I think an institution has an obligation of informing a student if they are in danger of taking out too many student loans, which would increase their chances of going into default. The financial aid officer has the student's record and history of the schools they may have already been to. It would be in the best interest of the student not to incur so much debt.

This again comes back to asking the student open ended questions to have them open up and really express their needs. Sometimes students have never been exposed to this because they haven't really had anyone in their life who has cared. As an admissions person, we must have a way of showing understanding and compassion

We have a assessment test that we give all of our prospective students, that they must have a certain score for the particular program they are going into to qualify for that program. As admissions reps we try to engage the prospective students into conversations to uncover their needs and wants and why they feel that the program they are looking into will be best for them.