Regent Provides Online Early Needs Analysis and Digitized Student Aid Application
New capability gives students one stop
process for aid application and optimizes enrollment for institutions
Frederick, MD, November 8,
2007 – Today, Regent, the leading provider of financial
aid management software solutions for the education industry, announced
the first-ever early needs analysis program and digital Free Application
for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as a fully integrated part of the Regent
Student Self Service Portal. These enhancements will be offered at no
additional charge and as part of the Regent Enterprise solution. This new
functionality will allow prospective and current students to receive an
early estimate of financial aid eligibility without a fee or third party
service provider.
Previously, students had to either complete an application from a third
party provider or wait until January 1 to complete the FAFSA
electronically through the Federal Department of Education.
Regent’s new early needs analysis feature allows prospective
students and their families to fill out the FASFA form to obtain an early
estimate of their financial aid award directly from the institution,
without paying a fee or submitting an application through a third party
agency. The results go directly into the Regent Financial Aid Management
(FAM) Solution, giving the school the ability to immediately package an
early award offer for the student based on the preliminary needs analysis
information. In January, the institution can confirm the information is
correct, obtain the appropriate family signatures and submit the
application directly to the Department of Education for formal
processing.
“The updates we have made to our Student Self-Service Portal will
allow financial aid administrators to respond faster to students’
needs and dramatically reduce the stress for the student associated with
applying for aid,” said Leonard Gude, Regent’s Vice President
of Financial Aid Solutions. “The institution can now increase
effectiveness of lead conversion and optimize enrollments around early
admissions instead of waiting until February. They can also begin
offering award letters earlier, making them more competitive and extremely
responsive to students’ needs”
Regent’s newly enhanced Student Self Service
Portal also provides E-forms and E-signatures, which reduce the need for
institutions to mail forms to students, or for students to have to go to
financial aid offices to pick up or turn in completed forms.
The complete, real-time, online
process includes benefits such as:
- Faster completion and submission of forms by students
- Reduced printing and mailing costs for students and the institution
- Significantly reduced scanning and data entry
- Elimination of lost and/or misplaced documents
With multiple forms to fill out,
review, and sign, financial aid can be one of the most difficult processes
for students and their families to understand. To ease stress and allow
students to communicate directly with the financial aid office, Regent has
incorporated advanced instant messaging feature via Live Chat, into the
Student Self Service Portal.
Live Chat benefits
include:
- Instant, real-time communication between students and financial aid staff
- Preferred communication for today’s tech savvy students
- Improved efficiency of financial aid resources
- Improved relationships between students, families and the financial aid office
Regent
FAM Student Self-Service Portal lets students manage their financial aid
and communicate with the financial aid office while on the go, 24/7, from
their laptop, PDA or cell phone. The real-time information is
automatically updated in an institution’s financial aid files along
with change tracking capabilities. To brand the award offer letter for
the institution, Regent’s comprehensive system generates
personalized award status letters for students that are imprinted with the
school’s logo and colors. Additionally, Regent’s multilingual
design supports the needs of an increasingly international population,
enabling students to work in their language of choice.
The Regent Enterprise Student Self
Service Portal key benefits include:
- Early needs assessment and aid offer
- Student entered information is populated in real-time
- Viewing, accepting/rejecting awards in real-time
- Viewing of application status and academic progress status
- Viewing of messages to student
About Regent
With more
than 30 years of industry experience, Regent has become a leading provider
of financial aid management software solutions. The web-based, easy-to-use
solutions interoperate with any established student information system.
Regent provides institutions with improved efficiencies, fewer errors and
enhanced services for students—equating to a positive return on
investment within the first year.
Regent automates and streamlines critical financial
aid processes, such as packaging, awarding, tracking, reporting and
disbursements. Designed and built by and for members of the financial aid
and enrollment management community, Regent enables institutions to better
craft and execute their financial aid strategy — and offers student
access to information anytime, anywhere, from any device, in any
language.
