HOBOKEN, NJ and ST. LOUIS, MO--(Marketwire - September 29, 2010) - NACAC 2010 Conference -- EducationDynamics, the leading marketing and information services company dedicated to helping higher education institutions find, enroll and retain students, today announced at the NACAC 2010 Conference two key enhancements to the EducationDynamics eCRUIT™ Student Relationship Management (SRM) solution for colleges and universities. These innovations demonstrate EducationDynamics' continued commitment to the needs of admissions and enrollment leaders and its focus on improving transparency and engagement to students and parents of students through advances in enrollment technology.
The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2009 (HEOA) requires all colleges and universities that participate in Title IV student aid programs to post a net price calculator on their institutional Web site by October 2011. In addition to compiling basic college net cost information and helping students determine their Expected Family Contribution (EFC), the EducationDynamics College Cost Calculator provides net cost information over four years and can be tailored by institution to compare to selected competitor schools, offering a more comprehensive estimation of the true cost of a degree. Schools can further customize the College Cost Calculator by incorporating details about their specific financial aid process through the EducationDynamics Financial Aid Assistant, providing a more transparent and seamless student experience as they consider enrolling in a college or university.
EducationDynamics believes posting a net price calculator is only the minimum an institution should do. Students and parents of students are asking for more cost transparency and an easier way to determine financial aid prequalification early in the enrollment process. According to research collected by EducationDynamics:
- College affordability and financial aid qualification are among the most impactful enrollment communication efforts.
- Approximately 90% of prospective college students consider financial aid an important factor influencing their college choice. 40% of first-generation students select their school based on financial aid.
- Yet approximately 850,000 students annually who are eligible for federal grants did not complete the forms to apply for them, many of whom lose interest in pursuing a particular school.
New enhancements of the EducationDynamics eCRUIT SRM platform will include:
EducationDynamics College Cost Calculator (CCC) quickly and easily allows students and parents of students to estimate the cost of attending a given college or university in comparison to predetermined competitive institutions. CCC also provides students with additional college cost articles, educates about the financial aid process and encourages them to see if they qualify for financial aid, thereby enabling transparency and improved engagement and communication during a student's research and consideration process.
EducationDynamics Financial Aid Assistant (Powered by Regent SNAP™) quickly and easily allows students and parents of students to determine prequalification for financial aid with a detailed award letter and the information they need to accept their award and initiate the application, thereby enabling transparency and improved engagement and communication during a student's consideration and enrollment process.
Both new enhancements incorporate the most up-to-date federal guidelines for determining financial aid eligibility.
"Cost transparency and easy financial aid prequalification is rapidly becoming a critical part of the enrollment process for universities and colleges," said John Mathew, President of EducationDynamics Enrollment and Retention Services. "These new enhancements help colleges and universities better inform and engage with prospective students and parents of students while they are researching, considering and applying to schools. Students and parents of students now have the information they need in real-time in order to make a more informed decision about their school of choice."
The EducationDynamics College Cost Calculator is included with EducationDynamics' eCRUIT SRM solution and will be available in fall 2010. For the EducationDynamics Financial Aid Assistant, pricing information is available through EducationDynamics. Both new features will be available for demonstration at the NACAC 2010 Conference in St. Louis.
For more information about the EducationDynamics eCRUIT, College Cost Calculator or Financial Aid Assistant, or to request a demo, visit http://www.educationdynamics.com/ccc or contact Ingrid Ramos at partnerships@educationdynamics.com or 201.377.3329.
About EducationDynamics
EducationDynamics is higher education's leading marketing information and technology services company dedicated to helping institutions find, enroll and retain students. Its content-rich and highly visible education websites, including EarnMyDegree.com, EducationConnection.com, eLearners.com, GradSchools.com, StudyAbroad.com and its more than 50 special interest microsites, make EducationDynamics the premier provider of qualified prospective students for colleges and universities. In addition, the company offers a full suite of Web-delivered services proven to drive enrollment growth and reduce student attrition. Through its Market Research and Advisory Services, the company brings a decade of proprietary research, unparalleled market and student intelligence and best practice insights to its clients. For more information, visit www.educationdynamics.com.
Regent SNAP™ is a trademark of Regent Education.
Contact Information:
Contact:
Lindsey Mikal
Communications Strategy Group
(303) 433-7020 or (937) 408-9321