Improving Award Letters and Consumer Information
Consumer Testing of Financial Aid Award Letters
This study tried to ascertain how consumers (students and parents) would understand the information on a model or standardized award letter notification. Three types of award letters were tested, and no clear winner was found among the three.
NASFAA's Award Letter Recommendations
NASFAA's Award Notification and Consumer Information Task Force published a report to ensure greater transparency with award letters for students and parents.
The report accepted by NASFAA's Board of Directors provides specific elements award letters should incorporate; a glossary of standard award letter terminology; and additional consumer information that should accompany all award letters.
Additional Information and Resources
- No Clear Winner: Consumer Testing of Financial Aid Award Letters - Report PDF
- This study tried to ascertain how consumers (students and parents) would understand the information on a model or standardized award letter notification. We tested three types of award letters: Letter A (ED’s Shopping Sheet), Letter B (Recommendations based on NASFAA Task Force), and Letter C (NASFAA Hybrid), which com...
- No Clear Winner: Consumer Testing of Financial Aid Award Letters - Summary & Report
- Recognizing that a plethora of untested consumer information is now available for prospective and current students and parents, NASFAA in 2012 contracted independent research firm JBL Associates, Inc. (JBLA) to consumer test the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Shopping Sheet and two NASFAA-designed alternative fina...
- Q&A: CFPB, ED Issue Final Version of Financial Aid Shopping Sheet
- The U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued the revised and final version of the financial aid Shopping Sheet as part of their efforts to make information about the cost of college and financial aid packages more transparent and comparable for students and parents. S...
- Chart Comparing Award Letter Proposals
- Recent scrutiny of award letters and consumer information sparked a host of proposals to improve this information for students and parents. This chart tracks recent proposals from the White House, Congress, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the U.S. Department of Education. Check out the Award Letter ...
- CFPB, ED Final Financial Aid Shopping Sheet
- The final version of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and U.S. Department of Education's financial aid Shopping Sheet
- Sen. Franken Introduces Bill to Standardize Award Letters
- Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) introduced the "Understanding the True Cost of College Act" to mandate higher education institutions use a standardized award letter, uniform financial aid terms, and provide information about student loan repayment and a host of other student aid-related disclosures. The bill directs the Secreta...
- CFPB Launches Beta Tool to Help Students Compare School Costs
- The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced the next phase of its "Know Before You Owe" student loan project by releasing a beta version of the "Financial Aid Comparison Shopper," an interactive, online tool designed to help students and families compare the costs of post-secondary education at various in...
- Financial Aid Administrators Advocate Lawmakers to Resist Standardization of Award Letters
- Financial aid administrators took to Capitol Hill to advocate against the standardization of award letters and for support of Federal Student Aid funding.
- NASFAA Response to CFPB 'Shopping Sheet'
- While NASFAA believes that improvements to award notifications are necessary and desirable, regulation of award letters could interfere with an institution’s ability to meet the specific needs of its unique student body, and could restrict innovation. However, a model for financial aid award notifications can be both i...
- Debating Award Letters at the 2011 FSA Conference
- Award letters have been a source of debate for over 20 years and this was the case at the 2011 Federal Student Aid (FSA) conference in December. U.S. Department of Education officials held an award letter session to solicit feedback from the financial aid community as part of their effort to develop a model award lett...
- Charter: Task Force on Award Notification & Consumer Information
- The Task Force on Award Notification Consumer Information is charged with examining best practices in award notification and consumer information and reporting back to the NASFAA Board of Directors with recommendations on how to improve or standardize elements of an award notification.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and ED to Develop Model Financial Aid Disclosure Form
- The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced on Oct. 26 that it is partnering with the U.S. Department of Education to launch a “Know Before You Owe” project to create a model financial aid disclosure form for students and parents.
- NASFAA President Makes Recommendations to ED on Award Letters
- NASFAA President Justin Draeger recommended to the Department of Education (ED) key elements and model formats to improve award letters for students and their families.
- Award Letter Comparison Tool for Students and Parents
- This tool helps students and parents compare financial aid award letters from different schools
- Creating an Effective Financial Aid Award Letter
- Use this tool to evaluate your institution's financial aid award letter to create clear, concise, and complete award letters that adhere to best practices.