CONFERENCE ON ADULT LEARNER ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT 2013
Increase Enrollments Through Financial Aid and Transfer Credit Pre-Evaluations
Jim Dunn
July 17, 2013
CONFERENCE ON ADULT LEARNER ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT 2013
By far, these are the two most common questions that prospective students ask enrollment counselors every day:1. How many of my credits will transfer?2. How soon can I speak with someone about
financial aid?
Online and Adult Student Needs
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CONFERENCE ON ADULT LEARNER ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT 2013
Many schools will see more than half of their applicants “opt out” of the process because of these two questions: 1. Do you track your application-
to-accepted percentage?2. Do you keep declined applicants
separate?
Why Focus on These Topics?
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CONFERENCE ON ADULT LEARNER ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT 2013
THE UNOFFICIALTRANSFER EVALUATION
(UTE)
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CONFERENCE ON ADULT LEARNER ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT 2013
Many online, undergraduate transfer students will base their decision on transfer credit acceptance. Why?
• Time• Energy• Cost
Why Focus on These Topics?
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CONFERENCE ON ADULT LEARNER ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT 2013
• Many online transfer students shop around to several schools until they feel they have received the best return on transfer credits.
• The sooner an enrollment counselors responds to these students, the sooner they will stop shopping.
• Unofficial transfer credit evaluations are vital!
Transfer Students Shop Around
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CONFERENCE ON ADULT LEARNER ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT 2013
• Why stress the word “unofficial”?• The language on the unofficial transcript
evaluation (UTE) is very clear.• These evaluations do NOT require an official
transcript.• UTEs can be completed by trained enrollment
counselors rather than academic staff because the vast majority of the credits are for lower-division general education.
Unofficial Transfer Evaluations
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CONFERENCE ON ADULT LEARNER ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT 2013
• UTEs may be completed using a simple, one-page grid.
• They need to be easy for any student to understand.
• UTEs should be completedwithin 48 hours of receiving the unofficial transcript.
Unofficial Transfer Evaluations (UTE)
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CONFERENCE ON ADULT LEARNER ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT 2013
• Schedule a time to walk your student through the UTE and never send it electronically until you have them on the phone for the walk-through.
• Unless all of their credits transfer, students will need to hear the rationale for not accepting specific courses.
UTE Walk-Through
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Friendly service goes a long way with online students!
CONFERENCE ON ADULT LEARNER ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT 2013
THE FINANCIAL AID BRIEFING
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CONFERENCE ON ADULT LEARNER ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT 2013
• Some of the most common complaints we hear from students are related to financial aid.
• Some of the most consistent reasons given for application cancelations are related to financial aid.
• Some of the most common reasons for first-week withdraws are related to financial aid.
How Serious Is the Financial Aid Issue?
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CONFERENCE ON ADULT LEARNER ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT 2013
• The financial aid briefing is designed to:• Ease fears common among most applicants.• Inform the student on financial aid basics that
are common to all applicants.• Prepare the student for differences related to
his or her particular situation.• Resolve issues related to verification and
Common Code (C-Code) prior to acceptance.
How Important Is the Briefing?
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CONFERENCE ON ADULT LEARNER ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT 2013
The tuition planner (TP) is a full-time employee assigned to the admissions and enrollment department.
This person does not package students, award funds, disburse funds or make corrections.
The TP’s primary purpose is to ease fears, inform, prepare and resolve issues.
The Tuition Planner
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CONFERENCE ON ADULT LEARNER ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT 2013
The first call usually occurs within 48 hours of a student’s application submission.
The tuition planner will verify the FAFSA has been completed and will begin looking for the Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR).
After the ISIR has been received and the unofficial transcript evaluation has been completed, the TP will schedule the briefing.
When Does the Briefing Take Place?
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CONFERENCE ON ADULT LEARNER ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT 2013
The briefing should always be conducted over the phone or in person.
The TP will review the ISIR. If the student has been selected for verification, or has a C-Code, the TP will provide detailed instructions on how to resolve either issue.
Next, he or she will review the transfer evaluation and explain the Stafford Loan limits for the first year and years following.
The TP will then provide a scenario that outlines full-time status, and less than full-time status, based on the student’s potential classification.
The Briefing
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CONFERENCE ON ADULT LEARNER ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT 2013
If processed correctly, an applicant may apply to an institution on a Monday, download their unofficial transcripts from a prior college, and complete the FAFSA on Monday night.
By Tuesday afternoon, the student will have an unofficial transfer credit evaluation showing how their credit may be applied to their degree plan.
How It All Works Together
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CONFERENCE ON ADULT LEARNER ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT 2013
By Tuesday evening, the TP will have introduced himself or herself and scheduled a briefing for Thursday night.
By Thursday night, the TP will have reviewed the ISIR, conducted the briefing and instructed the student on how to submit verification paperwork.
How It All Works Together
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