Hobart & William Smith Colleges Unlock PowerFAIDS Efficiency

How can an institution streamline operations, ensure compliance, and maximize existing technology? That’s the challenge Hobart & William Smith Colleges faced with their PowerFAIDS system. Like many institutions, the college knew they weren’t using the full potential of their financial aid software. With support from Financial Aid Services (FAS), Hobart & William Smith turned that challenge into an opportunity to streamline processes, strengthen compliance, and build internal expertise.

hobart-william smith-college-fas-case-study

Client

Problem

Solution

Results

Client

Located in Geneva, NY, Hobart & William Smith Colleges is a private institution with a history spanning more than 200 years. The campus serves approximately 1,700 students and is known for its personalized liberal arts education.

hobart-william-smith-student-experience-fas

Challenges

The financial aid team at Hobart & William Smith needed to make better use of PowerFAIDS to streamline awarding and reconciliation processes. To get there, the staff first had to build their knowledge, confidence, and skill in using the system’s advanced features. Without the right expertise in place, the team faced delays and inefficiencies that made it difficult to meet key operational and compliance goals.

Solution

Partnering with FAS provided Hobart & Smith access to experienced consultants who could help unlock the full potential of PowerFAIDS. Through this collaboration, FAS helped Hobart & Smith:

Design a system of algorithms and implement rules to automate the review process for institutional need-based funding, incorporating ISIR and CSS profile data.

Establish a new reconciliation workflow using the existing PowerFAIDS reconciliation reports.

Trained staff on how to build and apply advanced algorithms and selection sets tailored to the institution’s needs.

Results

The successful partnership with FAS has led to more efficient financial aid operations for Hobart & Smith. Making better use of PowerFAIDS has made a significant impact in key areas.

Streamlined Awarding Process

Most awarding is now done via batch auto-packaging, significantly decreasing staff hours spent on packaging and decreasing turnaround time from the institution receiving an ISIR and providing an aid offer to the student.

Reduced Manual Efforts

The decreased manual effort required to complete regular reconciliation makes human error less likely to affect the reconciliation process, leading to greater confidence in compliance efforts.

Increased Staff Confidence

Through hands-on, documented training, financial aid staff has gained the skills to maintain and modify algorithms to address institutional needs without direct intervention from FAS. This empowers them to more effectively adapt to future regulatory or institutional changes without needing outside assistance.