Trinity Western University has launched a new custom, online student aid calculator to help aspiring students learn their financial aid eligibility and cost before applying.
TWU is one of the first Canadian universities to offer a comprehensive aid calculator tool.
In only five minutes, Trinity Western鈥檚 student aid calculator provides first-time and transfer students a reliable estimate of their eligibility for free grants, TWU scholarships and other scholarships.
TWU鈥檚 student aid calculator was developed by Student Aid Services, Inc., the leading provider of college-cost estimation technology and services.
鈥淓ight years ago, we envisioned a student aid calculator to communicate our affordability and cost transparency, and today student aid services offers the advanced technology that makes personalized and reliable estimates possible for prospective students,鈥� said Corwin Koch, Trinity鈥檚 associate vice-president of enrolment.
鈥淥ur new student aid calculator communicates TWU鈥檚 generous academic scholarship offerings,鈥� Koch said, adding that potential students will know their projected cost and the resources to pay for their education well in advance of admission.
To make those estimates, Trinity鈥檚 student aid calculator asks a student鈥檚 home province and country, housing preference, academic standing, and some basic financial information. In the 2011-2012 academic year, 95 per cent of incoming undergraduates received academic grants or scholarships. The average they received was $5,200.
鈥淎s students plan which universities to apply to, we expect many families will use our new student aid calculator as a first step in understanding our value,鈥� Koch said.
Since last October, all universities and other post-secondary schools in the U.S. have been required by law to post online calculators that generate personalized aid estimates to show that a university鈥檚 sticker price is not the price most pay for their education.
However in Canada, Trinity is one of the first universities to offer all potential students personalized aid and cost estimates to make planning how to pay for college easier.
鈥淯niversities investing in student aid estimation technology are more effectively communicating their value and affordability early in the college-planning cycle to better serve students and their families,鈥� said Craig V. Carroll, founder and CEO of Student Aid Services.
