February 11, 2026

Dr. Kyle Brantley
Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing & Communications

Financial aid—and the family’s understanding of it—can make or break a student’s chances of attending your institution. It’s a powerful resource that enables access to higher education, but it can also be one of the most overwhelming and misunderstood parts of the enrollment journey. When families don’t understand the numbers, decisions stall—and stalled decisions often become lost students.

How you and, more specifically, your recruitment team frame a student’s scholarship and aid package is mission-critical to yield. Do you know how exactly your recruitment staff is framing this financial discussion with prospective students? If you don’t have a handle on this as an enrollment leader, your financial walkthroughs by your recruitment staff may not be as clear, consistent, or compelling as they should be.

And if you confuse, you lose.

What kind of follow-up takes place after award letters are sent? Are your recruiters thoughtfully guiding students through the process with the heart of a teacher? Are they asking the right kinds of questions to get to the bottom of uncertainties or reservations? Is the family clear on what the numbers really mean?

Financial aid framing is not just a “nice-to-have” skill. It’s a yield responsibility.

Perhaps you have a dynamo team of recruiters. But odds are your team contains a mix of fresh dewey-eyed college graduates and battle-hardened veterans (and by veteran, I mean in their second or third year by admissions standards). When it comes to money and financial planning, these kinds of conversations can be awkward and difficult for even the most seasoned of recruiters, especially if they have never personally faced a financial decision of this magnitude before. No matter where your team is in this regard, at the end of the day, abide by the adage:

Trust, but verify.

Make sure you regularly vet your team for how to have this critical conversation. Below are ways to make sure all of the boxes are checked when framing financial aid follow ups. Whether you use this to train your new recruiters or use it as a yearly team walk through on the “Who, What, How, When, and Whys” of financial aid with prospective families, the purpose of this framework is to help demystify financial aid and move students to the next step of commitment.

Who

While most recruitment efforts are geared toward students, financial conversations must intentionally include parents or guardians–those most often footing the bill. As the award letter goes out, make sure you have a trigger in place for a prompt follow-up phone call. Timeliness is key. You want to give the family clarity and confidence in a path forward, and you want the information to be fresh on their minds.

Questions to ask yourself and your team

• When was the last time each recruiter’s financial presentation was evaluated? On a scale of 1-10, how effective do you assess each recruiter’s financial knowledge to be?
• Do you follow up with award letters within a few days of receipt so you can provide clarification, field questions, and lead the family through next steps?
• Is the recruiter targeting the parent in this specific conversation?

What

Make sure the family understands exactly what is being awarded. Explain the difference between scholarships, grants, and loans and the conditions of each. Explain the ins and outs of loans and how either a full or partial amount can be taken out to cover the cost, what other sources of aid can be factored in (e.g. work-study, student wages, outside scholarships, etc.), and, ultimately, answer the question: “What will this actually cost each year?” Transparency will win you trust.

Questions to ask yourself and your team

• Do your recruiters know the fundamentals of loans, grants, and work-study? The more they can answer and the less likely they are to refer a student to the financial aid office, the more control you maintain in the student’s recruitment journey.
• Do your recruiters approach this conversation with the heart of a teacher, breaking things down piece by piece?
• Does your team know what other avenues of aid exist to help students pay for college, (e.g. work-study, work, outside scholarships)? Do they have resources handy to share (e.g. list of links, handouts, etc.) that guide students to additional aid options?

How

Make things easy and reduce barriers by spelling out the next steps. Does loan paperwork need to be completed? Do they need to apply for state grants on a government website? When something becomes unclear or difficult, it’s easy to put off next steps, which leaves room for doubt, delay, and/ or defeat. Clarify their next step and lead them by providing paperwork, emailed links, and so on at the right time to make it crystal clear. Check back in once they complete a step and offer more guidance and prompting as the student progresses.

Questions to ask yourself and your team

• Do your recruiters dump the full financial process in the families’ lap, or do they provide breadcrumbs to follow, step-by-step?
• Do your recruiters have access to financial aid documents (e.g. loan forms) or know how to find financial aid web applications (e.g. FAFSA, state aid, etc.) so they can easily share these with the students directly?
• Do your recruiters have a system for following up with students who are “stuck” on a step and who won’t take action to move to the next step?

When

Explaining the When goes hand-in-hand with the How. What is the timeline for the steps you’ve laid out? Are you creating a sense of urgency? Urgency isn’t pressure, it’s clarity. What are the personal benefits to accepting the scholarship, applying for the FAFSA, or making the deposit? Are funds first-come, first-served? Will the decision remove a burden off their shoulders, giving them a peace of mind? Will they have a better shot at residence hall and roommate options if they commit sooner rather than later? When timelines are vague and open-ended, families default to inaction.

Questions to ask yourself and your team

• Are your recruiters creating a sense of urgency, laying out the benefits of taking the next steps towards commitment?
• Are your recruiters putting students on a timetable, asking if they can complete the next step by, say, the following week? Do they know how to keep students in-the-know and on-the-move?
• Does your recruiter know how to tie confirmation of the aid with the next step, be it an enrollment deposit or registration?

Why

The biggest question you can help the student (and family) answer is Why? Why make this investment in the student’s future? It’s expensive, the process can be overwhelming, there are likely more affordable options–acknowledge these challenges. Remember, transparency wins trust. So, why is your institution worth the investment? Keep in mind families aren’t just weighing costs; they’re weighing risk. Your recruiter’s job is to reduce perceived risk by clearly articulating outcomes, institutional distinctives, support systems, and long-term value. Is the recruiter making it clear that the student will be investing in an experience that will pay dividends for the rest of their lifetime? This is your space to make that case!

Questions to ask yourself and your team

• Do recruiters know how to make a compelling case for why the investment in your school is worth it to the student?
• Does your recruitment team know how to make a compelling case to not just the student, but also parent(s)/guardian(s)? These are two very different audiences.
• Are your recruiters making it a BIG DEAL once a student commits to your institution? The financial aid decision-making process is often tied to a final decision, so be sure you celebrate with and affirm for the family their decision to commit when it’s their time.

To Recap

• Who? Whom should you be addressing in this critical conversation?
• What? What information are you presenting, and what does it mean to the student/family?
• How? How does the student move to the next step?
• When? When should the student take the next action and what’s the benefit of doing it now versus later?
• Why? Why does all this matter?

Every institution is different and may have to adapt this framework to fit its unique context. Use this as a training guide with your recruitment staff to ensure they’re covering all the bases when it comes to the often overwhelming process of figuring out how to pay for college. Here’s a printable checklist that will guide you through this kind of evaluation with your recruitment staff.

Approach the financial conversation with a teacher’s heart, demonstrate transparency, and seek to clarify and simplify every step. This will build trust, pinpoint uncertainties that can be addressed, and lead to a stronger peace of mind when it comes to the financial portion of the college decision. Institutions that thrive in today’s enrollment landscape don’t just offer competitive aid—they communicate it with clarity, consistency, and care.