Sometimes googling just isn’t going to cut it.  And one of those times is when you are a Director of Financial Aid tasked with figuring out how to boost enrollment. Enter Christy Miller (Wayland Baptist University) and Anthony Morrone (Nevada State College) who last week spent an hour discussing how they are rethinking everything from the programs their universities offer to the financial aid they provide to the language on their website to the net price calculator they use (and making sure it is SAI compliant!). Demystifying the Language of College Costs: Attracting Students Through Financial Transparency was a great webinar!

And we have good news: we recorded it and you can download it here!

A few highlights from our discussion:

• As enrollment continues to decline across the country, universities are using varied approaches ranging from more targeted outreach and direct admissions to adding programs and campuses to improving financial aid leveraging and transparency
• While the media is focusing on the rising cost of college, Directors of Finnacial Aid have stepped up as the heroes and used packaging to hold the “net price” mostly steady – but this is something many students miss
• Current websites, communications and NPC are often jargon-filled, assume a high reading level, and make it especially challenging for first generation and Pell eligible students to understand their options
• Making it easier for students to understand what they will pay after aid is factored in through a better net price calculator like Meadow Price has a direct impact on enrollment - at WBU they saw a 31%  increase in applications this year

I hope you learn as much from them as I did.  Enjoy!

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