Gathering student information...
Consider why it is beneficial to obtain borrower contact and reference information throughout the student's academic career. Identify steps you can take to improve your information gathering strategies.
Students sometimes change their contact information and don't inform the school or their lender. I verify their information whenever I meet with them or when past students call in. I also verify contact info when they complete their exit counseling with me.
Obtaining references is not only important for default prevention, but also for retention purposes in case the student becomes MIA (missing in action) when attending classes. I have provided the reference sheet multiple times to academics so that they can contact those individuals and see if we can get updated information or to simply reach out to the student that we are trying to get in touch with. We need to be careful on what is said because of FERPA, but ultimately the reference sheet can be very effective if they are valid. The only thing is, we collect these reference sheets at the time of enrollment and again at the time of exit counseling. It would be a great idea to have something in place where we get updated information in the middle of the student's college experience which I think would work when we complete a student’s repackage for financial aid. I do like the idea of having the references validated at the time we receive the reference sheets, however, it takes a lot of manpower to implement that. I do think the suggestion of a greetings card to be sent the student’s references is a great idea and can be easily achievable with the help of a Federal Work Study (FWS). The only issue with the FWS helping with this is that we are treading on thin ice with them being involved in the admissions process which is a fine line for a compliance issue. The best thing to do is to have a discussion with the student as to why this is required and why it is important to have accurate references because it is for their own good in the long run; the challenge is just making sure the student knows that. On our reference sheets we do give the student, has an option to check mark a box for their references not to be contacted for marketing and/or media purposes which I think helps put them at ease when it comes to listing people they have close ties with.
I love this idea! We collect references the say way (enrollment, entrance counseling, & exit counseling). Verifying references in the beginning of a student's time with us and half way through their program ensures we have the most updated references. Students are sometimes reluctant to provide valid information for their references. Taking it seriously from the beginning sets the tone with professionalism and obtaining accurate information from students.
Jeffrey,
Thank you for mentioning job applications. No one has mentioned this in our forums, but I have noticed that young students often have trouble providing references when applying for jobs. They may fail to inform the person they have been used or they may provide bad or outdated contact information, and these types of mistakes are detrimental to the job-search effort. You make a great point that providing personal information to Financial Aid is an important exercise that will continue to benefit students after college.
Kellee Gunderson
It provides up to date information as many students will have changes during their time in school. Also, it gets the student in the habit of providing similar updates to loan servicer(s). Lastly, when applying for jobs the student will be more comfortable with supplying this information.
As updates are provided during Entrance and Exit counseling, I think a form handed to students at the midpoint of the program would offer an additional opportunity to update their personal information.
At enrollment and during the FA process, we obtain references. These references are useful when trying to reach a student who is absent and not returning our calls and not showing up for class.
Robert,
We are always looking for ways to reduce our skip rates. We suggest gathering many references, and verifying them. We try to collect fresh information at the start of each term, each loan disbursement, or each exam period. We contact the borrower during the grace period. We reach out to career services. But, no matter what we do some students inevitably go missing. What else can we do for students close to default when we have no contact information for them?
Kellee Gunderson
It is always helpful to the borrower to have useful contact information. If they need to get in touch with the former student, they'll need that information. If the borrower becomes a skip or goes into defualt, that contact information becomes critical to locating and counseling the former student.
Our Institution checks in with students frequently during their program. Many times students will have moved to a new address during their enrollment, and test scores or other pertinent information that requires signatures may never reach them. Securing updated information in a timely manner avoids the need to 'chase' the student down.
Troy,
Definitely! Family dynamics are complicated, romantic partners may change, and students’ relationships with friends, neighbors, and coworkers can be in constant flux. All the more reason to touch base with students throughout enrollment and take the time to verify references with a quick phone call or letter.
Kellee Gunderson
Students go through many fazes of their schooling and reference will change over time.
Sherry,
Wow, I think that might be a great strategy. Over the years we have seen a lot of information sheets that prompt for many references, and the students typically leave half the fields blank – they simply cannot or will not provide that much personal data in one sitting. Breaking up the process into more manageable chunks, and reviewing the data for completeness and accuracy, could be a good improvement.
Kellee Gunderson
If we gather two references in admissions, gather two different ones in the financial aid process and two more different references in orientation, would they feel less pressured and be more willing to give accurate names and address. We are a smaller facility and would be able to track the different phases and gather all information.
Wanda,
We have heard from many FA personnel who find this to be a very successful strategy. The unfortunate reality is that many of the references provided by our students are not good. Either the individual has little to no contact with the student, the phone number is not correct, or the reference was not real in the first place. Assuring students that the information provided will be checked definitely helps increase accuracy. Further, if students know that we will be speaking to each reference, they are less likely to provide old acquaintances or extended family with whom they have no active relationship.
Kellee Gunderson
Wanda,
Absolutely! This is especially effective if all departments participate because there are many different reasons a student may interact with various staff members, and most of those interactions have nothing to do with financial aid. FA may be searching for a student who is in regular contact with the Records regarding transcripts and grades or with Career Services about job opportunities. It is unfortunate for FA to waste resources on skip tracing when faculty or other departments have access to updated student information.
Kellee Gunderson
Verifying the student's references is something that has come up in discussion at our staff meetings. It was suggested at one of our meetings to contact and verify the references. This opens up the communication with the school. If a reference is listed on the FERPA form as someone we can discuss financial aid with, then the relationship has been established from the enrollment process.
Gathering contact and reference information from borrowers throughout their academic career is essential because this helps ensure that the information is accurate. This can be improved by getting in the habit of verifying student information with every point of contact. This ensures that we have the most up-to-date information. If all departments practice this, we will have less 'skip' students.
Cristela,
You are the second recent forum participant to mention casual conversations. I really like this approach because it helps students feel more valued and comfortable with us. If the FA office is staffed with unfriendly strangers who only appear when the initial paperwork is processed and later when delinquency calls begin, the students have no reason to share personal details. If, however, we build relationships as you suggest, then the students may come to us when they are thinking about dropping out, when a family member loses a job or becomes ill, or when they are confused about their loan balance or loan servicer.
Kellee Gunderson
It is extremely important to gather contact and reference information throughout a student's academic career. This is so that, if the student ever goes MIA or becomes a "skip" student, we have other means of contacting them. It is important to build a relationship with the student so that they feel comfortable sharing the reference or contact information or updates with the institution. It is also important to verify references so that, if the student ever does become a "skip" student, it is not their first time hearing from the school. Remembering the student's name, small details of the student, and making conversations every time the student comes in are ways to build a relationship with the student and make them feel comfortable with updating the institution with information. Also, helping the student collect reference information while they are in the office is another way to successfully gather information.
