Giving Compass' Take:

• This post from The Hechinger Report addresses the gaps in equitable financial aid in higher ed and suggests questions that college presidents should ask about their own procedures.

• The upshots is that making the financial aid process easier and more transparent benefits schools and students alike. What can funders do to help colleges in this effort?

• Read about the startup that's helping students navigate college financial aid.

Each year, higher-education institutions spend significant revenue on recruiting and enrollment, only to see their pipeline of admitted students evaporate.

It is an equity problem with profound economic implications for would-be students, in particular the low-income and first-generation students that institutions are working hard to attract and serve.

It is also a concern that can have serious business implications for smaller and tuition-dependent institutions. Thousands of students are lost each year as a result of the complex financial aid process. That means marketing and enrollment budgets are squandered as students fall out of the enrollment pipeline.

Here are three questions that university leaders should ask to ensure they aren’t losing students in the financial aid process.

  1. How many students are struggling with our procedures?
  2. Is financial aid verification creating a barrier to college access?
  3. Do our aid processes have a disparate impact on low-income and minority students?

Read the full article about financial aid for higher ed by Gregg Scoresby at The Hechinger Report.