Andrea Cipolla is the Director in the Office of Student Financial Wellness and Assistance at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where she leads all aspects of federal, state, and institutional aid administration, strategic scholarship management, and Financial Wellness. She joined UMBC in October 2020, bringing over two decades of progressive leadership experience in higher education financial aid.
A seasoned financial aid executive, Andrea is known for her expertise in public speaking, leadership, PeopleSoft administration, project management, and student development. Prior to returning to UMBC, she served as the Assistant Vice President for Financial Aid Systems at the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC), where she oversaw system operations for a portfolio serving more than 50,000 aid applicants annually and managed compliance, reporting, and reconciliation for major federal aid programs.
Andrea’s career also includes key leadership roles at the University of Baltimore, Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law, and earlier in her career, UMBC’s own Office of Financial Aid. She has additionally contributed to regional professional communities through positions such as Vice Chair and Resident Agent of the DE-DC-MD Association of Student Aid Administrators.
Andrea holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Pennsylvania State University. She is also a NASFAA-certified Financial Aid Administrator (FAAC®).
In recent years, Andrea has shared her expertise publicly at the local, state, regional and national levels, including through interviews such as the I Hate Politics podcast, where she discussed financial aid strategy, literacy, and the evolving landscape of college affordability.