MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — With about five months on the job WVU Vice President of Enrollment Management Fabrizio D’Aloisio is working toward impressive numbers for the 2026-27 academic year.
“I want to meet students where they are,” D’Aloisio said recently WAJR’s “Talk of the Town.’ “I don’t want to about the generics the university offers; I want to learn what they want to do, and I want to show them how we can accomplish what they want to get done.”
Technical problems with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid have been addressed, making the form available to families much earlier. Last year, a botched rollout delayed the availability of the form and the ability of families to clearly understand what financial help is available, D’Aloisio said.
WVU had recorded an 87 percent increase in total FAFSA filers as of Jan. 6 compared to last year, D’Aloisio said.
“That gives us a great opportunity to start communicating with students earlier.”
D’Aloisio said his office has an abundance of potential and most importantly ample time to help them understand what types of financial aid is available. D’Aloisio said this year families will have plenty of time to evaluate financial aid, programs, and campuses.
“Being able to have conversations with students that have filled out the FAFSA and really start sending them information about what we offer in terms of financial aid earlier will definitely help,” D’Aloisio said.
Applications to the university are also up by at least 10 percent compared to last year. Right now, there are thousands of families in the region reviewing what’s available, and by summer many of those commitments are expected to start being made.
“This year, we started mailing out financial aid packages in November and as of yesterday almost 9,000 families have received a financial aid package,” D’Aloisio said.
The university will continue impromptu video welcomes like the recent surprise visit to a newly accepted Mountaineer in Nicholas County. The more forward-facing position of the university is expected to help the institution through a time when the pool of available college students is shrinking.
“We’re seeing a population decline of college-bound students, but I feel like West Virginia is really at the fringe of really getting the word out,” D’Alosio said.
D’Aloisio came to Morgantown from the University of Tennessee. As the chief admissions officer, he played an important role there in outreach to first-year students and increasing enrollment across the system.