Our institution schedules exit counseling for all potential graduates. These are all completed by an assigned individual. If the student is all online we conduct it via mail and phone.
Bryan,
Hi, having FAO's contact the students is a nice touch. How effective is this process? Are they able to reach the majority of the students?
Cindy Bryant
Students at my institution are assigned Financial Aid Advisors and they will contact them via email and phone to inform and help navigate them to Exit Counseling. Students also receive an email letting them know what they need to complete before graduation and Exit Counseling is in that email.
Our students are all assigned to a Financial Aid Advisor once they are enrolled in classes. This Financial Aid Advisor will work with them throughout their education. Once they are ready to complete the Exit Counseling their FInancial Aid Advisor will notify the student individually by phone, email, and on their student portal.
At our college, when students are graduating, a financial aid advisor will reach out to them and inform them about exit counseling. Usually emails are sent as well. We help get them to the website and instruct them to call if any additional assistance is needed.
For exit counseling we contact the student through telephone and send out reminders through email they must complete this upon graduation.
Chad,
Thanks for clearing up how your team conducts exit counseling.
Cindy Bryant
They can only help them navigate to exit counseling. Specific questions regarding the counseling itself they can not answer. They typically tell the student to make the best educated guess.
Chad,
Welcome! You mention that the financial aid advisers cannot answer any questions, if this is the case how do they handle specific questions from students?
Cindy Bryant
At my institution we have financial aid advisors who are able to walk students through exit loan counseling. Now they are not allowed to help answer any questions, but they can provide instructions in case a student gets stuck. I come from an admissions background so my experience with exit loan counseling is very limited.
We are an online institution so the checklist is a guideline to follow that the student will also have a Success Coach & Financial Aid Advisor to guide them through the graduation process.
Our school has our Financial Aid Advisors help our student when they graduate from our school. We lead them to the correct website and have them call us if they need help.
Melissa,
Hi! Welcome to the forum. Once the students receive the checklist are they supposed to bring it back to the school?
Cindy Bryant
When our students are approaching graduation they are sent a checklist of information in which they need to complete upon graduation. Among that information they are provided the information on how to complete exit counseling and where to go in order to complete their exit counseling. Our financial aid advisors are there to help them along the way if they are not able to complete the exit counseling on their own or have questions about it.
Students approaching graduation are sent an e-mail with a checklist of things needed to be done before graduating & included in that checklist is completed Exit Counseling at the studentloans.gov website. We also have our Financial Aid Advisors reach out to our students to make sure they get it completed and/or if they have any questions or need assistance.
Cherie,
Welcome to the forum! You may not be aware but the financial aid exits must be rather formal there is usually paper work that needs to be signed and documented in the student file. This documentation is critical in the event that there is a audit or review. In addition the information given the student at time of exit assists the schools in their attempt to lower their cohort default rates.
Cindy Bryant
We have a financial aid department that the students are able to call to have any questions answered as well as our business office.
Cherie,
Having an Executive Director meet with the student for exit counseling is major commitment. What if the student has questions regarding their financial aid loans and indebtedness? Who answers those types of questions?
Cindy Bryant
The Executive Director/Academic Director of the campus meets with the graduate to do the exit with the student as well as job placement.
Samone,
In regard to your FA exit counseling, are these held in a group or one-to-one?
Cindy Bryant
