Financial wellness webinars
No matter where you are on your educational path, we have the tools to help you achieve success. Catch our live webinars or watch a recording of a prior webinar. We discuss planning for school, financial aid, how to search for scholarships and more.
Upcoming professional development series
Resources, tools, and best practices to help you assist students and families on their higher education journey. Attend a free, live webinar, or watch a recording of a prior webinar. Together we can help students make informed decisions and pursue their education with confidence.
Coming soon - our 2025 webinar calendar! Check back in January for topics and dates.
Watch our past webinars
The first step to finding the money you need for college: Completing the FAFSA®
December 2024
Join our experts for an overview of the FAFSA®, also highlighting some of last year's changes. We’ll share helpful tips and information to help you complete your FAFSA® and find the money you need to pay for college.
Completing the FAFSA®: Finding Free Money for College
November 2024
PLEASE NOTE: Our experts will present this webinar in Spanish.
Scholarships can be a huge help to college-bound students and their families, but many don’t know where to find them, or how to apply. During this session students and families will learn key tips on applying for scholarships, how to create a winning scholarship essay, and more. We’ll also share helpful tips and information to help you complete your FAFSA® and find the money you need to pay for college.
Presenters
Ed Gonzalez Assistant Region Head East, Business Development
Sergio Gonzalez Assistant Region Head West, Business Development
Scholarships - finding free money for college
November 2024
Scholarships can be a huge help to college-bound students and their families, but many don’t know where to find them, or how to apply. During this session students and families will learn key tips on applying for scholarships, how to create a winning scholarship essay, and more.
Your 1-2-3 Approach to Paying for College
Please note: Our experts will present this webinar in Spanish
September 2024
If college is in your future, you will want to join this webinar to help you plan and pay for college. You will learn about:
- Saving for college – it is never too late!
- How to select a college and how much it will cost
- FAFSA® - what, why and how
- Understanding a financial aid offer
- How to find and apply for scholarships and grants – FREE $$$
- Education loan options
- Free tools and resources to make the process easier
What’s the real cost of college? How to plan now.
September 2024
If college is in your future, you will want to join this webinar to help you plan and pay for college. You will learn about:
- Saving for college – it is never too late!
- How to select a college and how much it will cost
- FAFSA® - what, why and how
- Understanding a financial aid offer
- How to find and apply for scholarships and grants – FREE $$$
- Education loan options
- Free tools and resources to make the process easier.
Options to pay your remaining balance
May 2024
Many students and families will consider financing a portion of their college education. This session will focus on encouraging responsible borrowing and what students and families can do to find the right solution for their borrowing needs.
Navigating financial aid offers
March 2024
After being accepted to college, students will receive a financial aid offer that outlines your financial aid eligibility at that specific school. Each financial aid offer will contain similar overall information but since there’s no standard format they can be difficult to interpret. In this session you will learn how to decipher each financial aid offer so you can confidently determine which college is the best fit.
Helping Black Families Navigate the Admissions Process
February 2024
The entire college admissions process seemed challenging before, but emerging issues, such as the Supreme Court decision about race-conscious admission, and the emergence of artificial intelligence on college essay writing, have students, especially Black students, feeling overwhelmed. Join us for a discussion with Timothy L. Fields and Shereem Herndon-Brown, authors of “The Black Family's Guide to College Admissions, Second Edition”, where we’ll discuss several topics helpful to navigating college admissions, including important factors Black students should consider when choosing a college.
How America Pays for College 2024: Spotlight on HBCU Insights
December 2024
Historically Black Colleges and Universities play a major role in fostering equal access in education and advancing social progress, academic excellence, and cultural awareness in the United States. Join us for a panel conversation based on the most recent research findings from Sallie Mae’s How America Pays for College 2024. The discussion will include how students attending these institutions made their college decisions, what sources of funding families used, and how well HBCUs are preparing students for life after college.
Better FAFSA®: Key learnings and takeaways from year one
Tuesday, November 19th at 2pm ET
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA®, underwent generational changes this past year. Join our panel of enrollment and financial aid professionals to review initial data regarding FAFSA® completion, as well as what works and what needs to be revisited.
Our panel will also discuss how they helped students and families adapt to the changes, what the pitfalls were, and how they are adapting their approach and strategies with one year under their belt.
Fueling your enrollment objectives: The value of transparency and simplicity in connecting with today’s students
November 2024
When making an enrollment decision, students and families aren’t just concerned with cost and fit. They are also looking for readily available information as well as transparency and simplicity in the college financing process. At the core of a positive student experience is a focus on meeting their expectations of having a personalized experience that is authentic, easy to navigate, and more. Sallie Mae and a panel of college and university colleagues will discuss industry best practices and strategies for increasing engagement with the students you serve throughout the enrollment process.
How America Pays for College 2024
October 2024
With more than 16 million students enrolling in undergraduate programs this fall, the topic of how families pay for college is ever- relevant. Join us for a conversation based on the most recent research findings from Sallie Mae’s How America Pays for College 2024 report. We’ll discuss how families relied on different sources of funding, what meaningful trends are impacting families’ paying-for-college strategies, the impact of the new FAFSA® rollout, and even how AI is used in college planning.
How America Completes College 2024
April 2024
The college journey isn’t a race, it’s a marathon. From the search for the right schools, the stress of applications, the emotions of acceptance, the discovery of future careers, and the challenge of figuring out how to pay – just to get to the start. Navigating the path to graduation is equally, if not more, important. With 62% of undergraduate students walking the stage at a commencement ceremony, it’s clear that there are many challenges on the road to college completion. Join us as we discuss our latest study - Sallie Mae’s How America Completes College 2024 - and examine the college experience through the lens of completion to uncover what separates students who are on track from those who are at-risk and discuss what opportunities exist to help more students complete their programs.
Authentic and Transparent: Assisting Students with Information on Costs and Payment Options
March 2024
When making an enrollment decision, students and families aren’t just concerned with cost and fit. They are also looking for readily available information as well as transparency and simplicity in the college financing process. This session will focus on ways to represent financing options in the aid offer, review best practices on gap finance counseling and discuss the value of a preferred lender list. Our panel of experts will help you review the guidance and industry standards to improve financial aid offers and counseling on payment options.
The real scoop on paying for college. Students' and families' expectations versus reality
February 2024
While most families agree that college is an investment in their student’s future, many are confused and stressed about paying for that education. Join this session where we explore what college-bound high school families know and expect about paying for college, and how that compares to the realities experienced by currently enrolled undergraduates. Our panel will discuss how families’ understanding of available funding sources, attitudes and behaviors change as families begin and follow their higher education journey.
Panelists include:
- Jamie Storey, Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) Director of Higher Education Innovation
- Roslyn White, Murray State University, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management
- Mike Frechette, Pacific Lutheran University, Dean of Enrollment Management