Historically, Western Michigan University's 12 on-staff recruiters could visit as many as 40 or 50 high schools in a week and collect up to 1,000 paper cards filled with prospective students' contact information. In a year, they could easily collect 10,000 such cards, which were brought back to campus and then entered manually into the […]
The coming change in how student loan default rates are calculated may mean bad news for some colleges and universities. With the new calculations, the rate at which a group of students later defaults on loan payments will increase for most institutions, and schools with a particular default rate for three consecutive years will lose […]
Five years after the Great Recession's official end, higher ed endowments and fundraising are finally recovering, but there is no rising financial tide that's lifting all boats—especially smaller ones that depend heavily on tuition. Instead, a new "economic normal" is being keenly felt at smaller, tuition-driven universities and colleges, forcing campus leaders to diversify their […]
Student loan default can affect an entire campus, as high default rates negatively impact an institution’s federal funding. Therefore, it is essential to keep cohort default rates as low as possible. The right education and communication strategies can help borrowers gain the financial skills necessary to avoid default. This web seminar, originally broadcast on February […]
Identifying students who are at risk of student loan default and establishing ongoing communication with those students are two key strategies for minimizing borrower default. Financial aid administrators should include these strategies and more in their default prevention programs, so borrowers are aware of their repayment options and less likely to default. This web seminar, […]
It would be very easy to be jaded about the future of higher education if it were not for the fact that those who serve this industry view it as a calling. We know we can make a difference in the lives of our students and in society. We try to do the best for […]
At colleges across Montana, the nonprofit Student Assistance Foundation (SAF) provides students with the knowledge and tools to pursue and fund their postsecondary education. Using proceeds from its student loan servicing business and from its own fundraising efforts, the Helena-based organization offers grants, scholarships, community outreach, counseling, and training on financial education. As part of […]
Maintaining frequent contact with student loan borrowers is a challenge at any institution, regardless of size. At the 725-student Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology in Tulsa, Okla., the three-year cohort default rate was commonly between 25 and 27 percent. “Our rate was so high because we had no easy way to communicate electronically with […]
Demands for increased innovation are commonplace today, with leaders of all stripes—including those in postsecondary education—calling for individuals and enterprises to be more innovative. However, few know much about innovation or its cultivation. Not surprisingly, innovations are typically stumbled upon by accident or, as is most commonly the case in higher education, occur within the […]
In the fall of 2012, Connecticut neighbors Fairfield University, University of Bridgeport and Housatonic Community College launched a dual-enrollment program, which initially served 78 high school students. From Bridgeport Public Schools, the students got a chance to take college-level courses for simultaneous high school and college credit. These kinds of dual-enrollment programs date back decades […]
