Enrollment Strategy
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College affordability is one of the biggest barriers to enrollment. While filling out the FAFSA is still the first step, many families leave thousands of dollars in aid on the table because they just don’t know how to claim it. It’s not just frustrating for families; it’s a missed opportunity for your admissions and financial aid offices to move the needle on enrollment.
Fortunately, by focusing on five specific financial-aid moves, you can change how your school surfaces aid opportunities and helps families claim them. You don’t need to overhaul your workflows or deploy an army of chatbots. Instead, focus on strategy, automation, and a bit of creativity.
From small scholarships with overlooked deadlines to untapped employer benefits, these are the moves that can make a meaningful impact for families and for your institution’s goals.
Move 1: Scholarship Timing & Micro-Deadlines
Most families believe all scholarships have big, end-of-year deadlines, but as you know, they don’t. Small awards often have rolling deadlines or micro-windows that students miss completely. This creates a gap—not in availability, but in visibility.
How You Can Surface This Opportunity
- Add a “micro-scholarship calendar” to your financial aid portal with reminders of small, rolling awards.
- Include a monthly “Top 5 Scholarships to Apply for Now” roundup in your admissions communications.
- Make scholarships impossible to ignore by adding an RSS-style feed or dynamic portal card that highlights high-value, time-sensitive opportunities.
How AI Helps with Scholarship Matching
- Use an AI-powered scholarship match engine that scans student data for potential tailored opportunities.
- Automate deadline reminders via emails and SMS with specific award recommendations.
- Provide counselors with dashboards listing high-probability matches for personalized outreach.
Messaging Examples
- Email Subject: "You're a match! 3 scholarships to apply for this month"
- SMS: “Reminder: [Scholarship Name] deadline is May 15. View & apply now: [short link]. Need essay help? Reply HELP for support.”
Move 2: Employer & Third-Party Tuition Benefits
How many families know their employer offers tuition reimbursement? Hint: not many. Programs from workplaces, unions, or professional organizations are often buried in handbooks families never read. Don’t leave potential dollars untapped.
How You Can Surface This Opportunity
- Add an “Employment Benefits” question to the intake forms and acceptance packets to collect relevant data.
- Offer a simple “Request Packet for Employer HR” download on your financial aid portal or include it in acceptance emails.
How AI Simplifies the Process
- Analyze family employment info to flag households likely eligible for tuition benefits.
- Automatically send personalized “Employer Reimbursement Packets” with specific forms and instructions.
- Use data analytics to predict the potential dollar impact of employer reimbursements.
Messaging Examples
- Email Subject: "Free tuition? Check your employer's policy"
- Email Body: “Many employers help pay for tuition. If someone in your household works at [Employer], download the forms and we’ll guide you through the next steps.”
- Phone Script for Counselors and AI Agents: “Does your employer offer tuition reimbursement? I can help you prepare everything HR typically requires.”
Move 3: Using the Net Price Calculator (NPC) Strategically
Families often try the Net Price Calculator (NPC) once, get overwhelmed, and give up. But NPCs aren’t a one-and-done tool. They’re an opportunity to create and compare multiple “what-if” scenarios that show families a clearer financial path.
How You Can Surface This Opportunity
- Introduce a “Guided NPC” tool that walks families through multiple financial scenarios (e.g., scholarships added or reduced loan options).
- Highlight the NPC in admissions and post-FAFSA follow-up communications.
How AI Enhances the NPC Experience
- Use AI to pre-fill non-sensitive fields based on previous interactions, making the process faster and easier.
- Provide scenario simulations that show scholarships or grants' potential impact on tuition.
- Trigger follow-up reminders tailored to scenarios showing higher out-of-pocket costs, suggesting actionable next steps like applying for aid or scheduling a meeting.
Messaging Examples
- Email Subject: "New! Guided NPC estimates in 3 clear scenarios"
- Call to Action in Portal: “Estimate Your Costs in Less Time Now”
- Follow-Up Email/SMS: “Your NPC shows $X out-of-pocket. To reduce costs, here are scholarships and payment plans tailored to you: [short link]”
Move 4: Appeals & Re-Evaluation
Families often assume their aid award is final, even if their financial situation changes. That leads to lost opportunities to appeal and secure additional aid.
How You Can Surface This Opportunity
- Create a clear “How to Appeal” page with easy templates, examples, and documentation requirements.
- Add an “I Need an Appeal” button to award notices, making it easy for families to start the appeal process directly.
How AI Can Support Family Appeals
- Detect changes automatically (e.g., FAFSA updates, new documents uploaded, changes in family circumstances) and flag potential appeal candidates.
- Draft personalized appeal letters and required-document checklists for families, saving them (and counselors) time.
- Prioritize appeals by expected dollar impact to help staff focus their efforts strategically.
Messaging Examples
- Email Subject: "Need to appeal your aid award? Here’s how."
- Appeal Letter Template: Include reasons for appeal (e.g., job loss) with attachable support docs.
- Counselor Email: “[Student Name] has been flagged for potential appeal. I’ve prepped an appeal letter draft for your review.”
Move 5: Payment-Plan Optimization & Short-Term Bridge Aid
When families feel overwhelmed by the upfront cost of tuition, they often don’t realize how much flexibility is available. Payment plans or short-term grants can make a world of difference.
How You Can Surface This Opportunity
- Outline clear payment plan options in admission and financial aid communication, including the eligibility criteria and setup process.
- Share a concise “Payment Options” one-pager in decision packets and on community forums.
How AI Personalizes Payment Plans
- Automatically recommend best-fit payment plans (e.g., monthly payments, deferred start dates, short-term grants) based on financial profiles.
- Trigger affordability nudges (emails and SMS) to families with high out-of-pocket costs.
- Equip staff with dynamic dashboards showing families most likely to need payment help.
Messaging Examples
- Email Subject: “Flexible payment plans for every budget”
- Email/SMS Body: “We offer monthly plans starting at $____/month. Reply PLAN, and we’ll find the right option for you.”
Turning Financial Aid Gaps into Enrollment Wins
Financial aid is about more than dollars and forms. By tackling these five financial-aid blind spots, your institution can remove the hurdles that keep students from enrolling or completing their education.
The best part is that you don’t need a giant tech overhaul or an army of agents to make it happen. Targeted strategies, personalized communications, and smarter tools (like Halda) are enough to bridge the gaps, close the loop, and boost enrollment.
