NASFAA Mention: How Should Financial Aid Offices Communicate With Students During the Pandemic?

"About half of college students said they wanted to hear more from their financial aid offices during the spring term, according to a recent survey from Ithaka S+R, a research and consulting group," Education Dive reports. "More than 15,000 students across 21 colleges answered the survey between April and May. A significant share of students also wanted more outreach from their academic advising offices and counseling centers.

Experts said colleges should reach out to Pell Grant-eligible and other disadvantaged students to connect them with resources and help them apply for financial aid increases if the pandemic has stressed their finances. "

..."Students can also request that college officials adjust their financial aid applications to account for special circumstances, such as job losses and natural disasters. In April guidance, the U.S. Department of Education encouraged schools to use this process to more accurately reflect students' financial need during the pandemic. 

Nearly half (47%) of institutions saw a year-over-year increase in requests from students to adjust their applications between the beginning of March and late May, according to a recent National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators poll. And 22% of institutions said they started to proactively inform students about the process after the crisis started."

NASFAA's "Notable Headlines" section highlights media coverage of financial aid to help members stay up to date with the latest news. Articles included under the notable headlines section are not written by NASFAA, but rather by external sources. Inclusion in Today's News does not imply endorsement of the material or guarantee the accuracy of information presented.

 

Publication Date: 6/26/2020

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