The Application with Allison Turcio

Ep. 96: If Financial Aid Is an Afterthought, Your Marketing Strategy Is Broken

Financial aid is often treated like a backend function post-enrollment after the student has already decided. But in reality, it shapes everything. In this episode, host Allison talks with Rachel Gordon [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rlgordon202/], VP of Student Financial Aid Services at American University of Antigua College of Medicine [https://www.auamed.org/], about what happens when financial aid and marketing stop operating in silos and start working together. They explore why cost is one of the most emotional parts of the student journey, and how the way we talk about it can either create clarity or create risk. Rachel shares how financial aid teams support students through complex, real life moments, and why that work often continues long after graduation. Join us as we discuss: * [1:48] Why admissions is the window and financial aid is the door for students * [8:51] Avoiding higher ed jargon and speaking human-to-human * [19:04] The role financial aid plays in lifelong relationships with alumni To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-application-with-allison-turcio/id1609451870], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2zhwtP0VyKCsEi9KGxVtjw?si=2388cb3947174925], or our website [https://www.enrollify.org/], or search for “The Application with Allison Turcio” in your favorite podcast player. - - - - Connect With Our Host: Allison Turcio https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonturcio/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonturcio/] https://twitter.com/allisonturcio [https://twitter.com/allisonturcio] About The Enrollify Podcast Network: The Application with Allison Turcio is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network [https://podcasts.enrollify.org/]. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too! Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com [https://451.elmt.link/49ocwR8]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 95: The Roosevelt Pledge: How a Free Tuition Promise Drives Enrollment and Revenue

What if affordability isn’t just a financial aid strategy, but a positioning strategy? In this episode, we sit down with Nicole Barron [https://www.linkedin.com/in/barronnicole/], Senior VP of Enrollment Management at Roosevelt University [https://www.roosevelt.edu/], to unpack the Roosevelt Pledge, a program guaranteeing free tuition for qualifying students. What started as a tuition reset became a clear, compelling promise that now drives nearly 40% of their application pool. Nicole shares how Roosevelt turned complexity into clarity, using financial aid modeling, competitive data, and thoughtful marketing to increase enrollment, improve retention, and grow net tuition revenue all at once. Join us as we discuss:  * [2:08] How Roosevelt moved from a tuition reset to affordability positioning * [11:14] Internal buy-in and making the case for an affordability pledge * [16:29] The full-cycle impact and future outlook of the Roosevelt Pledge Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: * The Roosevelt Pledge [https://www.roosevelt.edu/pledge] * EAB [https://eab.com/solutions/focus-area/marketing-and-enrollment/] * Market View [https://marketviewedu.com/] To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on  Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-application-with-allison-turcio/id1609451870], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2zhwtP0VyKCsEi9KGxVtjw?si=2388cb3947174925], or our website [https://www.enrollify.org/], or search for “The Application with Allison Turcio” in your favorite podcast player. - - - - Connect With Our Host: Allison Turcio https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonturcio/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonturcio/] https://twitter.com/allisonturcio [https://twitter.com/allisonturcio] About The Enrollify Podcast Network: The Application with Allison Turcio is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network [https://podcasts.enrollify.org/]. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too! Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com [https://451.elmt.link/49ocwR8]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 94: Beyond SEO: The New Content Strategy for AI-Driven Enrollment

AI isn’t just changing how students search for colleges, but changing how they decide. In this episode, we talk with Jason Smith [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonsmith1/], Founder of OHO Agency [https://www.oho.com/], about how generative AI tools like ChatGPT are becoming a new layer of the enrollment funnel. With more than 75% of students now using AI in their college search, institutions risk being evaluated, compared, and even eliminated before a student ever visits their website. Jason also introduces the AI Visibility Scorecard, a tool OHO designed to help institutions understand how they’re represented in AI and where critical content gaps exist. Join us as we discuss:  * [2:03] The shift from traditional search to personalized AI-filtered questions * [10:08] How the AI Visibility Scorecard gauges your school’s AI search “rankings” * [18:18] Why AI-powered visibility is really a content strategy shift Check out these resource s we mentioned during the podcast: * AI Visibility Scorecard [https://www.oho.com/ai-visibility-scorecard] To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-application-with-allison-turcio/id1609451870], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2zhwtP0VyKCsEi9KGxVtjw?si=2388cb3947174925], or our website [https://www.enrollify.org/], or search for “The Application with Allison Turcio” in your favorite podcast player. - - - - Connect With Our Host: Allison Turcio https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonturcio/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonturcio/] https://twitter.com/allisonturcio [https://twitter.com/allisonturcio] About The Enrollify Podcast Network: The Application with Allison Turcio is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network [https://podcasts.enrollify.org/]. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too! Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com [https://451.elmt.link/49ocwR8]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 93: Student-Shaped Storytelling: Why Real Voices Outperform Polish

What if the students already on your campus could shape your most powerful stories? Greg Carter [https://marcomm.edm.vt.edu/staff/carter-greg.html], Director of Strategic Enrollment Marketing and Communications at Virginia Tech [https://www.vt.edu/], joins Allison to share how they built a student-powered storytelling engine that actually moves the needle. In 2022, his team shifted student content from peer chatter to future-student focus, without handing students a script. The 100-plus Hokie Ambassadors aren’t just tour guides. They’re storytellers, creating thousands of real belonging moments. Authentic voices beat polished campaigns here. The strategy is simple: put students in the room, give them the mic, and let their perspectives steer the story forward.  Join us as we discuss:  * [3:15] The dining hall reel that hit 210K views * [13:23] VT’s scholarship storytelling shift and why outcomes matter more * [16:20] Why marketing meetings need students in the room Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: * Eduweb [https://www.eduweb.com/] To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-application-with-allison-turcio/id1609451870], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2zhwtP0VyKCsEi9KGxVtjw?si=2388cb3947174925], or our website [https://www.enrollify.org/], or search for “The Application with Allison Turcio” in your favorite podcast player. - - - - Connect With Our Host: Allison Turcio https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonturcio/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonturcio/] https://twitter.com/allisonturcio [https://twitter.com/allisonturcio] About The Enrollify Podcast Network: The Application with Allison Turcio is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network [https://podcasts.enrollify.org/]. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too! Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com [https://451.elmt.link/49ocwR8]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 92: Marketing People Remember: Inside Fordham’s Experiential Pizza Pop-Up

Higher ed marketing teams are competing in one of the noisiest environments we’ve ever seen, and traditional tactics often get lost in a “sea of sameness.” So Fordham University tried something different. At the NACAC conference, the team transformed a pizza shop across the street into a fully branded Fordham pop-up experience. With New York style pizza, music, and Fordham branding everywhere, the activation drew nearly 1,000 attendees in a single day. In this episode, Allison talks with Justin Bell [https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmichaelbell/] and Laura Cioffi [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauramcioffi/] about how the idea came together, what they learned from launching the pop-up, and why experiential marketing works best when it’s amplified by traditional campaigns. Join us as we discuss: * [2:25] How Fordham brought a piece of New York to Columbus * [11:17] What success and ROI look like in experiential marketing * [17:50] Why experiential marketing needs amplification with traditional marketing Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: * NACAC [https://www.nacacnet.org/] * EduWeb Summit [https://www.eduwebsummit.com/] To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-application-with-allison-turcio/id1609451870], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2zhwtP0VyKCsEi9KGxVtjw?si=2388cb3947174925], or our website [https://www.enrollify.org/], or search for “The Application with Allison Turcio” in your favorite podcast player. - - - - Connect With Our Host: Allison Turcio https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonturcio/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonturcio/] https://twitter.com/allisonturcio [https://twitter.com/allisonturcio] About The Enrollify Podcast Network: The Application with Allison Turcio is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network [https://podcasts.enrollify.org/]. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too! Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com [https://451.elmt.link/49ocwR8]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.