Confidential Consulting Report · 2026
Northwest University
Financial Aid & Enrollment
Recommendations
A comprehensive set of findings and strategic recommendations prepared by OptEd following our two-day on-site consulting engagement with NU's leadership team.
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Overview
Three Core Challenge Areas
01
Timing
Aid offers are arriving too late in the cycle to meaningfully influence student decisions. First offers should target December delivery to compete for time-sensitive admits.
02
Competitiveness
Current scholarship offerings are either too ambiguous or do not provide compelling enough opportunities to compete effectively against peer and competitor institutions.
03
Communication
Greater clarity is needed both internally across departments and externally to students and families about available aid options and next steps.
01
Section One
Scholarship Adjustments &
New Scholarship Recommendations
OptEd recommends a comprehensive review and refresh of NU's scholarship model. All new and revised scholarships should be evaluated for stackability, deadline structure, and annual renewability.
1.1 — GPA / Test Score Aid Matrix (with RNL)
- Engage NU's current partner (RNL) to conduct a full GPA/test-score aid matrix review, with a goal of reducing dependency on test scores and increasing academic scholarship access for a broader pool of students.
- Request a review of NU GPA data from prior years' incoming class to evaluate possible adjustments to cut points — particularly given the low test score submission rate.
- Only ~32 students in last year's incoming class submitted an SAT or ACT score — NU is leaving the majority of students in the dark about what they qualify for.
- Revisit the weight of need-based funding in the model — consider higher academic scholarship amounts in some tiers and a lower percentage of need being met overall.
- Update the Financial Aid page of the website immediately to show what academic scholarship a student qualifies for with GPA only.
- Revise 'average scholarship' language to reflect current data — consider shifting to 'average gap per year' or 'average tuition balance per year' to better represent affordability.
Recommended New & Revised Scholarships
| Scholarship | Recommended Amount | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine Arts Scholarship | $1,000 – $5,000 | Stackable / Renewable | Prorated if budget is a concern. Promotes NU at AG Fine Arts events. |
| Honors Program Scholarship | $2,000/yr minimum | Stackable / Renewable | Added scholarship component to existing Honors Program. |
| Private Christian School Scholarship | $1,000/yr (up to $4,000 total) | Stackable / Renewable + Deadline | Prorated by years attended. Recommend March 1 application deadline. |
| Alumni Dependent Scholarship | $500/yr | Stackable / Renewable | Small investment, meaningful connection to NU alumni community. |
| PK/MK Affiliation Scholarship | $500/yr | Stackable / Renewable | Start small; increase as qualifying student volume is validated. |
| Church Matching Scholarship | Up to $500/yr | Stackable | Church contributes and NU matches up to defined cap. |
| College of Ministry (Revised) | $2,000/yr minimum | Stackable / Renewable | Replace '50% off' language with fixed dollar renewable award. |
| Pickleball Club Sport | 1 full-ride equiv./team | Per coach/AD allocation | New club program. Set headcount goals; new students must be counted. |
| E-Sports Club Sport | 1 full-ride equiv./team | Per coach/AD allocation | Same scholarship policy as other athletic awards re: NU Grant. |
1.2 — Presidential Scholarship Event Restructure
- Currently: 5 full tuition scholarships awarded at 1 specific event day. OptEd recommends restructuring for higher volume and broader access.
- Offer a select number of stackable scholarships at $4,000–$5,000 for top performers.
- Award a larger number of smaller scholarships ($1,000–$2,000) to remaining participants.
- Consider 2–3 different scholarship events earlier in the year rather than a single opportunity.
- Marketing shift: Promote "NU is giving out over $100k in scholarship dollars across events" rather than leading with full tuition exclusivity.
- Goal: Reduce exclusivity, increase access, drive earlier conversion conversations, and generate more high-yield event touchpoints.
1.3 — Fine Arts Scholarships
- By adding Fine Arts scholarships, NU enters the conversation for Assembly of God Fine Arts competition incentives — a market where many NU competitors are already present.
- Model after SEU/Nelson approach. Recommend $1,000–$5,000 in scholarship ranges.
- Admissions will need supporting print materials and digital ads to promote the scholarship at Fine Arts events.
1.4 — DYD and AG Bible Quiz Scholarships — Continue with Policy Update
- Do not remove these scholarships despite reported mixed reception. NU's presence in this space is valuable.
- Strongly recommend revising language and policy to ensure these awards are stackable on top of need-based aid and are renewable. This is the primary source of frustration — not the existence of the awards.
1.5 — Athletic Aid: Return to Full Ride Equivalency Model
- OptEd recommends returning to a full ride equivalency scholarship budget model instead of the current NTR per team model.
- NU leadership should agree on a set total athletic aid dollar amount managed by the AD/VP of Student Development in collaboration with Financial Aid and CFO — no overspending.
- The number of full ride equivalents does not need to be equal across every team.
- Policy: Athletic aid should NOT stack on top of NU Grant — it should reduce it. Students can still receive both, but the NU Grant amount is reduced by the athletic scholarship amount when applicable.
- Athletics and coaches should be able to view a student's academic scholarship eligibility by GPA alone — without waiting for FAFSA or test score submission.
★OptEd Note:
NU needs to ensure Athletics, the CFO, and VP of Student Development are fully aligned on the athletic aid budget and spending approach before implementing any changes.
02
Section Two
Policy & Process
Recommendations
2.1 — Financial Aid Offer Redesign & Timing
- Redesign the aid offer print piece and folder with these priorities:
- Add or revamp an 'Understanding Your Offer' companion piece — clarify next steps, reinforce value, and present options clearly.
- Review the physical experience of opening a mailed aid offer: What do families see first? Is it clear? Is it intimidating?
- Add QR codes linking to a website explanation for detailed information rather than embedding all fine print in the mailer.
- Consider adding a sample generic aid offer to the website with overview/explanation (see SEU as a model).
- Timing goal: Deliver first aid offers in December, rather than the current January/February window.
- Enrollment counselor follow-up via personal phone calls remains critical. Turnaround time after offer delivery should be fast and consistent.
2.2 — NU Grant Renewal Requirements
- There is significant feedback from staff around student and parent frustration when the NU Grant fluctuates dramatically year to year.
- NU currently invests significant dollars in need-based awards via NU Grant — any major policy changes require careful analysis.
- As a first step: review the SAI threshold at which the NU Grant is recalculated. This may reduce year-to-year fluctuation without requiring a complete policy overhaul.
- OptEd does not currently recommend switching to a 'need blind' annual repackaging policy — there is not yet sufficient evidence to support that change.
- Review weight of need-based awards with RNL to evaluate a larger shift toward academic scholarships and new categorical awards, with less weight on need-based NU Grant funding.
2.3 — New Student Appeals Process
- Establish a formal new student appeals coordination process between the Financial Aid Director and Admissions Director.
- Apply a consistent review rubric (see Section 3 criteria) to all appeals.
- Turnaround goal: 24–48 hours from appeal submission to decision.
- Appeals should be reviewed at least weekly by a small committee of the Financial Aid Director and Admissions Director.
- Admission and Financial Aid counselors should be trained to recognize, escalate, and manage appeals appropriately.
2.4 — Departmental Alignment & Culture
- Financial Aid must be integrated operationally and culturally as part of the enrollment team — ensuring none of the Enrollment Team departments are siloed. Admission, Financial Aid, and Marketing need to be cohesive and collaborative.
- Ongoing, growing communication and collaboration between Financial Aid, Admissions, and Marketing is essential to sustainable enrollment growth.
- NU should evaluate adding a recurring cross-departmental meeting cadence to maintain alignment and proactively address shared challenges.
03
Section Three
Retention Grant &
Emergency Scholarship Fund
OptEd recommends establishing a Retention Grant / Emergency Fund scholarship budget, managed by a cross-departmental Retention Task Force in collaboration with Financial Aid.
3.1 — Establishing the Fund
- Set a dedicated annual retention/appeals scholarship budget for returning students facing financial challenges.
- The Retention Task Force, in collaboration with Financial Aid, should review cases student by student using a consistent rubric.
3.2 — Evaluation Rubric: Suggested Criteria
| Factor | Guiding Question |
|---|---|
| Current Discount Rate | Is the student's discount rate above or below your target? Are they already heavily funded? |
| Financial Need (SAI) | Is this a high-need student or 'murky middle'? Does the FAFSA support additional institutional investment? |
| Resource Utilization | Is the student using all available resources — including student loans? |
| Outside Revenue to NU | How much state aid, federal grants, outside scholarships, or out-of-pocket is the student bringing? Does additional NU investment make NTR sense? |
| Student/Family Contribution | If NU stretches with additional support, what can the student/family do on their end? Commitment is a two-way investment. |
04
Section Four
Future Areas
of Opportunity
Based on this engagement, OptEd recommends NU consider the following areas for future consulting or additional service work as enrollment momentum builds.
4.1
Visits & Events Audit
- Review current on-campus visit and event programs for effectiveness, conversion rates, and best practices.
- Recommend optimizations to improve the prospective student and family experience during critical decision-making visits.
4.2
Enrollment Consulting: Recruitment Strategy & Best Practices
- Recruitment Strategies — review and update of overall enrollment funnel and travel/territory strategy.
- Marketing Channels and Tools — audit of digital, print, and social media channel effectiveness.
- Communication/Collateral — review and redesign of student-facing print and digital communications.
4.3
Sales Training for Enrollment Staff
- Provide structured sales training for Admissions counselors and enrollment-facing staff.
- Training should address objection handling, aid conversation best practices, and conversion techniques.
4.4
University-Wide Retention & Student Success Micro-Grant Program
- A proactive, data-driven program separate from an emergency fund approach.
- Established with clear student success action points required for a returning student to qualify.
- Specific at-risk student populations would be targeted based on defined criteria.
- Represents a stronger long-term retention tool than an emergency fund alone.
★OptEd Note:
Medium-to-long-term initiative. Continue the emergency/retention fund in the near term while building toward this more comprehensive program.
From OptEd
Thank you for trusting OptEd as your consulting partner.
The recommendations in this document represent our team's best thinking for Northwest University's specific context, goals, and competitive landscape. We are committed to your success — and are here to support implementation, answer questions, and help your team execute every step of the way.
Roy H. Rowland IV, MBA, PhD
CEO, OptEd · opted.co