Case Study
Metropolitan Community College
 
Early Student Connection is Key to Successful Repayment Entry

As one of the fastest growing postsecondary institutions in Nebraska, Metropolitan Community College (MCC) has made it their mission to provide high quality educational programs and services, primarily in career preparation and general education, to people of all ages and educational backgrounds. With the motto “MCC is here to help move you forward,” they set their sights on a target that would achieve that forward-moving goal both while in school and beyond: helping students manage borrowing and repayment.

 
An Increasing CDR Needed Attention

Even though MCC has one of the lowest tuition rates in the area, their Cohort Default Rate (CDR) had been climbing. Wilma Hjellum, director of Financial Aid and Veterans Services, was determined to find a solution. Having a passion for helping others and a natural competency in math, she looked to the numbers to help her pinpoint the problem. Through her analytics, she found she could predict a potential defaulter, or a student that would statistically struggle with federal student loan repayment.

 

She could see their varied student population checked several of the same factors common to nationwide loan default: an average age of 26, and 63% of students enrolled part time. But more than that, there was a common denominator in the students who struggled the most in repayment – they just didn’t know about or understand the repayment process.

 
Repayment Counseling Outreach Closes the Gap

Repayment Counseling Outreach by Inceptia helped MCC connect with students experiencing student loan payment delinquency. By reaching students during this critical period to provide just-in-time education on all things related to loan repayment, Inceptia helps students become informed borrowers who are empowered to make the best repayment choices for themselves.

 

Wilma Hjellum“The outreach with Inceptia has gone well from day one and we continue to see improvements,” noted Hjellum. “In our first year, default dropped by more than a full percentage point with a 50% student contact response rate. The second year, we saw the same level of responses as our rate continues to drop. We’ve currently gotten down to a 12.3% CDR. Active and deliberate communication, educating the student is key… the engagement and connection helps students be successful and find their way.”

 
Making Time for Other Initiatives

“We have a lot to do and partnering with Inceptia’s expertise to match the needs of our student population fulfills our workload challenges as well,” says Hjellum. With the MCC CDR moving in a positive direction, the team can focus on other initiatives. With Hjellum’s passion for meeting the needs of students, MCC can now put more energy toward promoting Financial Avenue, Inceptia’s financial education platform, in an effort to further connect students to their money even sooner. She adds, “I believe in a holistic approach to working with students in which we first define clear educational goals. I want students to establish a start and end point that is appropriate and attainable, then move on to the financial aspect of that journey to bring it all full circle. Inceptia is helping us do that.”

 
Talk To Us

To learn more about Repayment Counseling Outreach, contact your Business Development representative.

 
CHALLENGE

The CDR at Metropolitan Community College had been climbing. The College knew their exiting students didn’t have the information they needed to successfully enter repayment, but staff simply didn’t have the extra bandwidth for more outreach. MCC needed a partner who could support guiding students toward financial empowerment.

 
SOLUTION

The expert student advocates at Inceptia gladly rose to the challenge. As part of our Repayment Counseling Outreach solution, the team contacted borrowers in delinquency to discuss each unique case. Inceptia guided borrowers through repayment plan options and preparation, while customizing the experience for each student; just as MCC counselors would.

 
RESULTS
  • CDR dropped a full percentage point the first year
  • CDR continues to drop each year
  • 50% student contact response rate
 
PARTNER PROFILE

Metropolitan Community College is a comprehensive, full-service public community college supported by the taxpayers of Dodge, Douglas, Sarpy and Washington counties. Its purpose is to provide high quality educational programs and services, primarily in career preparation and general education, to people of all ages and educational backgrounds. MCC is currently one of the fastest growing postsecondary institutions in Nebraska.

 
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