How to Maximize the Recruitment Value of Aid Packaging

When the Department of Education first announced the recent changes to FAFSA, enrollment managers and aid directors had to decide quickly whether to change their aid packaging timelines. This white paper explores how Early FAFSA has changed the recruitment market and offers seven recommendations for making the most of the longer yield window.

When the Department of Education first announced the recent changes to FAFSA, enrollment managers and aid directors had to decide quickly—and with little information—whether to change their aid packaging timelines. Many are now considering if they made the right decision.

This white paper considers how the decisions made by both institutions and by families in response to Early FAFSA have changed the enrollment market, and what enrollment managers can do now to capitalize on the new FAFSA reality.

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This resource is part of the Clearly Communicate Price and Financial Aid Roadmap. Access the Roadmap for stepwise guidance with additional tools and research.

The new reality of Early FAFSA: Families and schools are embracing the additional months

When the Department of Education announced that it would open the FAFSA application in October, starting with the 2017/18 award year, many schools wondered whether enough families would submit earlier applications to warrant changing aid-packaging timelines. The first enrollment cycle under the Early FAFSA schedule showed that families are indeed taking advantage: more than half of applications filed for the 2017/18 award year were submitted by the end of December 2016. Applications for the 2018/19 award year are continuing along the same trend.

Schools have also taken advantage of the additional months afforded by Early FAFSA. Although the full impact of Early FAFSA is still not clear, a trend toward earlier packaging timelines has emerged. Many schools made significant changes…