Opportunity Programs Guide
August 22, 2025
Financial Recovery Pathways Guide
August 25, 2025Opportunity Programs Guide
August 22, 2025Financial Recovery Pathways Guide
August 25, 2025Summary
The first year is the most critical period for student success. Students arrive with excitement and ambition but face a confusing and often overwhelming financial reality. For many, this is their first time managing multiple sources of aid, paying bills, and budgeting for living expenses. A misstep in this early period often leads to aid loss, registration holds, or stop outs.
Arbol embeds financial pathways directly into orientation and first year experience programs, ensuring students begin with clarity, confidence, and a plan that guides them throughout their college journey.
The Student Challenge
- New students are often managing aid, refund checks, and living costs for the first time.
- Hidden costs and refund checks are confusing, leading to overspending or unmet needs.
- Without guidance, students miss aid deadlines, fall behind, or accumulate balances.
- First generation and underserved students are especially vulnerable without a safety net at home.
The Institutional Challenge
- Orientation programs cover academics and campus life but rarely provide a structured financial pathway.
- Financial aid and billing offices face high volumes of questions and manual follow up.
- Early attrition impacts retention rates, enrollment stability, and tuition revenue.
- Institutions spend heavily on wraparound supports but lack a scalable model for financial clarity.
Solution with Arbol
- Financial Roadmap: Every student begins with a personalized plan that includes aid, costs, and living expenses.
- Automated Prompts: Guidance to complete forms, budget refund checks, and plan for upcoming bills.
- Proactive Alerts: Risks like missed requirements or registration holds are flagged early.
- Student Confidence: Students understand their financial responsibilities from day one.
- Staff Efficiency: Orientation and advising staff save time by automating routine reminders and focusing on complex cases.
How It Works
- Onboarding at Orientation – Students receive a full financial picture, including aid, tuition, and expected expenses.
- Building a Plan – Students create a financial pathway alongside their academic plan.
- Ongoing Guidance – Timely nudges help students manage refund checks, stay compliant, and prepare for costs.
- Early Detection – Risks are flagged in the dashboard so staff can intervene before issues escalate.
- Support Connection – Students are connected to resources like scholarships, tutoring, or basic needs support when needed.
Impact You Can Expect
- Higher first to second year retention rates.
- Greater student confidence navigating the financial journey.
- Fewer students experiencing registration holds or aid loss.
- Reduced staff workload during peak financial aid and billing seasons.
Case Study: Canisius University – Freshman Orientation
At Canisius, many first year students struggled with the financial side of college. Refund checks, ambiguous costs, and aid requirements created confusion and risked early attrition. Orientation programming addressed academics and campus culture but lacked a framework for financial success.
By embedding Arbol into orientation and the first year experience:
- Every incoming student created a financial plan.
- Students received guidance on budgeting refund checks and anticipating living costs.
- Early risks were flagged, preventing missed deadlines or balances from escalating.
- Staff replaced manual checklists with automated workflows, freeing time for complex cases.
Result: Canisius improved retention by reducing first year financial missteps and set the expectation that every student would begin with a financial plan alongside their academic one.
Dr. Fields, VP for Student Success: "By embedding Arbol into our orientation and First Year Experience, we’ve given every student a clear financial pathway from the start. It has strengthened retention and changed how we support first generation and underserved students."