The Wait is Over: How Meadow's NPC Empowered Colorado Mesa University to Overcome FAFSA Delays

Summary

In the face of unprecedented FAFSA delays for the 2024-25 academic year, Colorado Mesa University (CMU) took proactive measures to support its nearly 10,000 students, 66% of whom are first-generation and/or Pell-eligible. For many CMU students, the decision is not between one college or another college; it is whether or not they attend college at all. By implementing Meadow's Net Price Calculator, CMU provided accurate and timely financial aid estimates, bypassing the traditional wait for federal aid data. This initiative, branded as the "Wait is Over" campaign, resulted in the distribution of 2,000 early aid award letters to incoming students with 98.7% accuracy, leading to a significant increase in student enrollment and alleviating widespread anxiety among students and families. This case study highlights the challenges, innovative solutions, and positive outcomes of CMU's approach, offering a model for other institutions facing similar challenges.

The Challenge

Lindsey Campbell, Executive Director of Financial Aid, Advising, and Enrollment at Colorado Mesa University, already had a lot on her plate with all of the delays associated with the 2024-25 FAFSA. Completion rates were down, the transmission of student data from the FAFSA (ISIRs) was delayed, and everyone was worried about the impact it would have on students, families, and enrollment numbers. 

John Marshall, the President of CMU, was thinking about the same issues and came to Lindsey with a question. “Our president called me into his office, and he asked ‘Can we do this without the Department of ED?’ And I said, ‘Do I have to? I am all for it, but that’s a lot of work!’” Lindsey laughed. “He asked me to take some time and see what was feasible. So I did.”


For CMU students, who choose between CMU and no college at all, making sure it is accessible and affordable is imperative - something that both John and Lindsey understood deeply.  And both knew that timing was of the essence.  The delays by the department would mean that many students would choose not to attend college at all.  So they had to find a way to get them their offers right away.

The Solution

Lindsey knew that this was something she and her team could pull off with the right tool. And they knew that Meadow Price, their new net price calculator, was the tool they needed. It was important to CMU that the calculator was accurate and that the data it provided would give them everything they needed to put together an offer letter. Meadow could do both.

“Thankfully we had already contracted with Meadow,” Lindsey said. “I had to really trust it, and I also knew that with it we could do it.”

First, Lindsey worked with the board to ensure it would guarantee the financial aid calculated by the NPC.  She needed to know that any promises made to students were kept.

“If we're going to do this, we're not just going to do it halfway. We're going to commit to that. We have to guarantee to every low income student that was questioning if higher ed is worth it that the money would be there,” she thought.

Then Lindsey’s team worked alongside Meadow to ensure the calculator would include all possible aid. Together, they tested every scenario. And she grew in her confidence that this would pay off.

The team realized that they could go from completion of the NPC calculator to an early award letter in the hands of students in 4-5 days. Everything was ready to go.

The “Wait is Over” campaign launched with messages to students, Youtube videos, social media posts, and press releases.  They wanted every questioning student to know about it. They wanted students to choose education.

The Results

There are multiple ways to measure the results of the Wait is Over campaign and partnership between CMU and Meadow.

The Numbers

• 2000: Distributed to prospective students, providing timely financial clarity.
• 98.7%: Accuracy: In financial aid awards, reinforcing trust in the process.
• 42%: Largest freshman class on record with a 34% increase in enrollment

The Feelings of Relief

At a time when anxiety was high and everyone from financial aid leaders to presidents to enrollment directors to students and families was worried, the early aid award letters provided assurance and helped people get the information they needed. It moved the focus from the problem to the solution.

The Life Changing Stories

Lindsey sat in front of a student who started crying and then explained that she had been worried she would not be able to return to school for financial reasons.  She saw the Wait is Over campaign and used the NPC.  She got an early award letter that included a promise - she saw the money was guaranteed - and went to her parents and told them, “I’m getting the money.  And I’m going to go back to school again this Fall.” Without aid and without a guarantee, this student wouldn’t have returned. “It was amazing to see the impact the promise had on this one student.  And there are many others,” Lindsey said.

‍

Reflections

The 2024-25 FAFSA delay will be the subject of articles and discussions for years. For most institutions, it will be remembered as a year of incredibly hard work, of stops and starts, of feeling like their teams are overworked and their students are being let down.For CMU, it will be different.  They worked hard; they were overworked, but they did not let it overwhelm them.  True to their mascot, the Mavericks, they had a Maverick moment, and they figured out a different path forward.  And that path made college possible for thousands of students.