Tesimonials

Since 1999, NASFAA has conducted Standards of Excellence reviews at private and public, four-year and two-year institutions across the country.

Seattle University

"The NASFAA Standards of Excellence Review was great. I enjoyed meeting and sharing ideas with new colleagues from around the country. It was great to get affirmation of the things we are doing well and also to learn ideas to help us become even better. I was nervous about our Policies and Procedures and was thrilled to get positive feedback on them. The SOE Review helped point out some opportunities for growth and professional development. It is hard to go through this process and not feel defensive as you are asked many questions. The Reviewers were extremely professional, competent individuals who helped put you at ease. I would strongly recommend the NASFAA SOE Review, it was worth every penny. We have a wonderful road map to guide our planning for this next year."

Jim White
Director of Student Financial Services
Full Review, February 2005

University of Alaska - Fairbanks

"Our office benefitted greatly from the SOE review conducted by our peers. Not only did we gain useful information regarding compliance with federal regulations, we were challenged to rethink the 'way we do things.'

The SOE team performed a very thorough reveiw of our application process, human resources, and facility layout. The end result was a candid summary of our strengths and weaknesses including suggestions for continued growth and development. We now have a position in our office dedicated to helping students find funding through scholarship resources.

We were also pleased that the review team involved our peripheral offices as well. Not only did they conduct interviews with our staff, they included the staff of the entire Enrollment Management Division as well as the Business Office. This approach was useful in engaging cooperation and building partnerships among the staff.

We strongly recommend the SOE Review to any school. It was well worth the time and effort."

Tamara M Hornbuckle
Financial Aid Director
Full Review, June 2004

Baylor University

"In the financial aid world, we are so busy 'doing' that we do not take the time to step back and really think about the 'how' and 'why.' NASFAA’s Standards of Excellence Review Program helps the financial aid professional discover a different view of the processes and procedures. 'That's the way we have always done it' or 'other schools do it that way' are statements that can lead a financial aid office out of compliance with federal regulations. The review team made up of financial aid colleagues helped us improve our procedures and gain support from other areas of the campus. They also confirmed many things that we were doing correctly and complimented several of our processes as 'best practices' for a financial aid office. After the team's exit interview, our vice president stated that he wished that all his divisions had such a tool."

Cliff Neel
Assistant Vice President and Director
Full Review, November 2000

City College of San Francisco

"The Standards of Excellence Review Team did an amazing job diagnosing our weaknesses and providing positive recommendation for improvement. The end result is that our financial aid office is now providing better services to our students. I would recommend the Standards of Excellence Review Program to any institution that seeks to improve its financial aid operations."

Frank Chong
Dean of Student Services
Full Review, November 1999

Next Steps

If you are ready to take the next step, simply complete the no-obligation Cost Estimate Request Form, which is an online form, or download and print the Cost Estimate Request Form as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file and fax it to 202-785-1487.

Please direct all questions about SOE to Susan Luhman, program coordinator, at Excellence@NASFAA.org or (202) 785-6972.