The Aid Package Isn't the Finish Line
- teegemettille
- Aug 16
- 1 min read
For decades, enrollment strategies have treated the financial aid award as the decisive moment in a student’s journey. But as Geoff Baird says:
“Financial aid is not a finish line. For many students, it is simply a checkpoint along the way. A necessary step, but not the moment that decides whether they enroll.”
When institutions over-index on the aid package, they risk missing the moments that actually drive enrollment, moments of belonging, clarity, and emotional alignment.
In our latest white paper, we unpack why aid is often misunderstood, how institutions can better recognize the “missing middle” of decision-making, and what it looks like when counselors are guided to the right moments instead of waiting for a number on a letter to do the work.
