their financial aid application. What is the counselor's ethical obligation?

Answer: Advise the student to correct the information and report it per institutional policy

Enrollment counselors must encourage correction of inaccurate information and follow institutional reporting policies to maintain integrity.

Which communication practice best demonstrates respect for a prospective student's autonomy during the enrollment process?

Answer: Providing balanced information and allowing the student to make an informed decision

Respecting autonomy means giving students complete, balanced information so they can make independent, informed enrollment decisions.

A student asks an enrollment counselor about salary expectations after completing a program. What is the most ethical response?

Answer: Share verified institutional graduate salary data with appropriate context and limitations

Counselors must share accurate, documented salary data rather than inflated figures, and clarify that individual outcomes may vary.

Under FERPA, when may an enrollment counselor share a prospective student's application information with a third party without consent?

Answer: When required by a lawful subpoena or court order

FERPA permits disclosure without consent only in specific circumstances, including responses to lawful subpoenas.

An enrollment counselor is offered a gift by a high school guidance counselor in exchange for prioritizing that school's students. The ethical action is to:

Answer: Decline the gift and report the offer per institutional conflict-of-interest policy

Accepting gifts tied to preferential treatment violates conflict-of-interest standards and must be declined and reported.

Which of the following best describes the principle of 'informed consent' in enrollment counseling?

Answer: Ensuring students understand the terms, costs, and obligations before committing to enrollment

Informed consent requires that students fully understand all relevant information—costs, terms, and obligations—before making enrollment decisions.

A counselor notices that marketing materials contain misleading graduation rate statistics. The most ethical course of action is to:

Answer: Flag the inaccuracy to supervisors and request a correction before further distribution

Counselors have an ethical duty to report misleading institutional materials through proper channels to prevent harm to prospective students.