Toolkit: Anatomy of an Effective Financial Aid Letter

College cost and financial aid are top-of-mind issues for students and their families. However, most aid award letters—the first communication families receive from you on the topic—are difficult to understand and often missing crucial information.

Your award letter must be transparent and accessible and should clearly communicate the true cost of attending your institution. The letter also serves as a valuable recruiting touchpoint through which you can emphasize the kind of care and attention to detail that students can expect from your college or university. In other words, it helps demonstrate your value proposition.

This toolkit outlines three areas for improvement and offers resources for rethinking the way you share financial aid award information with students. There’s also a checklist for making sure your new award letters fully incorporate these recommended best practices.

To download the toolkit, please complete the form to the right.