Insight Newsletter November 9, 2020 Be Ready When the Repayment Wait is Over As you've adjusted to the time of student loan suspension, other priorities may have overcome student loan repayment. And, it's likely your students have adjusted their saving and spending habits. New habits and new challenges offer opportunity, if you’re ready. Opportunities to connect with your students and reprepare them for repayment; and to adjust your office strategy for consultation and future goals. Understanding the ramifications of a mass resume date on student loan repayment can help you understand the impact it may have on your student borrowers and your school. Read more about The Five Key Impacts of CARES Act Expiration. Register for the Return to Repayment webinar to hear more about the challenges this presents for students and schools along with recommendations on steps to take to ease the strain. We will save time for questions too. Use these free resources. Check out the Exit Counseling & Repayment Toolkit to download free resources to understand the impacts of repayment resuming, help promote repayment readiness, and tips for planning. Get help with student outreach. We can help with Return to Repayment Outreach. Strategic student outreach to remind borrowers about resuming repayments and determining the best avenue if there are additional challenges that could hinder their progress. It’s one more connection between you and your students that could reduce the number of delinquent and defaulted borrowers, and keep your CDR in check. Managing Verifications While Cutting Costs Higher education is facing monumental change due to COVID-19. State budgets are being reduced, enrollment is down and schools face the daunting task of layoffs. At many schools, the financial aid office is also being impacted. You’re being challenged to do more with fewer resources and find virtual solutions to service students and your team. Plus, your office also serves as the gateway to enrollment. Being able to award aid in an efficient and timely manner is good for your students and vital to your school. Verification Gateway can help you process verifications with an intuitive, automated platform to gather information and documentation required to verify students quickly and efficiently. Developed with the student and administrator in mind, Verification Gateway is easy to use, streamlines the entire process, and is available on any device, wherever and whenever it is needed. In fact, current school clients have reported a 20-35% lift in completed verifications and a 23% reduction in verification melt resulting in more students and increased revenue for your institution. Find out how other schools have improved their results and reduced expenses with Verification Gateway by reading our current case studies or request a customized ROI by contacting your Business Development partner. FAFSA Tools to Lighten the Load The pandemic has affected the finances of many students and their families, making early FAFSA completion more important than ever. Having more time to process professional judgements or verification is a win-win for both students and the financial aid office. Inceptia has created a free tool to help you promote early FAFSA completion: our FAFSA Toolkit. Here, you’ll find checklists, letters and emails, posters, videos and more, ready for you to share with students and families. From gathering FAFSA information to completion to understanding verification, we’ve got everything you need to help your students get a jump start on a busy FAFSA season! Look What’s New with Financial Avenue New Look If you have logged into your Administrator Portal lately, you may have noticed a big change! We have redesigned the site with drop-down menus, and a new option that allows you to view all resources available by course. We hope this new design simplifies how you explore and access the many great tools available to you in the Portal. New Lesson Plan Our newest lesson plan is ready to use! “The Racial Wealth Divide” explores the systemic policies and practices that have created a long history of wealth inequality for people of color. Use this thought-provoking lesson and the corresponding activities to foster an open dialogue with your students. It is available now in the Educator Toolkit within your Administrator Portal. What do you think? Tell us your thoughts so we can continue to provide valuable information and resources for Financial Avenue. Take our quick 5-question survey here. Helping Parents Helps Students We know that the pandemic has given students and families much to think about beyond the usual discussions of where to go and how to complete the FAFSA. Through our partnership with NerdWallet, Great Advice for Parents 2020 includes coverage of current COVID-19 considerations. Send the link directly or use this downloadable flyer to share Great Advice for Parents with the students, families, educators and other organizations with whom you work. We hope this information allows families to keep moving forward in making informed college planning decisions for the 2021-22 school year. Upcoming Webinars Join us for these upcoming webinars and stay tuned to our resources page for additional sessions that may be added. Keeping It Cool: Leveraging Emotional Intelligence for Better Communication Outcomes (replay) Return to Repayment: The precautions and the preparation. Getting Ready for Student Loan Repayment Upcoming Virtual Conferences We look forward to speaking with you at these virtual conferences. If you are unable to attend, or do not see one in your region, we have a dedicated business development team in your area who will be happy to answer questions. November 2-6: WASFAA Matt Nettleton and Mike Lubben November 4-6: NAFAA Mike Lubben November 9-13: MASFAA Tami Gilbeaux November 2-20: WVASFAA Matt Nettleton and Mike Lubben November 4-10: SWASFAA Mike Lubben November 9-19: MASFAP Mike Lubben NEWS & EVENTS Webinar: Discover Inceptia Repayment Wellness Services | Multiple SessionsNews: Zero CDRs Won’t Last – Act Now Before It’s Too Late: Managing Student Loan DelinquencyWebinar: How Schools Are Boosting FAFSA Completion Rates: A Case Study with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 12.06.24