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For tuition-dependent colleges, enrolled students hold the key to their survival and prosperity. Student deposits are moments of truth for presidents and vice presidents of enrollment. Cash coffers are either replenished or not. Last minute surprises arising from unexpectedly low yields can cause a ton of angst. This is why successful colleges employ intentional strategies to woo students and increase their admissions yield. “Admissions yield” is the percentage of admitted students who enroll at a university. Prestigious colleges have yield rates ranging from 55%-85%, while the national average for college yield hovers around 30%. However, yield rates have been declining across the board with the implementation of platforms like the Common App, which allow high school seniors to apply to dozens of colleges by simply checking off boxes. With skyrocketing tuition, parents are increasingly comparison shopping for the best financial aid package for their children. Here are 12 strategies that can help colleges improve their admissions yield: 1. Creating Conditions … Continue reading

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To higher education marketing pros, April & May is “yield season.” It’s the culmination of all their marketing and relationship-building efforts to convert a suspect to a prospect to an applicant to an admitted student. Yield is the percentage of admitted students who actually decide to enroll. This is a big deal in enrollment marketing – having knowledge of where the yield percentage might fall provides a target of how many students the admissions office needs to, or is willing to, accept. Tracking the tuition deposits as they begin to trickle in is a daily process for admissions, and is why the final piece of marketing communications – the admissions yield piece – is so important. Over the years I have seen all kinds of yield tactics from fact sheets to multi-page brochures. They all seem compelled to give the prospect ‘one more reason’ to consider their school. (As if two years of curated courtship through the admission process has … Continue reading

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