A policy change with FAFSA now allows students and families to use tax data from prior-prior tax year to complete the FAFSA and the application will become available each year on October 1. Students and families could be presented with complete admissions and financial aid decisions earlier in the admission cycle, which could alter the traditional timeline for college applications. Attendees at this session will learn more about the change and the implications for school counselors and college admissions counselors. Panelists will explore ways in which college/universities, secondary schools and families will need to prepare for the effects of this policy change.

1. Earlier Financial Aid Decisions:
Preparing for Prior-Prior
Matt Lopez, Director of Admission, University of Utah
Todd Rinehart, Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment, University of Denver
Diane Campbell, College Counselor, FossilRidge High School, CO

2. What the heck is Prior-Prior??
Two main things are changing:
• FAFSA will be available earlier - October 1 instead of January 1, beginning
fall of 2016.
• Families will use financial info from two years prior to the academic year
they will enroll. Both FAFSA and CSS PROFILE will use prior-prior financial
data.

3. What are the benefits?
• Earlier financial aid application provides better alignment with existing
admission schedules and deadlines.
• Allows more time for school counselors and admission reps to work with
students to apply for financial aid.
• Accuracy of Data –
o Federal tax returns will be filed by the time families apply for aid.
o Most families will be able to import their income data from the IRS to
FAFSA using the Data Retrieval tool.
• Provide a financial picture to families much earlier.
• More time to promote financial fit, and articulate a value proposition.

4. Considerations for Enrollment Managers
• Adjust timeline and content of communications
o Instead of a fall/winter campaign to seniors, consider spring/summer
campaigns to juniors, educating students and parents about the
opportunity to apply for financial aid in October.
o Combine messages to encourage students to apply for admission and
financial aid simultaneously. Don’t treat admission and financial aid as
separate processes!
• Encourage campus administrators to set Cost of Attendance earlier,
allowing the financial aid office to provide packages, not estimates. Avoid
the volume of duplicate work – don’t provide estimates and packages.
• Get out the door first with your costs and awards! Consider combining
admission offers with financial aid packages - or at least within a few
weeks of each other.

5. More considerations…
• Should financial aid deadlines be adjusted to match existing (and earlier)
admission timelines?
• To balance and afford many priorities, should more private schools become
need-aware now that financial information will be available at the point of
admission review?
• Predicting yield/enrollment?? Up in deposits or just receiving earlier
commitments?
• Summer melt!?!? Look out for year-long melt! Adjust communications and
frequency to keep students engaged and committed to your institution.
• Should schools add a ‘family income increase’ when packaging institutional aid?
Since income data is two years old, add a 2% income increase?

6. What does all this mean?
• This is a disruption, but things are going to be fine! J
• In many ways, this simply allows colleges and universities to ‘serve the
demand,’ providing admission and aid offers to students who choose to submit
both applications simultaneously.
• Many families will still consider admission and financial aid sequential
processes, and will apply for aid after they have been offered admission.
• But...to remain competitive with peer schools, colleges better be prepared to
‘serve’ the demand, providing both admission and aid offers when students have
raised their hands.
• Longer-term, we may see the ‘limited demand’ shift to a much larger audience,
and families will expect colleges to provide financial information much earlier in
the process. The ‘New Normal’…
• Most importantly, use the additional time to assist the students Prior-Prior was
intended to serve the most. Efforts to increase college access should be
enhanced greatly by the additional time our offices will have to work with families
to complete the financial aid process.

7. How will the process look at DU?
• Adjust financial aid deadlines to match our admission deadlines:
• November 1 for Early admission and financial aid
• January 15 for Regular admission and financial aid
• Revise budget timeline, determining Cost of Attendance each fall for the
following year, allowing our financial aid office to provide packages, not
estimates, to admitted students.
• Financial Aid packages will be provided at the same time as admission offers
(or within a couple weeks of admission offers).

8. How will the process look at Utah?
qResponse to PPY and Earlier FAFSAAvailability
ü Surveyed high school counselors in Oct 2015 asking about impact to moving
priority admissions deadline from Dec 1 to Nov 1.
§ Overwhelming response was “No”
§ Application deadlines will remain the same with exception of Transfer
Priority Application Date will move to January 1 (was March 1).
ü Will likely move FAFSA Priority Date from March 1 to January 1 for all
students (including continuing).
ü Tuition/Fees are finalized in April following the Utah Legislative Session
q Future Considerations
ü Release admissions decisions earlier than Jan 15 notification date
ü Award merit-based scholarships with admissions offer (currently 2-3 weeks
after)
ü Begin awarding need-based financial aid packages shortly after admission
offers are released
ü Add yield events/activitiessincethe yield period will be much longer

9. How will the process look at CU?
• CU-Boulder has decided to take a conservative approach during the
first year of PPY implementation
ü Under consideration - moving up the “Priority Deadline” for financial aid and
scholarships – currently - March 1, 2017, could become February 1, 2017
ü Careful consideration – We want to make sure we do not adversely impact any
students or families
• Tuition and Fees – Cost Setting
ü Approved by the Board of Regents (April Meeting)
ü Fixed 4-yr Tuition Rates for Resident and Nonresidents – could change tuition and fee
landscape and compliment PPY
ü Potentially allow for earlier award packages
• End Result Academic Year 2016-17
ü Possibility of moving up financial aid priority date and scholarship application due
date

10. What will PPY mean for school and
independent counselors?

11. What will PPY mean for families?

12. How will the process look at Fossil Ridge?
• Fall 2015 - Planning and Paying for College
• May 2016-Junior College Planning Night
• Finance Class Presentations
• Spring/Early Fall Cleaning!
-websites, newsletters, college handbooks
PPY Resources
ü College Planning/Financial Aid Events
-Bring in the experts
ü PPY Fact Sheets - NACAC Website
*Families *Counselors * Admission Professionals
ü FAFSA Website- Financial Aid Toolkit

13. SPGP Consequences?
• II.B.12. not establish any application deadlines for first-year candidates for fall
admission prior to October 15 and will give equal consideration to all
applications received by that date;
▫ PPY and all subsequent strategies by colleges need to be monitored. No need to
rush any revisions.
• II.B.3. permit first-year candidates for fall admission to choose among offers of
admission and institutionally-affiliated financial aid and scholarships until May 1
and state this deadline explicitly in their offers of admission;
▫ Again, observation and monitoring should precede any recommendations.
▫ Admission Practices Committee should protect the May 1 deadline!
▫ Changing May 1 would defeat a main purpose of PPY, which provides MORE time
for students and families. We don’t need to return to the six-week rush!

14. Thank You!
Questions and Answers…