Which students are least likely to apply for financial aid? Apparently it’s those who need it the most, according to The Financial Aid Challenge. Community college students with low to moderate income are the population most unlikely to file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). FAFSA filing is the first requirement for students who seek federal financial aid; for many community college students, financial aid is the only way they will complete their programs. Yet, FAFSA apps aren’t coming in for the neediest students. So what can community college financial aid directors do to make it easier for students to pursue financial aid? Below we discuss why community college students might not use financial aid. Then we expound on advice from The Financial Aid Challenge to offer solutions for your community college.

1. CREATIVE
STRATEGIES
TO IMPROVE
COMMUNITY
COLLEGE
FINANCIAL AID 11

2. WHICH STUDENTS ARE LEAST
LIKELY TO APPLY FOR FINANCIAL AID?
ACCORDING TO THE
FINANCIAL AID CHALLENGE,
IT’S THOSE WHO NEED IT THE MOST.
Q:
A:

3. COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH
LOW TO MODERATE INCOME ARE THE
POPULATION MOST UNLIKELY TO FILE
A FREE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL
STUDENT AID (FAFSA).

4. FOR MANY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
STUDENTS, FINANCIAL AID IS THE ONLY
WAY THEY WILL COMPLETE THEIR
PROGRAMS.
YET, FAFSA APPS AREN’T COMING IN
FOR THE NEEDIEST STUDENTS.

5. WHAT ARE THE HURDLES BETWEEN
STUDENTS AND FINANCIAL AID?
&
HOW CAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
FINANCIAL AID DIRECTORS
REMOVE THEM?
Q:

6. LANGUAGE BARRIERS

7. OF DEGREE-SEEKING COMMUNITY
COLLEGE STUDENTS COME FROM AN
IMMIGRANT BACKGROUND, ACCORDING
TO A 2003-04 REPORT BY THE NATIONAL
CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS.
Make your school melting pot friendly by:
14

8. DOUBLING UP:
Provide bilingual services and materials.
If you have a large non-English speaking
demographic, offer multilanguage media
or translation options on your websites.
1.

9. PARTNERING:
Work with multicultural leaders to encourage
college attendance within their communities.
2.

10. REACHING OUT:
Conduct workshops or information sessions
for students interested in community college
and communicate financial aid opportunities.
Be sure to keep the message culturally and
linguistically appropriate.
3.

11. ARCHAIC PROCESSES

12. “THAT’S HOW WE’VE ALWAYS DONE IT”
BE OPEN TO USING CREATIVE
METHODS TO REACH STUDENTS,
ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH UNIQUE
SITUATIONS BY:

13. BEING MORE AVAILABLE:
Offer evening and weekend office hours.
This is extremely effective as the community
college student population is more likely to
be working while in school and may have
difficulty contacting your office during
regular business hours.
4.

14. ANALYZING:
Knowing what is working and what isn’t is
the key to improving processes. Incorporate
evaluation metrics and data collection into
office practices, including internal QA.
NO SCHOOL IS TOO SMALL TO BE
MEASURING EFFICIENCY.
5.

15. EMPLOYING TECHNOLOGY:
A number of community college students fall out
of the financial aid process during verification.
Platforms like StudentVerification make the
verification process nearly painless by providing
a student self-service portal. Any student who
can take a picture with a smartphone or log into
a social media account has the skills to use
StudentVerification.
6.

16. STARTING RIGHT AWAY:
Get financial aid information in front of the
student as early as possible. Good times are
after the student has submitted the college
application or once he/she has been
accepted.
7.

17. DISTRUST OR MISUNDERSTANDING

18. ACCORDING TO THE FINANCIAL AID
CHALLENGE, SOME GROUPS OF
COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS AND/
OR THEIR PARENTS MAY BE WARY OF
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES THAT ASK FOR
FINANCIAL INFORMATION.

19. AS CERTAIN FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES
ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE
FAFSA, THIS PRESENTS A DISTINCT
PROBLEM FOR FINANCIAL AID OFFICES.

20. GETTING HELP:
Partner with other education institutions or
community organizations to offer financial aid
counseling to all students. Students and their
parents may already trust these organizations,
which will boost your credibility.
8.

21. CONNECTING:
Team up with local high school counselors
to provide grade-specific information to
students. If you build a relationship with
students in advance, they’re bound to be
more trusting of your organization even
before they are accepted.
9.

22. QUIT EMAILING:
Do not ask for or accept sensitive
documents through email. Parents and
students are likely to be uncomfortable
with sending certain information via email,
including tax documents, social security or
ID cards and bank statements. Look into
a secure portal like StudentVerification,
which protects files with goverment-grade
data encryption.
10.

23. TALKING ABOUT IT:
Include a page on the financial aid portion of
your school website that responds to concerns
by outlining your department’s safety measures
and the qualifications of your staff members.
Be sure to put a positive spin on it, naming it
something like “Our Commitment to
Protecting Your Data” or “Security and
<insert name of school>.”
11.

24. THANK YOU.
from the team at
campuslogic