The Aid Package Mirage: Why Colleges Over-Index on Financial Aid
- teegemettille
- Aug 24
- 1 min read
For years, financial aid has been treated as the centerpiece of enrollment strategy. Aid packages are visible, measurable, and institutionally comfortable, leaders can point to a number, tie it to a discount rate, and call it strategy. But too often, this focus is misplaced.
The reality? Aid confirms a decision, it doesn’t create one. Students who already feel belonging see their aid package as affirmation. Those still uncertain read even generous awards as transactional. As Geoff Baird, founder of enroll ml, explains: “Financial aid is not a finish line. For many students, it is simply a checkpoint along the way.”
Yet institutions continue to pour disproportionate energy into tweaking packages, repackaging awards, and debating whether another $1,500 will flip a student. The hidden cost is enormous—missed conversations, counselor fatigue, and strategies that feel busy but don’t move yield.
Our latest white paper, The Aid Package Mirage, lays out a new philosophy: aid is an anchor, not a spark. It matters most when paired with belonging and behavioral alignment. Without that foundation, numbers alone fall flat.
