Frequently Asked Questions

Colleges and universities pay a per term fee for each student who is covered by Ardeo and borrowing. The fee is customized based on the number of students covered by Ardeo, the Upper Income Threshold, and other institutional characteristics specific to each college. There are no up-front costs to use Ardeo’s LRAPs. Instead, you only pay for the students who are enrolled (and borrowing) after your census date, making LRAPs a uniquely low-risk way to boost enrollment.

To request a customized pricing quote and projected ROI for your institution, please fill out this brief form.

Colleges partner with Ardeo because our program positively impacts enrollment decisions and reinforces a commitment to long-term student success. Institution leaders appreciate LRAPs for their ability to help colleges and universities grow enrollment and improve retention, as well as to shape their class and increase participation in specific academic programs. Hear what enrollment leaders have to say about LRAPs here.

Ardeo’s LRAPs help provide peace of mind so families can confidently support their students’ academic and professional goals—regardless of their current financial situation and future earning potential. Ardeo’s LRAPs work like Student Loan Insurance—they help repay federal student, private alternative and parent PLUS loans if a graduate’s income is modest. Reimbursements are paid directly to the graduate.

Benefitting from an Ardeo LRAP is simple:

1. Students must enroll and graduate from your college.
2. After graduation, students must begin working and making their loan payments.
3. Graduates then request assistance from Ardeo.
4. Assistance is provided to graduates via quarterly reimbursements on their student and parent loan payments.
5. Assistance continues, either until graduates are earning more than the upper income threshold specified by their college, or until their loans are repaid entirely.

If you are a student or parent and would like to learn more about how LRAPs work for you, please visit LRAP FAQs or email info@mylrap.org.

Ardeo’s LRAPs help enroll students who are reluctant to borrow.

LRAPs are designed to be adaptable to fit the strategic initiatives of our partner colleges. Some schools offer LRAPs selectively to secure “on-the-fence” students, or to a targeted group that aligns with their institutional goals (e.g., to out-of-state students, non-athletes, etc.). Others give LRAPs to all new incoming students to maximize the value they get from the program. Ardeo’s LRAPs are designed to put college administrators in the driver’s seat, allowing each college to customize their LRAP strategy to align with their current initiatives and enrollment goals. Here are four ways our clients utilize Loan Repayment Assistance Programs to meet their enrollment goals.

The benefits of Ardeo’s LRAPs are proportional to usage; since colleges only pay for students who enroll and borrow, the impact on net revenue increases with the number of students attending as a result of the program.

A recent Ruffalo Noel Levitz survey of admitted student families found 65.3% of families of matriculated students said LRAPs positively influenced their decision to enroll. When provided to all incoming students and communicated well, clients regularly increase enrollment by more than 10%. When provided on a targeted basis to low-yield, low-discount cells, Ardeo’s LRAPs can significantly increase yield rate in those cells.

We’ve had schools launch the program and see results within days of signing up. The speed depends on your sense of urgency and time of year. Typically, we train new clients and help them begin using Ardeo’s LRAPs within three weeks after they sign up. They begin seeing results right away.

We understand that providing this valuable promise to your students requires confidence that Ardeo Education Solutions will be able to make good on that promise when the time comes. We have worked with leading professional service providers to structure our program for long term success and sustainability. We have insurance backing for the program from an A-rated insurance provider and the program was developed in conjunction with an industry-leading actuarial firm.

For the student, LRAPs wrap around existing federal programs and provide more generous benefits. With Ardeo’s LRAPs, students are more likely to attend their first-choice college, more inclined to major in their preferred field, and less prone to transfer or drop out. LRAPs also cover all loans certified by a college’s financial aid office, including federal loans, parent PLUS, and private alternative loans.

For colleges, Ardeo’s LRAPs change enrollment decisions in the college’s favor in a way the federal programs do not. LRAPs act as a differentiator from competitor institutions. We regularly receive positive feedback from colleges that use LRAPs about how powerful of a tool LRAPs are for them. Simply put, Ardeo’s LRAPs positively influence enrollment decisions.

Yes, for example, recent Admitted Student Family Research from higher education consulting firm Ruffalo Noel Levitz found that 16.1% of matriculated student families indicated their student would not have been able to attend their chosen institution without an LRAP. That study also found LRAPs have the power to increase access to higher education for specific student populations, for example: 24.6% of students of color and 23.6% of first-generation students indicated they would not have enrolled without an LRAP.

In addition to the RNL survey, research conducted by the University of Michigan’s National Forum on Higher Education for the Public Good found 74% of students and parents with knowledge of their school’s LRAP offering said it positively impacted their decision to enroll. Additional third-party research conducted by Stamats and Credo also validates the impact of Ardeo’s LRAPs on enrollment decisions.