1. Student Lending Analytics Flash Survey: Financial Aid Counseling June 22, 2009

2. SLA Flash Survey: Financial Aid Counseling Background
Situation: Given the current recession and the reductions that families have seen in their 529 plans and home equity, the demand for financial aid counseling has increased significantly. This survey will provide details on the topics that are most often addressed in these counseling sessions
Survey Goals
Determine the extent to which the demand for financial aid counseling has changed within the past year
Identify the issues being that students/families are most concerned about
List resources that financial aid administrators rely upon to develop counseling expertise

3. SLA Flash Survey: Financial Aid Counseling Methodology
ed flash survey on June 17, 2009 with due date of June 18, 2009
In addition to demographic questions, the survey asked respondents the following questions:
Indicate the frequency with which each of these issues is discussed in counseling sessions with students and families.
Estimate the annual change in the number of students/families counseled by financial aid staff at your institution.
Describe the 2-3 most valuable resources used to train financial aid staff to effectively counsel students and families.
Describe you or your staff's greatest success achieved through counseling students or their families.

4. SLA Flash Survey: Financial Aid Counseling Methodology (Cont.)
Responses were normalized for following reasons:
addresses that did not correspond with an educational institution were excluded
Several schools provided multiple responses; only one response was analyzed
Responses that included demographic data but incomplete answers to main survey questions were excluded
Overall, there were 178 survey responses analyzed

5. SLA Flash Survey: Financial Aid Counseling Summary
The five issues discussed most frequently during counseling sessions were:
Scholarships/grants
Work study/job opportunities
Professional judgment
Understanding differences between Federal and Private Loans
Impact of scholarships on financial aid
86% of financial aid administrators indicated that the number of students and families counseled had grown in the past year
19% of respondents indicated that they had seen an increase of over 20%
Respondents identified the importance of these organizations in providing resources to assist them in counseling students
Experienced, in-house staff to lead training sessions
NASFAA national, state and local conferences and webinars
Department of Education
Guarantors, lenders and other state agencies

6. SLA Flash Survey: Financial Aid Counseling Profile of Survey Participants

7. SLA Flash Survey: Financial Aid Counseling Prevalence of Topics Discussed in Counseling Families
Survey question: Indicate the frequency with which each of these issues is discussed in counseling sessions with students and families.
Source: SLA Flash Survey: Financial Aid Counseling, June 2009 (178 respondents)

8. SLA Flash Survey: Financial Aid Counseling Increase in Numbers Counseled
Survey question: Estimate the annual change in the number of students/families counseled by financial aid staff at your institution.
Source: SLA Flash Survey: Financial Aid Counseling, June 2009 (178 respondents)

9. SLA Flash Survey: Financial Aid Counseling Resources Identified To Assist Financial Aid Staff
Most commonly cited resources
Experienced staff leading in-office training
Some indicated that junior staff sat in on counseling sessions with more seasoned staff
Mock counseling sessions
Cross-training to understand other services provided on-campus
Internal workshops run by College staff to generate ideas on improving customer service
Local/regional/national conferences by financial aid administrator organizations
(NASFAA and local chapters)
Federal resources: IFAP, Guide to Federal Student Aid, FSA Coach, FSA
Conferences, FSA University (online)
State agencies, guarantor and lender workshops and seminars
Guarantors mentioned specifically: USA Funds, EdFund, PHEAA, TG, NSLP
Other resources mentioned
Academic Impressions' video/webinar featuring a financial aid director and a psychologist on how best to cope with anxiety and anger
(AES website for debt management)
College Board Financial Aid Institute

10. SLA Flash Survey: Financial Aid Counseling Success Stories – Representative Quotes
“Nothing beats helping students and families achieve the dream and goal of college.”
“Having more students and families complete the FAFSA.”
“Luckily, because I'm at an affordable 2-yr public, our greatest achievement is convincing students and families that an education is obtainable. There is sufficient federal assistance available to cover tuition and fees for any student, regardless of the family's income.”
“We make all students apply for federal aid before we will process any private loan. Sometimes there is resistance, but they usually comply and many times they receive federal aid.”
“I always think it is a success when the parent or student actually owns the information/process when I am finished counseling them (they show that they really understand).”
“Family's realization of ability to afford the University after financial aid is awarded.”
A simple "Thank You" or "I appreciate it"!!!

11. SLA Flash Survey: Financial Aid Counseling Success Stories – Representative Quotes
“Greater recognition of accurate, early filing and a reduction in trying to "game" the system.”
“It is always heartwarming to hear a family express their thanks when we have helped them find some resources that they did not know about/were not initially eligible to receive.”
“Working in the local high schools with recruiting counselors to provide admission/financial aid/scholarships information to students during the day and parental workshops at night.”
“Access to college for first generation college students through extensive outreach.”

12. Thank You Thank you again for your participation!
Please contact Tim Ranzetta if you have any additional comments or questions regarding this survey
Send to
Phone:
Look for more upcoming SLA Flash Surveys in the future
For more information on Student Lending Analytics, proceed to the final six slides

13. Student Lending Analytics Background
Founded in 2007
Independent Research and Advisory Service with NO lender affiliations
Mission: Find best lenders for students through an analytically rigorous, unbiased and comprehensive process
Services
RFI Management of FFEL and Private Loans
Research
Successes to Date
Managed RFI process at institutions with over one billion dollars in loan volume
Inside Student Lending, our monthly newsletter, reaches over 5,000 financial aid
administrators
Student Lending Analytics Blog has become the go-to source for breaking
developments and analysis on the student lending industry
SLA Flash Surveys have included the insights from over 1,500 financial aid
professionals on a variety of timely topics
Private Loan Options and the SLA’s 2009 Alternative Loan Guide provides
students and financial aid offices with an objective and focused list of private lenders
SLA Student Satisfaction Surveys measures student satisfaction with lenders

14. Unlocking the Mysteries of Private Student Loans Student Lending Analytics: Resources Available
SLA Private Student Loan Ratings
2009 SLA Private Loan Series
2009 SLA Private Loan Guide
Paying For College Blog
Student Satisfaction Surveys
Coming Soon: Private Loan Quiz

15. Unlocking the Mysteries of Private Student Loans Private Student Loan Ratings
Available at
Featured on front page of New York Times Business
Focused on evaluating eight lenders that appeared most frequently on over 700 school lender lists that SLA researched
Includes the following factors in ratings:
Expected loan cost
Borrower benefit savings
Fee structure
Flexibility of repayment options
Customer service
Financial stability
SLA receives no compensation from any lenders on this list
New Service: Student Loan Forum to capture real-time information about interest rates and approvals

16. Unlocking the Mysteries of Private Student Loans 2009 SLA Private Loan Series
Most popular post:  Shopping for Private Student Loans Makes a Difference!
Results from 6 student loan applications yields interest rates between 7% - 12%
Before You Apply for a Private Student Loan
Provides checklist of items to complete prior to considering a private student loan
What About Credit Unions?
Explores the increasing role that credit unions are providing in the private student loan market
"Miss A Payment On Your Private Student Loan, You Could See Your Interest Rate Rise"
Highlights two lenders that have clauses in promissory notes which could result in 2% increases in interest rates triggered by one late payment
Borrower Benefits on Private Student Loans
Provides examples of savings opportunities available to private loan borrowers
What Ingredients Go Into the "Secret Sauce"?
Insights into the factors that lenders consider in making their credit decisions
Does It Make Sense To Shop Around For Private Student Loans?
Provides details on new Fair-Isaac policy about the impact of applying for multiple student loans on your credit score (hint:  it helps student borrowers)
The Promissory Note
Highlights the key terms to be aware of when evaluating lender promissory notes
What is the Meaning of "Instant Credit Response"?
Reviews the on-line application process and analyzes the speed of lender credit reviews
Private Loan Fee Structure
Benchmarks most common fees assessed by private lenders for both origination and servicing of loans

17. The Student Lending Analytics Process RFI Management

18. Student Lending Analytics Research Services
Inform financial aid offices on industry developments (implications for their lender lists and relationships)
Student Lending Analytics Blog
Key resource for thousands of professionals in the student lending industry
Timely insights to developments in student lending industry
Alerts
Legislation, lender exits, earnings calls, industry insight
Monthly newsletters
Webinars
December 2008 – A Conversation about FFELP and Direct Lending
May 2009 – Unlocking the Mysteries of Private Student Loans
Surveys (summaries available on our website)
FFEL vs. Direct Lending
RFI Practices
Implementing Increased Federal Stafford loan limits
Availability of Alternative Loans
Legislative and regulatory updates
White papers
Help Line to answer questions/resolve issues throughout the year