Canisius University Improved Enrollment Outcomes

Introduction

Canisius University identified a consistent enrollment risk among incoming students: many received an aid offer but still had an unresolved net cost gap and no clear plan to cover it. This showed up as summer melt, delayed payments, and financial holds that created friction during registration. The impact was most pronounced among HEOP and SPARK students, where financial complexity is higher and proactive advising capacity is limited. Canisius partnered with Arbol to integrate financial planning into summer onboarding so students could close the gap early and staff could prioritize the students who needed follow-up.

The Problem

Canisius University observed that a meaningful share of incoming students remained financially uncertain even after receiving their initial aid offer. Students often did not understand their remaining net cost or how they would cover it across tuition, housing, and living expenses. As a result, students entered the summer without a clear path to affordability.

This uncertainty created predictable enrollment and registration risk. Some students disengaged before the start of the term, contributing to summer melt. Others arrived without having resolved key financial tasks and ended up with unpaid balances and financial holds that delayed registration and required urgent intervention.

The challenge was most pronounced among HEOP and SPARK cohorts, where students are more likely to be first-generation and low-income, and therefore face higher financial complexity and higher guidance needs.

Canisius attempted to mitigate this through one-on-one outreach from a dedicated financial aid counselor. However, the institution did not have the capacity to engage the full incoming class at the level required. As a result, proactive support reached roughly 20% of students, leaving most without structured financial planning before arrival.

Canisius needed a scalable approach to ensure students understood their net cost early, completed key financial tasks, and entered the term prepared to enroll and persist.

Affordability has become a bigger factor in whether students enroll and persist. As our first-generation student population has grown, we needed a more modern way to provide financial guidance early and at scale.

Dr. Harold Fields
VP Student Affairs

The Solution

Canisius University partnered with Arbol to integrate financial planning into the summer onboarding experience, with a focus on improving readiness and reducing enrollment friction tied to affordability.

The approach centered on three components:

1) Embed financial planning into existing onboarding programs

During summer orientation and summer seminar programming for HEOP and SPARK cohorts, students were guided through building a financial plan that clarified their remaining net cost and how they would cover it. The objective was to ensure students entered the term with a clear understanding of what they owed, what resources were available, and what actions they needed to complete prior to the start of the semester.

2) Deliver scalable, structured support through cohort-based workshops

Arbol facilitated 30-minute workshops with each cohort to provide consistent support at scale. Students left each session with an actionable plan, and the process surfaced students who required additional help.

Students who needed follow-up were routed to the appropriate campus teams, including financial aid, housing, and related offices, so adjustments could be made before balances accumulated or holds were triggered.

3) Use engagement and risk indicators to target outreach

Arbol’s engagement data and financial risk indicators were used to identify students who had not completed their plan or key tasks. This allowed staff to focus follow-up on students most likely to experience enrollment disruption, rather than relying on broad outreach or reactive intervention after issues emerged.

The Results

Canisius University used Arbol to scale financial readiness during summer onboarding for HEOP and SPARK students, with measurable impact on enrollment outcomes and student financial behavior.

80% of students completed a financial plan to close their net cost gap prior to the start of the term.
Students who built a plan enrolled at a 6% higher yield rate compared to students who did not complete a plan.
HEOP and SPARK students produced Canisius’ highest yield, strengthening conversion among cohorts that typically require more proactive support.
Bills paid on time increased by 25%, improving financial stability heading into the semester and reducing the likelihood of downstream registration disruption.
The program expanded proactive support from roughly 20% of students to 80%, allowing staff to focus follow-up on the students most likely to encounter enrollment barriers.

Yield outcomes are increasingly influenced by affordability, not academic fit. When students do not understand their net cost or how they will cover it, enrollment risk rises and the institution often does not learn about the issue until it is too late.

By embedding financial planning into summer onboarding, Canisius reduced a common source of summer melt and improved enrollment readiness in high-need populations. Students entered the term with clearer expectations, fewer last-minute barriers, and improved payment behavior.

For enrollment leadership, the approach also addressed an operational constraint. Rather than relying on individual outreach that could only reach a small fraction of the class, Canisius implemented a scalable workflow that expanded proactive support while using engagement and risk indicators to target follow-up where it had the greatest impact.