Best of CASE District VIII Award
 

Institution: University of Portland

Title of entry: Financial Aid Packet 2025

About this entry: With over 99% of students admitted to University of Portland receiving some form of financial aid, it’s safe to say nearly all admits receive our financial aid enrollment packet. Until now, the packet was understated and practical, consisting of a booklet and a personalized letter tucked into a folder, which was then mailed in an envelope. These materials were embellished simply with a few design elements that were relics of our previous iteration of Admissions branding. The brochure itself was not much more than a multipage checklist that wasn’t easy to navigate.

Knowing that evaluating financial aid offers can be stressful for students, we wanted to redesign our financial aid award packet to make the information as easy to understand and user friendly as possible, while aligning it with our overarching Admissions branding for a cohesive look and feel.

Also, whether a financial aid award is based on academic merit or financial circumstances, it’s a gift that’s worthy of celebration. It was time our award packet reflected this, so our redesign included generous use of bold colors and photos, an upbeat tone, and included a sticker as a further nod to the packet’s gift status. Staff in the Financial Aid office love the new packet and say they are proud to send it out.