Financial aid discussion by Admissions
It is critical that Admissions reps do not get into discussion about financial aid and that they refer the student to a financial aid officer. One way of explaining the "hand off" to the student is to let them know that the finacial aid officer is an expert in the area of financial aid and to ensure that they are getting the most accurate information the college has all students speak only with the FA department.
I understand the fine line but things aren't like they were 30 years ago when I started in admissions. We should be able to discuss some questions, but not how to complete a fafsa. Just the basics of what it is and why such personal questions are needed. Parents who have never filled out the fafsa become very cautious of giving information so they need some insight.
I believe it is critically important for the FA department to discuss any FA questions a prospective student might have. "Handing Off" is a great idea and is a great process so each department is giving the best accurate information.
I think giving the basic breakdown of financial aid is definitely the best policy. For me, going from Financial Aid to Admissions, sticking with a brief description keeps me within compliance and provides an opportunity for the student to connect with their FA advisor should they have additional questions.
I think giving the basic breakdown of financial aid is definitely the best policy. For me, going from Financial Aid to Admissions, sticking with a brief description keeps me within compliance and provides an opportunity for the student to connect with their FA advisor should they have additional questions.
My experience with admissions and discussing financial aid to prospective students is to touch base on the subject but when they have specific questions at that point it is better to get them over to business office to have them discuss how the financial aid works.
It is never the Admissions Representative's role to discuss financial aid options.
I've worked in higer education for almost 8 years and every school I've worked for has always had a strict policy regarding what admissions is allowed to discuss about financial aid. I've always been instructed to give the basic general breakdown of what financial consist of(gift aid and government backed loans for those students who qualify) and transfer to financial aif if the prospective student has additional questions.
Agreed. The rep should discuss financial aid...but very briefly. You do not want the student blinded by the financial aspects of the enrollment process. It could most definately scare the student away if they have heard nothing about it and does not understand it.
My experience has been that a financial aid representative has the best understanding of the students circumstances especially if the student has filled out a FAFSA for that specific school.
An admission representative does not have the full scope of how fincial aid is awarded and affect on the students income.
Good morning Tammy,
I agree as an Admission rep we should leave the discussion of Financial aid to the appropiate Reps, however i feel we should understand some of the basic options open to the students. By knowing there are specific programs available to the students we can help educate the students of options and give them a reason to want to talk to finicial aid rather then simply withdraw or leave a program due to financial constraints
I've worked in Admissions for nearly 10 years and at my previous school which is in another state, we did discuss financial aid. Not the specifics, but the generalities of what the process was for applying and the various federal resources as well as other private resources they may be applying for. We also discussed topics like responsible borrowing with them.
From my experience at my current school, it seems that Admissions doesn't go over more than tuition and never discusses financial aid or responsible borrowing with the student as these are discussed by our student services/financial aid department.
