Verification Gateway
Stephens College Verification Gateway Made Verification Process Simpler for Staff and Students
Stephens College is the second oldest women’s college in the country and home to less than 500 students. Women are challenged by a variety of coursework, gain leadership opportunities, and receive career preparatory classes all while enjoying the competitive advantage of a 10-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio. Stephens is also known for its diverse and competitive degree programs: a successful physician assistant program, a nationally recognized fashion school, and top 10 theater program. Financial Aid Staff Was Too Thin to Complete Verifications and Delayed Financial Aid Packages Alex Miller, Director of Financial Aid at Stephens College, learned of the staff’s difficult time keeping up with verifications after she came on board to Stephens. “Verification was becoming stressful not only for students and families but also for staff,” Miller said. “With what seems to be more selections each year,” it was becoming difficult and strenuous for our office to keep up with incoming verification selections. In turn, this delayed students in getting their aid packages and finalizing their plans for paying for college.” Verification Gateway Demo Highlighted Value of Outsourced Solution and Quality of Service Miller said the financial aid staff at that time needed to come up with a solution to solve its verification problem. Solutions included hiring another staff member to manage verifications, re-disburse duties among the current staff, or outsource. “Once the team knew outsourcing was an option, it became the preferred alternative,” Miller said.
CHALLENGE The financial aid office was too short- staffed to keep up with verifications in a timely manner, which resulted in financial aid packages being delayed. The staff needed to hire another team member, re-disburse duties among current staff, or hire a third- party solution. SOLUTION Selecting Verification Gateway made verifications easier to process, provided students with a less stressful online experience, and reduced the work load for the financial aid staff. RESULTS • Increased efficiency of completed verifications • Provided online user-friendly experience for students and families • Eased staff work load • Gave first-class customer service during and after VG implementation
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