Verification Gateway
Nestled in the foothills of Mount Scorpion in Henderson, Nevada State College is the first public, four-year institution in the state. The college is home to 5,500 students and is designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution, a majority of whom are first-generation students. Nevada State College offers three schools: School of Education, School of Liberal Arts & Sciences, and School of Nursing. The college is known for its green-friendly culture that include energy-efficient buildings, open community spaces with solar panels, and an organic teaching garden. Inefficient Verification Process Left Little Time to Counsel Students Jenna Eastman, Assistant Director of Financial Aid at Nevada State College, said it took her staff six to eight weeks to review verification documents. While her team utilized an internal online platform that relieved some problems – like notifying students if they left incomplete forms – it didn’t solve everything. “Some documents didn’t get flagged correctly in order for processing to be completed,” said Eastman. This, along with high call volume regarding verification questions, left minimal time for staff to counsel students about financial aid. Verification Gateway Already Implemented at Sister Institution Made Buying Decision Easy for Nevada State College Nevada State College’s sister institution, College of Southern Nevada, already had Verification Gateway (VG) in place. This, Eastman said, made choosing a third-party solution easy. Verification Gateway from Inceptia is an automated online platform that streamlines federal verification processing for students and schools. Offering interview-style questions, simple and secure document collection, complete reporting and personal interaction when needed, VG enables schools to process and package aid faster. Nevada State College Verification Gateway Solution Made Life Easier for Staff and Students
CHALLENGE Despite an internal technology solution that solved some verification problems, it wasn’t the complete answer. Jenna Eastman and her financial aid staff needed to lessen the amount of time it took to process verifications so they could increase time to counsel students on other financial aid matters.
SOLUTION
Selecting Verification Gateway enabled verifications to be processed easier and faster. It also allowed Eastman and her staff to counsel students on non-verification items. The team also experienced lower call volume, which was a much-needed relief from the already smaller staff size.
RESULTS
• 2,533 verifications completed since 2018 • Decreased call volume by students and families regarding verification questions • More time to counsel students on other financial aid areas
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