Money Matters

IN THE MEDIA, FINANCIAL aid coverage tends to focus on topics such as the tensions between funding merit scholarships versus need-based grants, the growth in student and parent borrowing, and the need to increase funding for Federal Pell Grants. Federal or state work-study programs get little focus.

IN DECEMBER, STAMATS AND SCANNELL & KURZ PRESENTED “WISE MOVES IN TOUGH TIMES,” A WEBINAR with more than 800 college and university leader participants. This spring, Scannell & Kurz will present at two national conferences and conduct two more webinars on the topic. The demand for these is new.

WHEN ANALYZING FINANCIAL AID strategies for our clients, one of the questions we always ask is “Are you at capacity?” For many institutions, this is a difficult question to answer, and often we hear different answers from different corners of the campus.

PACKAGING FINANCIAL AID based on a “grid” that considers both need and quality is becoming more and more common as higher ed institutions attempt to target grants efficiently and effectively to achieve goals.

AS ENROLLMENTS AT U.S. community colleges continue to grow, some four-year institutions are beginning to view community colleges as competitors.

FOR MANY FAMILIES GOING through the college search and selection process, there may be a big difference between the ability to pay college expenses versus the willingness to pay.

MUCH HAS BEEN ANALYZED and written about the price sensitivity of new students, but an increasing number of institutions are beginning to think in a more data-driven way about how pricing and discounting decisions impact returning students as well.