Career College Central

Subscribe at www.careercollegecentral.com 32 ree must-have technologies for financial aid offices 1. Document management Financial aid packets come at you from all directions, via mail, email, fax, website forms and mobile submissions. Dedicated financial aid soware simplifies the verification of data between your student information systems and financial aid files, allowing you to streamline the collection of complete packets and speed award processing, even during peak enrollment times when submissions are flooding into your department. The ability to quickly and accurately manage all types of documents and data anywhere on or off campus means you're able to award aid faster than ever, support your institution's enrollment goals, and free your time to counsel and advocate for a greater number of best- fit students. 2. Electronic forms e government sometimes asks colleges and universities to verify the information that students and parents have entered on the FAFSA. About one-third of FAFSAs are selected for verification, said Nancy Coolidge, associate director of student financial support at the president's office of the University of California system. e process requires the applicant to submit additional documents to the financial aid office to support information entered on the form. "Colleges may ask families to send tax return transcripts, siblings' college registration forms, proof of income or other supporting documentation. Neglect to complete the verification, and students will find themselves without federal financial aid," according to a March 2015 U.S. News & World Report article. Speeding this verification process helps colleges meet enrollment goals and improve service to students. By using electronic forms, or e-forms, your department can safely and effectively deal with the many documents needed for verification as quickly as possible. Additionally, millennials expect to be able to complete most of their financial and legal transactions electronically, and by failing to allow them to, your school may appear behind the times. 3. Electronic signatures e Department of Federal Student Aid is required to collect signatures from a student and a parent (if applicable) to verify the information entered on the FAFSA and other financial aid applications. Paper-based signature processes are inefficient, increasing application cycle times and creating barriers to getting documents signed. Electronic signatures, or e-signatures, remove those barriers, eliminating inefficiencies and mitigating risks in the signing process, all with a high level of authentication. COMMUNICATING WITH A DIVERSE STUDENT POPULATION • Preferred communication channels: Asian and Hispanic students were most likely to prefer contact via email; Hispanic and African-American students were most likely to prefer the telephone. • Initiating contact with a college: African- American and Caucasian students were more likely to initiate contact. • Social media behaviors: Asian and Caucasian students were the most likely to use social media in their college search, while African-American students were the least likely to do so. • Parental involvement: Caucasian and African-American students were more likely to report their parents as "very involved" in their college search. Asian and Hispanic students were more likely to report their parents as "not involved at all." • Online videos: Students of color were more likely to view online videos than Caucasian students, especially African-American and Hispanic students. Ruffalo Noel Levitz blog, "Engaging Students of Color During the Recruitment Process," March 10, 2015

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