Financial Aid: Embrace the Kraken!


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Presenter:
Melissa Ingster-Walker, Temple University
Emilie Van Trieste, Temple University

Requirements:
N/A

Intended Audience/Prerequisites:
This presentation is intended for all, regardless of experience level, functional or technical, with or without a working knowledge of the financial aid process.

Description:
Financial aid has captured the zeitgeist in recent years as tuition rates vastly outstrip the ability of many families to pay for postsecondary education, while education has remained a critical element in social mobility (and the greater good provided by an educated citizenry). As more students apply for (and receive) financial aid, financial aid concerns have become a determining factor in choosing one school over another, and thus traditional surveyors and metrics of postsecondary institutions now include financial aid components. Due to the complex nature of financial aid and the myriad regulations which govern the financial aid process and awarding criterion, the jargon can be confusing and the data that is needed for decision-making, hard to ask for and interpret. The aim of this cross-functional workshop is to demystify this process.
 
Intended Learning Outcomes:
Get ready for a crash course in financial aid from application, to awarding, to reporting (lots and lots of reporting!) on that awarding. Attend the tale: take a whirlwind tour of financial aid from an interwoven functional and technical perspective, learn the lingo and the nature of the beast, and thus, learn how to ask for what you need (and understand what you need) when it comes to the myriad facets of financial aid. Along with key terminology, learn dates to consider and, of course, basic requirements for key annual surveys of postsecondary education.