The Magellan Podcast · Season 2, Episode 11 · 50 minutes

Financial aid decisions shape whether a student enrolls, starts a course, and stays on track to graduate. The offices and systems responsible for those decisions often work on different timelines. What would change if institutions treated the way students pay for college as part of the enrollment experience from the beginning?

Dr. Wayne Patton and Dr. Lee Beaumont of Magellan Learning Solutions speak with Jen McMahon, founder and managing partner of Mac Insight Group, about the operational side of student financial aid. They discuss the pressure on aid teams, the faster pace of online programs, funding options for adult learners, and the need for admissions, financial aid, student accounts, academic leaders, and advising to share timely information. The conversation returns to a practical goal: give students a clear picture of cost and payment before they start, then support them through each new term.

In this episode

• Why online and adult learners need financial aid processes that fit multiple start dates and shorter terms.

• How FAFSA requirements, transfer history, borrowing limits, and summer terms can complicate a student's plan.

• Why employer tuition assistance, military benefits, private loans, and payment plans require coordination across campus offices.

• How a student's payment readiness can help teams spot potential enrollment melt before classes begin.

• What connected systems, documented processes, and a clear handoff from admissions to advising can do for the student experience.

About the guest

Jen McMahon is the founder and managing partner of Mac Insight Group, a higher education consulting firm that works with institutions on enrollment, financial aid, student accounts, and operational improvement.

Chapters

• 00:00 — Introduction and guests

• 01:41 — Mac Insight Group's approach to solving campus problems

• 05:29 — Changes and staffing pressure in financial aid

• 12:11 — Traditional students and online adult learners

• 19:40 — Making payment part of enrollment strategy

• 24:56 — Summer terms, transfer students, and borrowing limits

• 31:52 — Keeping leaders informed as requirements change

• 33:38 — Affordability and enrollment melt

• 38:11 — Payment readiness before a term begins

• 41:41 — Connected systems and a better student handoff

  45:32 — Closing advice and the value of higher education

Learn more

• ⁠Mac Insight Group⁠

• ⁠Magellan Learning Solutions⁠

If your institution needs help with marketing and enrollment, curriculum services, academic operations, training and professional development, or a custom solution, connect with Magellan.