Colleges Are Watching: How Your Online Behavior Could Be Costing You Aid

(No, we’re not paranoid—and you don’t need to be either. But this is worth paying attention to.)

It almost sounds like a conspiracy theory—but it isn’t.

Colleges really are tracking your family’s online behavior. Not just your student’s clicks, but sometimes yours too. And the signals you send—whether you meant to or not—can end up shaping what kind of aid offer your student receives.

We’re not anti-data. We run ads, we use cookies (the digital kind, sadly not chocolate chip), and we believe in using information to make better decisions.

But here’s the part most families don’t realize: colleges are using behavioral data to shape financial aid decisions. Those ignored emails, skipped Net Price Calculators, or missed webinars? They can quietly whisper to a school: “This family probably isn’t worried about cost.”

And that whisper can be the difference between a generous aid package and…crickets.

How Colleges Collect Data About You

Colleges don’t just rely on application forms anymore. They partner with powerful marketing and data analytics companies like:

• Slate
• Capture Higher Ed
• Ruffalo Noel Levitz
• EAB (formerly Royall & Company)

These companies help schools:

• Track website behavior (which pages you visit, how long you stay, whether you use the Net Price Calculator)
• Log email engagement (did you open it? click anything?)
• Monitor event attendance (both in-person and virtual)
• Identify device and location data via IP addresses
• Purchase lists from College Board, Cappex, Niche, etc.

In short: your teen’s SAT form and your click (or non-click) on a college email may all get stirred into the same predictive modeling soup.

What Are They Looking For?

Colleges use what’s called an “enrollment management model”. It’s not just about who gets in—it’s about who enrolls, at what price, and how much aid it might take to get them there.

The model tries to answer questions like:

• Is this family price-sensitive?
• Would they come here with or without aid?
• Do they look like they’ll need merit or need-based support?

If your online behavior suggests cost isn’t on your radar, the aid office may decide you don’t need much help—even if the reality is very different.

When Innocent Behavior Sends the Wrong Message

Here’s where families get blindsided. You’re not doing anything “wrong”—you just don’t know the rules of the game. For example:

• You skipped the financial aid webinar because it looked like a sales pitch (or dinner was burning).
• The aid emails landed in spam, so you never saw them.
• You avoided the Net Price Calculator because it looked like a math problem from 1983.

But to a college’s model, that might say:
“This family isn’t worried about cost. Probably full-pay.”

And that misunderstanding could mean your student never sees the kind of aid package they actually qualify for.

Talk to Your Student: What They Write Matters

Here’s a small but important landmine: when your teen signs up for search sites, registers for the SAT, or fills out “interest” forms, they’re often asked about household income.

That data gets sold to colleges. And if your student thinks it’s funny to click “$1 million+” (because, teenagers 🙄), it can skew how schools size up your family’s ability to pay.

So—worth a quick parent-to-kid chat: humor has its place. Financial forms aren’t it.

What About Families Who Aren’t as Digitally Engaged?

This is the part that bothers us the most. Families with limited internet access, language barriers, or less familiarity with the college process may simply never engage with the emails and webinars schools send.

That silence doesn’t mean they don’t need help. But the system can (unfairly) read it as lack of interest—or lack of financial need.

It’s one more reason we believe families deserve to know how the system really works.

What You Can Do (Without Becoming a Digital Contortionist)

You don’t have to start treating every email like a royal decree. But it is smart to make sure your online behavior reflects your actual priorities.

• Open and click on financial aid content from schools you’re considering
• Use the Net Price Calculator and explore cost info
• Register for virtual events (or watch the replays)
• Double-check what your student is entering on college platforms

Small, intentional actions can help ensure colleges know that cost matters to your family.

Want a Quick Checklist? We’ve Got One.

To make this simple, we created a one-pager: “5 Smart Digital Moves That Signal You Need Aid (Without Saying a Word).”

It’s free, quick, and could save you from some very expensive misunderstandings.
Download the checklist here →

Bottom Line

You don’t need to panic. Just prepare.

Colleges are making more decisions based on data than ever. Sometimes that helps families—but sometimes, innocent signals work against you.

So start early. Be visible. Ask questions when you’re unsure.

Because no family should pay more for college just because they forgot to open an email.