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After getting into college, students receive financial aid packages–known as award letters–to make their decisions about where to attend and what they can afford. But those letters often confuse rather than clarify costs and available aid. Why is this the case? No federal policy exists that requires standardized terminology, formatting, or even the inclusion of critical information like total cost and loan amounts on these letters. Without uniform guidelines, like federally required nutrition labels or the window sticker for car sales, the consumer is left to make a major financial decision without an apples-to-apples comparison. The lack of requirements leaves thousands of institutions communicating billions of federally funded aid dollars in hundreds of different ways.

Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ partnered withÌý, a nonprofit leader on college affordability, to analyze data from thousands of financial aid award letters. Join us for a coffee & a light breakfast to hear from the authors and field experts on how communicating college cost and financial aid to students falls short. Learn what steps can be taken to provide transparency to students and their families by institutions, state and federal government.Ìý

Thank you to theÌýÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýÌýfor sponsoring the research and this event.Ìý

Agenda:

9:00am –ÌýRegistration & Continental BreakfastÌý

9:30am –ÌýWelcome & Opening Remarks
Ìý
Kevin Carey,ÌýÌý
Vice President Education Policy and Knowledge Management, Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½

9:40am –ÌýFindings Overview

Rachel Fishman,Ìý
Deputy Director for Higher Education Research, Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½

10:00am –ÌýPanel Discussion with Experts: The Need For and How To Improve Financial Aid Award Letter Transparency
Ìý
Participants:Ìý

Tom Biedscheid,Ìý
Director of Financial Aid, Colorado State UniversityÌý

Kim Cook,ÌýÌý
Executive Director, National College Access NetworkÌý

Elsa Martinez-Pimentel,ÌýÌý
Director of Program and Site Development, Massachusetts, uAspireÌý

Moderator:Ìý

Laura Keane,ÌýÌý
Chief Policy Officer, uAspire

11:00am –ÌýAdjourn
Ìý
Bob Giannino,ÌýÌý
Chief Executive Officer, uAspire

Follow the conversation online usingÌýÌýand followingÌý.Ìý