Executing an Effective Financial Aid Strategy: Integrating Policies with Practices

Balancing families’ needs with school budget constraints can be challenging when it comes to sustaining a financial aid program and remaining mission aligned. It is important for schools to define their financial aid philosophy and establish processes and parameters that help school leaders execute the program effectively and also support families well beyond the initial admission process. During this workshop, both boarding school and day school participants will learn best practices, how to address recent economic shifts, and use tools to tackle financial aid programs’ complex challenges. The workshop will empower you with the skills and resources to prioritize awards as you address complex files, enhance your financial aid policies and procedures, and contribute to achieving critical schoolwide goals, such as maximizing net tuition revenue and advancing diversity, equity and inclusion.

Learning Objective(s):

• Learn best practices of effective financial aid programs and develop related policies and processes.
• Explore the tenets of strong financial aid programs that will help you assess your school’s financial aid philosophy and ensure its effective execution.
• Learn key levers within the financial aid formula for both boarding schools and day schools that that result in equitable calculations across family applications.
• Outline a financial aid policy guide related to the mission, vision and philosophies at your school and determine next steps to implementation.
• Learn current trends impacting independent schools and families supported by financial aid, including how to navigate complicated aid applications.