Case Study
DeSales University
 
Verification Gateway Helped Private University Complete Processes More Efficiently Among Other Benefits for Students and Families

As a private liberal-arts college with a smaller enrollment – approximately 3,400 students – DeSales University is anything but small in terms of accredited degree programs, academic and community opportunities, and competitive NCAA Division III athletics. Class sizes are intimate (12:1 ratio) and taught by a majority of faculty members who hold the highest professional degrees.

 
In-House Verification Process Slowed Completion Time; Affected Timeliness of Financial Aid Package Distributions

Regardless of DeSales alluring attributes, Joyce Farmer, Director of Financial Aid, concluded that in-house verification processes didn’t work as efficiently as needed causing delays in financial aid packaging.

 

"We struggled to complete the financial aid verification process in an acceptable timeframe from both a billing and financial aid perspective,” Farmer said. “We needed to be able to provide financial aid packages in a timely manner, ensure financial aid and billing were in sync, and provide excellent customer service to families working through the process of paying for college.

 
Verification Gateway was Easily Implemented, Got DeSales off to the Right Start

Farmer and her team selected Verification Gateway (VG) as their solution in March 2019. 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.

 

The partnership between DeSales and Inceptia proved to be effective from the start. Inceptia team members worked closely with Farmer’s staff to provide in-house training of Verification Gateway’s intuitive system. Once training concluded, Inceptia’s customer service continued to ensure Farmer’s staff was completely well-trained.

 

"VG is necessary to implement if an academic institution requires fast and efficient financial aid processing," Farmer said.

 
A Better Student and Family Experience

The end-result was a beyond user-friendly experience for students and families that allowed them to quickly and effectively complete the verification process. Farmer was most pleasantly surprised with the lower call volume from students and families regarding verification questions, and the level of data security Verification Gateway provided. Fewer calls also meant more one-on-one time with students to advise them on other financial aspects. Farmer believes that with verification now outsourced, she and her team can focus on other valuable work that can impact DeSales recruitment and retention efforts.

 
Talk to Us

To learn more about Verification Gateway, contact your Business Development representative or visit inceptia.org.

 
Case Study  
THE CHALLENGE

Joyce Farmer and her financial aid team struggled to keep up with the verification process in an acceptable time frame from a billing and financial aid distribution perspective. They knew they needed to find a solution that was more efficient and make the process easier for students and families.

 
THE SOLUTION

Selecting Verification Gateway allowed verifications to be processed more efficiently; created a user-friendly experience for students and families; increased the level of data security; and lowered the call volume due to Verification Gateway’s customer service call center.

 
THE RESULTS
  • More efficient verification completions that made financial aid faster to distribute
  • 425 verifications completed since March 2019
  • Decreased call volume by students and families regarding verification questions
 
PARTNER PROFILE

DeSales University is a private four-year Catholic university in Center Valley, Pennsylvania. The university offers traditional, online, and hybrid courses and programs at the undergraduate and graduate level and has an enrollment of approximately 3,000 traditional, adult, and graduate students. DeSales University provides a transformative environment for learning and growing in light of the Gospel, grounded in tradition of Catholic higher education and the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales.

 
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