The CACUBO Annual Meeting gets into full swing next week, and one of the hot topics is expected to be how to manage student financial aid. It's no secret that a university education makes a huge difference in earning power over a lifetime. Yet college in the United States costs more than ever, and students must cobble together funding from loans, scholarships, grants, family and other sources just to make it through the first year.

This is a precarious model for students and for the institutions that depend upon tuition fees for revenue. When the money dries up, the student is virtually guaranteed to drop out, taking any future tuition dollars with them.

Institutions of higher education have a business stake in ensuring their students succeed. A student-centric approach to managing financial aid can give universities visibility into which students are most at risk, helping to prevent drop-out before it happens.

Student success isn't only dependent upon finances, however. Today's students arrive on campus with expectations of a user-friendly, mobile experience. Not only do they want to manage their course loads, schedules and finance from their mobile devices, they want to be able to text or chat with somebody if they have a question or need help