This audit page is reflective of one section of a larger 360-degree audit.
Return to the Main PageIn just a few months, the U.S. has seen what some economists are calling the “worst economic downturn since the great depression.” Over 30 million Americans have filed unemployment claims since mid-March, and millions of students have lost employment or have parents who have lost theirs.
While the CARES Act will certainly alleviate immediate financial strain for many, students are only eligible for funds if they are eligible for Title IV aid, shutting out undocumented and international students. Regardless of any short-term government aid, students are likely to face long-term financial strain, and institutions need to be prepared.
How can my institution mitigate the increased financial strain on students?
Use this audit to evaluate the policies and practices in place at your institution to support historically underserved students. Please note, across the entire audit, “student success staff” refers to any individual charged with supporting students and may include advisors, financial aid staff, or student workers.
Consider which practices your institution has already adopted as you go through the statements below. If many of the statements are not reflective of your institution’s current practices, we recommend you focus your efforts in this area by downloading the PDF or sharing this page with colleagues to start implementing change on your campus.
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Quick wins
Read this case study and learn about bursar hold and registration reform
See section one of EAB’s expert advice
Omit semesters affected by COVID-19 from GPA calculations used to determine scholarship eligibility
All emergency grant applicants are connected with a staff member who can help students find alternative forms of support if they do not receive any or enough funds through the program.
Learn more from the Hope Center
Our institution maintains federal work study requirements to continue to pay student employees during COVID-19 disruptions and has redeployed student staff, if necessary, to continue their employment.
See section three of EAB’s expert advice
Campus offices with non-federal work study student employees continue to pay students during COVID-19 disruptions and are providing virtual work opportunities, as necessary, to continue their employment.
Hire students to support admissions, social media content, marketing content creation, etc.
The campus bookstore is waiving late fees and increasing their mailing options for returning rented textbooks.
Learn more from Wayne State College
Our institution has developed a refund policy to reimburse students for housing, student fees, dining, or unfinished credits.
See EAB’s expert advice on refunds here
Longer-term strategies
Learn how to encourage FAFSA renewal
If students do not respond to outreach emails about missing financial aid information and forms, student success staff continue with phone or in-person outreach until they connect with students.
Learn about student aid renewal nudges
Our admissions team has adopted Student success staff proactively reach out to students who lose financial aid eligibility to help those students develop an academic recovery plan and work with the financial aid office to access bridge funding.
Learn more from Georgia State University
Financial aid staff proactively work with their advancement colleagues to continue fundraising to sustain emergency grant programs.
Learn how to fundraise for grant programs here
To capture your responses and complete the implementation planning exercises, download the full 360-Degree Student Equity Audit.
This resource requires EAB partnership access to view.
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Learn how you can get access to this resource as well as hands-on support from our experts through Strategic Advisory Services.
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