With the 2025 budgeting cycle underway, many higher education professionals are looking for new ways to maximise their resources.
Many face increasing pressure to do more with less, all while maintaining quality support for students. This, alongside increasing demand and evolving student needs, means that strategic budget planning has never been more critical.
In this article, we'll provide an overview of some top tips and strategies for effective budget management as well as real life success stories of institutions who managed to balance finances wit student needs.
Support for obtaining budgets for assistive technology
We recognize the significant budgetary pressures you and your department face in striving to provide an optimal learning environment.
As such, a strong case outlining the positive impact and potential return on investment of digital accommodations is crucial for securing necessary funding.
Here are 5 simple steps to get you started on securing a budget proposal:
- Establishing aims: Always keep the main goals in mind as you progress through your request.
- Describing the problem: You need to find a way to clearly describe the problem you’re wanting to solve before you reach out, as well as provide a little context.
- Gathering evidence of ROI: Try to support your case for funds with evidence, where possible.
- Demonstrate positive student outcomes: Highlighting exactly how the accommodation has previously supported students helps to set the scene for how much potential there is.
- Contacting stakeholders: The first step is formally pursuing a budget request is to reach out to the right people.
You can find more details, as well as an email template for contacting stakeholders, here.
Funding assistive technology across campus
Students are twice as likely to access support when it’s made universally available. They're also 70% more likely to graduate compared the average graduation rate of students with disabilities who don't receive the support they need.
Education, designed with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in mind, reduces the need for costly individual interventions and accommodations - often when it is already too late. Providing assistive technology across campus, for all students to access, can be far more effective at reaching and enabling a wide range of needs.
But, we get it, funding is limited even when the return on investment is evident. Here’s a couple of options that could help you secure funding:
- Grant funding
- Sourcing funds from student tech fees
- Partnering with other departments
We also have an episode of the Glean vlogcast in which we discuss exactly how you can do more with less budget which you may find helpful!
Grant funding options for securing assistive technology budget
One avenue that is often used for purchasing assistive technology like Glean is grant funding. Grants differ by state and have specific requirements, so we highly recommend researching funding in your particular area, but here’s a couple of examples that have been used previously, which you may be able to apply for.
1. Strengthening Institutions Program
The aim of this grant is to support higher education institutions in becoming self-sufficient and help to expand their capacity to serve lower-income students. These grants typically range from $400,000 to $550,000 per year.
2. VETSTART (CEVSS)
Some institutions may be able to use a separate budget for veterans.
Requirements include:
- Monitoring the rates of veteran student enrolment, persistence and completion
- Supportive instructional services for such students, which may include personal, academic and career counselling as an ongoing part of the program
Student tech fees
You may also want to research the use of student tech fees to raise money for assistive technology. Some institutions implement a fee that students pay per credit hour on their course, which raises money for tech or similar initiatives.
Student governments can be a powerful voice when advocating for better assistive technology.
How to work with other departments to secure funding
Collaborating with other departments can also be an effective way to promote assistive technology on campus. These departments have their own budgets, and by working together, you may be able to secure funding for a campus-wide assistive technology initiative.
Each institution is unique, but from working with hundreds of colleges, we’ve seen common themes come up. Some departments our customers have collaborated with to fund Glean include:
- Student Affairs or Student Success
- Administration: Such as a Dean or Provost
- IT: An often critical player when working alongside Assistive Technology or looking to share tools across campus
- Student governments
- Some institutions may have dedicated roles or departments focused on UDL and instructional design
For further information, take a look at this blog.
Can investing in technology be more effective than peer note taking?
For a number institutions, peer note takers are still the predominant system for supporting disabled students, but is this truly the most cost-efficient and effective approach?
Northwestern University questioned the value of peer notetakers, as 60% of students who requested the accommodation weren't receiving quality notes.
Their peer notetaking system was costly and ineffective, costing $100 per class, prompting a pilot of note taking technology. This tech significantly reduced demand for peer notetakers, especially among freshmen.
"Using technology, the students control the note-taking process from the beginning" - Jim Stachowiak, Director of Assistive Technology and Assistant Director of Accessible NU.
Holy Cross, New Orleans, found themselves in a similar situation, finding peer notes unreliable and preventing students from developing their own note taking skills.
They were spending almost $60,000 annually on peer note takers only to find many not being used, leaving them thinking there must be a better way to help students.
There was! Investing in Glean allowed students who had previously been reliant on peer notes to begin developing their own skills.
Some, who may have never had the chance to take their own notes during K-12, were now able to record their own notes and become more confident in their ability to note take, enabling better access and engagement in classes.
How colleges secured funding for assistive technology
Finally, we want to share a couple of success stories from colleges who used some of the tips we’ve suggested to fund Glean across their whole campus.
- Berkshire Community College: The Coordinator of the Disability Resource Center had a strategic vision to help student success by implementing Glean site wide, knowing it would be a more cost effective way of implementing a UDL. Through working with the Dean of Student Affairs they were able to secure a sitewide contract with funding through the disability office.
- Wilfrid Laurier University: This university involved a number of departments and councils in the decision making process, including the Accessible Learning Services and the Assistive Technologies Department to get the approval for a sitewide purchase of Glean.
- Tacoma Community College: Tacoma Community College used the Student Tech Fee after getting the Student Government on board with UDL. The Disability Services Coordinator was a huge learning champion for all students and enlisted the help of their Director of Disability Services to coordinate this with them.
For more details, you can rewatch the full webinar here!
