SwiftStudent A New Tool ToHelp Students Navigate …...ve Virtual Town Share on Social Media #ATD_Network @SwiftStudents @Shsfunds AMBRE – \爀屲We welcome you to share ideas or
20
SwiftStudent A New Tool To Help Students Navigate Financial Aid Now Even More Important Amid COVID-19 April 28, 2020
AMBRE– Welcome to Achieving the Dream’s webinar, SwiftStudent, A New Tool To Help Students Navigate Financial Aid Thank you for joining us today! Please take a moment to introduce yourself in the chat, including your name, institution and role. We will get started here shortly. TRANSITION: Thank you all again for joining us… Before we get started ….. Run through tech stuff and social media
ve Virtual TownTechnical Reminders
Chat
Presenter
Presentation Notes
AMBRE – For this webinar, your audio and video will be turned off, so we welocome you to enter your questions in the Q & A box. We will take questions at the end of the presentations but feel free to add your questions to the Q & A box throughout the presentation. You will find the Q & A box at the bottom of your screen. If you have any issues with your audio there is an audio settings button at the bottom of your screen as well. We invite you all to utilize the chat to introduce yourselves, sharing your institution and role, and please share any helpful resources there as well Also please note that this webinar will be recorded. All attendees will receive a follow up email with the recording and the slide deck
ve Virtual TownShare on Social Media
#ATD_Network
@SwiftStudents@Shsfunds
Presenter
Presentation Notes
AMBRE – We welcome you to share ideas or insights on twitter using the hashtag #ATD_Network We also encourage you all to follow SwiftStudents on social media @SwiftStudents (plural) and @SHSFunds TRANSITION: Now I will turn it over to Dr. Monica Parrish Trent, the Vice President of Network Engagement at Achieving The Dream
Ambre L. ReedAssociate Director, College Relations
Achieving The Dream
Dr. Monica Parrish TrentVice President, Network Engagement
Achieving The Dream
Abigail SeldinChief Executive Officer
Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation
Presenter
Presentation Notes
MONICA- �Thank you, Ambre Welcome everyone. I’m Monica Parrish Trent, and I am the VP Of Network Engagement at Achieving the Dream. I want to thank you for taking the time to join us today to learn about an exciting free digital financial aid tool – SwiftStudent, developed by the Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation. With me are Abigail Seldin, Chief Executive Officer of the Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation, who will demo the SwiftStudet Tool, and Ambre Reed, Associate Director, College Relations at Achieving the Dream TRANSITION:
Presenter
Presentation Notes
MONICA- Achieving the Dream leads America’s largest network of community colleges working to better support students in their educational journeys. Conceived as an initiative in 2004 by Lumina Foundation and seven founding partner organizations, Achieving the Dream now leads the most comprehensive non-governmental reform movement for student success in higher education history. Together with our Network of over 277 institutions of higher education, 75 coaches and advisors, and numerous investors and partners working throughout 44 states and the District of Columbia, we are helping more than 4 million community college students have a better chance of realizing greater economic opportunity and achieving their dreams. Core to Achieving the Dream’s mission is championing evidence-based institutional improvement and eliminating equity gaps. TRANSITION:
Presenter
Presentation Notes
MONICA- Achieving the Dream is proud to partner with the Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation in helping students effectively navigate the Federal Student Aid process. As we know, the overwhelming majority of community college students are dependent on their financial aid packages to not only attend school but to offset the costs of their living expenses. During the 2016-17 school year, 75% of first-time, full-time public community college students received financial aid. We also know that for many of those students, their financial aid package was insufficient. There was not enough aid to cover their tuition and expenses, including their basic needs. During the 2018 -19 year, Pell Grants were the most important form of financial aid for community colleges students, helping more than 2.4 million of them access and succeed in higher education each year. The SwiftStudent Tool enables students to learn about the financial aid appeal process, review eligibility requirements for making an appeal, and customize a financial aid appeal to start the conversation with their college financial aid office, all online. TRANSITION:
Monica – The economic upheaval caused by the COVID-19 outbreak has had a significant impact on students during this time, including the loss of personal or family income, and the process and timeline for colleges to award financial aid packages. Due to COVID-19, new emergency financial aid funding, as part of the CARES Act, may be available to students who inquire about aid through their schools. These emergency aid funds will be distributed to students whose inquiries or requests are approved by their institutions.
Abigail SeldinChief Executive Officer
Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation
Presenter
Presentation Notes
MONICA- I am excited to introduce Abigail Seldin, CEO of the Seldin-Haring-Smith Foundation. Abigail Seldin is the CEO of the Seldin / Haring-Smith Foundation, which she co-founded with her husband, Whitney Haring-Smith, in 2019. A Rhodes Scholar and Forbes “30 Under 30,” Seldin previously co-founded College Abacus, an edtech company known as the “Kayak.com of college financial aid,” in 2012. Seldin served as the company’s CEO until she led the successful sale in 2014 to ECMC Group. She joined the acquirer as VP of Innovation & Product Development, where she started and led their DC-based innovation Lab, an 80% female technology and design center. Seldin has been profiled in national media outlets including The New York Times, and her work on the Abacus products was highlighted in Secretary John King’s 2016 speech, “Opportunity Across America.” Seldin now serves on the boards of Temple University’s Hope Center, Montgomery College Foundation, and the Association of American Rhodes Scholars. �
How can I request a change to my financial aid package?
Visit our free site at https://formswift.com/swift-student
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Abigail –
What’s an appeal?Federal law allows your financial aid office to make changes to your financial aid package under certain circumstances. Each school has its own processes and requirements. If your financial aid office accepts an appeal or a request, your financial aid package may change in one of the following ways:
• Your cost of attendance (COA) may go up • Your expected family contribution (EFC) may go down
It is also possible that neither of these changes will occur, but that the financial aid office may remind you of grant aid or federal loans that are available under your original financial aid package.
If you are a college student receiving federal financial aid to attend school, you can submit an appeal or a request to your school to adjust your financial aid package. A financial aid appeal or request is available to qualifying students at all types of institutions (Graduate, 4-year, 2-year and trade) offering federal financial aid.
Visit our free site at https://formswift.com/swift-student
What’s an appeal?
Visit our free site at https://formswift.com/swift-student
SwiftStudent will help you write a financial aid appeal letter – for free.
Visit our free site at https://formswift.com/swift-student
Check out the free guidance and templates at: https://formswift.com/swift-student
All of these templates are designed for students currently receiving or applying for federal financial aid. Even if your appeal is not accepted, your school’s financial aid officers may be able to direct you to other resources once they better understand your situation.
Eligibility, supporting documents, and letter templates vary by appeal type.
How to start my appeal
Visit our free site at https://formswift.com/swift-student
Types of appeals available via SwiftStudentAsk the financial aid office to exclude parental information when they calculate my financial aid
Ask for financial aid to cover my child care costs
Ask for financial aid to cover expenses associated with my disability
Ask for more financial aid if FAFSA does not capture a financial difficulty I am currently facing
Ask for financial aid to help with a car repair
Ask for additional help if I have a financial emergency
Ask for more financial aid if my financial situation changes after I fill out the FAFSA
Ask for financial aid to cover my dependent care costs
Ask for my financial aid to be reinstated if I miss Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements
Ask for financial aid to cover a computer or other supplies that I need for school
Ask for financial aid to help with food or housing
Ask for an extension if I miss a financial aid deadline
Visit our free site at https://formswift.com/swift-student
Templates for individuals writing in support of a student’s appeal request
• Write a letter of support for a student seeking a dependency override
• Write a letter explaining the cost of the childcare I provide for a student parent
Visit our free site at https://formswift.com/swift-student
SwiftStudent offers free, customizable template letters to help you share your situation with the financial aid office
Visit our free site at https://formswift.com/swift-student
SwiftStudent addresses the barriers students face – and saves time for financial aid officers.
SwiftStudent offers students:
• a way to start the appeal conversation with college financial aid officers
• clear information about financial aid requirements and appeal types
• customizable template letters to help you share your situation with your school
SwiftStudent offers financial aid officers:
• a free resource to enhance the existing appeals process
• a path to receiving clear aid requests aligned with federal requirements
• customizable template letters for students that will enable easier evaluation
Visit our free site at https://formswift.com/swift-student
SwiftStudent is free to students and to financial aid offices. There’s no sign-up process.
To make SwiftStudent available to your students, all you need to do is share it with them.
You can download our poster and flier, or use these slides for community presentations on financial aid.
You can also share our free SwiftStudent worksheet to help your students keep track of their conversations with the financial aid office.
Poster Flier Slides Worksheet
Visit our free site at https://formswift.com/swift-student
About SwiftStudent
SwiftStudent is the only free, digital resource that provides financial aid appeal letter templates for students. The content for SwiftStudent was organized by the Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation in partnership with leading higher education organizations.
SwiftStudent is powered by the company FormSwift, a leading provider of tools to help you easily create, edit, and sign any document.
Visit our free site at https://formswift.com/swift-student
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Abigail- Thank you all Pass it back to Monica Monica- Thank you so much Abigail Pass it back to Ambre
Thank you for joining us todayWe welcome you to send additional questions
