College decision day for this school year is here. Whether this year’s recruitment cycle felt like a win or a wake-up call, this is the perfect time to take stock. Data from this year can tell you a story about which strategies worked to invite interest, those that successfully converted that interest into applications, and ones that simply did not move the needle. 

This matters more than ever. Recruiting and engaging prospective students requires significant time, budget, and effort. And for most institutions, doing it well is not just a goal, it is critical to their institutional health and longevity.

As the year draws to a close, a deliberate review of your outreach, applicant, and enrollment data can reveal insights into meaningful trends, validate your most effective recruitment efforts, and identify what is not working. Use the questions below to guide your analysis and help turn this year’s data into a better recruitment strategy for the next cycle. 

Where are efforts working? 

Looking at student data from applications to admission to enrollment, consider which students are actually matriculating at your institution. Understanding these student profiles can help to reveal the prospective student population that offers the highest return on investment. 

Use data to assess:

• Which geographic regions typically produce the most students?
• Which range of GPAs are most likely to move from prospective applicant to enrolled student?
• Are there specific majors or areas of interest that better attract students and lead to enrollment? 

Where are efforts failing?

As you digest the recruitment data, it can be just as valuable to note dips in enrollment across student populations. In areas where enrollment has declined, consider if the changes are aligned to a pivot in recruitment strategy or reflective of a broader shift that is happening across institutions.  

Use data to assess:

• Which student groups are seeing the biggest drops in enrollment?
• How does this year’s data compare to previous years? Are the dips part of a larger trend or are they isolated to one year?
• At what point of the recruitment process are high-potential students disengaging?
• Are the additional costs of out-of-state recruitment returning an enrollment yield that justifies the investment?

Which outreach efforts are generating the best results?

Consider the types of marketing and outreach used during this recruitment cycle and review any available engagement data. This analysis can help to identify which channels or sources are driving the highest recruitment rates as well as pinpoint when interest starts to decline for specific student populations. (When monitored throughout the year, engagement data can offer early warning signs of declining interest.) 

Use data to assess:

• Website Visits: Track general traffic as well as engagement on specific pages. Look at trends over time, where traffic is coming from, and time spent on pages to better understand what information is most interesting and engaging to students and families. 
• Social Media Engagement: Look at likes, comments, and shares across platforms and note which types of engagement–such as videos, student stories, or academic highlights–perform best. 
• Email Open Rates: Compare email engagement between general audiences and targeted student groups. Beyond open rates, consider analyzing click-through rates and follow-up such as information requests or applications started. 
• Visit Day Registration and Attendance: Look at sign-ups and attendance lists to determine any gaps. Consider breaking down data across student populations to better understand the students most likely to visit and ultimately enroll. 
• Outreach Event Attendance: Analyze participation rates across event types, such as high school visits and college fairs, to assess which formats and which locations attract student engagement. 

Is our financial aid strategy effectively supporting recruitment and enrollment? 

Financial aid is central to many students’ college decisions. Financial aid can make a college financially accessible to students, and merit aid awards can signal to students that they are valued as part of a campus community. Used strategically, financial aid can also help to attract students that reflect institutional priorities. 

Consider:

• What philanthropic organizations might support additional scholarship funding? 
• Is it more effective for recruitment efforts to expand the breadth and variety of scholarships or to add additional resources and funding to current offerings? 
• Are there particular student populations where enrollment is declining that might benefit from a specialized merit aid opportunity? 
• Are students who receive aid persisting? 

From Insights to Action 

Finding ways to translate engagement data into action can drive recruitment efforts thoughtfully and strategically–attracting and engaging the students who will thrive within your campus community. These intentional efforts can save institutions valuable time and money and create a better overall experience for students–from prospect to application to acceptance to enrollment. 

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