Financial Aid Readability Index™ – Caerus Communications

Are you losing enrollments due to poor financial aid messaging?

Yes, and here's how:

Students don't apply at all, because they think your college isn't affordable.
Students who apply submit incomplete financial aid applications because they don't understand your aid process — giving your beleaguered staff more work to do.
Students who are admitted choose another school, because they don't understand your financial aid decision letter.
Students who enroll don't graduate, because they don't know what they must do to receive and maintain their financial aid. First-generation students in particular are at risk of leaving college with a lot of debt, but no degree.

What can you do to improve your financial aid communications?

The Financial Aid Readability Index™ — or FARI — is the first tool of its kind. FARI is a deep-dive audit and advice service for college financial aid messaging.

What questions does FARI answer about your institution?

Where do you lose students due to problematic financial aid messaging? Your FARI audit shows you exactly where you may be losing students at each stage of the enrollment cycle.
What will it take to improve your financial aid website? FARI shows you exactly how to improve the performance of your financial aid webpages, offer letter or award package, admissions presentations, video or chatbot scripts, landing page copy, or college affordability email campaigns. All of your financial aid communications are potential pinch points for enrollment.
How can you streamline financial aid operations? FARI helps increase the number of completed financial aid applications, and shrinks the time your staff spends on fielding student inquiries. FARI is the internal morale booster your financial aid team needs.
How will you enrich your enrollment strategy during a volatile time? FARI gives enrollment leaders a new way to engage with a smaller pool of students — at all phases of the enrollment cycle, from search to graduation.
Where can you find quantitative and qualitative data about your school's financial aid communications? Your FARI report data is suitable for accreditation self-study documents, EDI reports, board summaries, American Talent Initiative updates, QuestBridge fact sheets, or alumni and donor relations messaging. FARI reports feature standard metrics that cover key aspects of content, tone and voice, and format.

Why Caerus for financial aid messaging?

Take advantage of our award-winning experience, plus 10+ years of experience writing about financial aid for students. Careus work includes financial aid content audits, tuition reset blueprints, and financial aid messaging strategy and copywriting for web, print, and email. Caerus insights stem from College Board training in financial aid.

We understand how to explain financial aid to teenagers. In addition to working with higher ed clients, Caerus produces curriculum on behalf of high school counseling departments. Our high school courses focus on preparing students for the college admissions process, with financial aid as a central topic. For example, some lessons teach teenagers how to translate college financial aid websites into readable language.

The Financial Aid Readability Index™ is only available from Caerus. It is the distillation of our unusual expertise, rooted in industry ethics and best practices.

Ready for the next step?

That's fantastic news! Please schedule a consultation. We can't wait to discuss your project.