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If there’s one person who can increase enrollment, it’s Joel Wincowski. I’ve seen it firsthand, but his record speaks for itself. With more than 45 years of enrollment management experience, Joel has raised net revenue and enrollment at nearly every type of institution (public, private, flagship, religious, single-gender).

According to Ruffalo Noel Levitz’s 2022 "Cost of Recruiting an Undergraduate Student Report," it costs: $2,795 per undergraduate student at a private school and $494 per undergraduate student at a public school.

It’s May 2022 and higher education is still recovering from the impact of COVID-19. If recent headlines and old patterns hold true, though, there’s an enrollment opportunity ahead. Here’s why, what, and how to prepare.

Although the nation’s top institutions are experiencing a surge in applications, most of the colleges I know are facing COVID-related enrollment shortages. There’s no doubt the virus has placed intense strain upon an already-stressed system.

May 1 came and went quietly, reiterating the fact that nothing is typical about the current admissions cycle. The impact of Covid-19 remains to be seen and there have been few positive enrollment reports — so, here’s one we’re happy to share and happy to have been part of.

Higher Education has the notorious distinction of being stuck in the past when it comes to enrollment marketing. Yup, nothing screams “cutting-edge” quite like a dining room table full of viewbooks, postcards, and unopened letters from “leading” colleges and universities throughout the country.

It’s possible to generate leads and drive yield during this time of social distancing, but it won’t be “business as usual.” We can no longer rely on the traditional face-to-face events like admitted student receptions, open houses, and college fairs. Instead, we need to shift our focus and resources to online strategies.

Last week, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) released its demographic report, Knocking at the College Door. Two findings, regarding the size and scope of future recruitment classes, will resonate with enrollment management professionals: 1.) The number of high school students across the nation has become stagnant, following a 30-year period of steady growth; 2.) The racial and ethnic mix of this pool has diversified dramatically (particularly with Hispanic and Asian populations) and is expected to do so through 2025, when students of color will represent a majority.

On December 1, 2016, the new federal rule mandating that employees earning less than $47,476 per year and working more than 40 hours per week must be compensated for overtime goes into effect. This rule will have an impact on enrollment management teams throughout the country that rely extensively on their overworked admissions counselors to recruit class after class of students.

Is anyone in higher education more overworked and underpaid than the college admissions counselor? Given the importance enrollment has on the health and stability of an institution, one would think that the most personal touchpoint in the prospect’s journey would be given more weight than the entry-level, revolving door approach the position of admissions counselor currently possesses.

An honest assessment of a college’s student satisfaction level can offer valuable insight into student behaviors — and how those behaviors affect the bottom line.

Mary Meeker’s 2016 Internet Trends report, delivered June 1 at Silicon Valley’s Code Conference, did not disappoint followers of her much-anticipated perspective. Rich with data, the report dove deep into the online behaviors and trends that affect the global market.

Bad news comes in threes. Whether you ascribe to such superstitions or not, this one felt true when faced with last week’s news that yet another small, liberal arts college is closing its doors. Kentucky’s St. Catharine College was the third such closure in as many weeks, following similar announcements by Burlington and Dowling Colleges.

Ophelia approached her college search like a mindful consumer — she began by collecting data in order to make the best possible purchase. I know, I know … we cringe at the thought of higher education being reduced to a commodity, but from the student/family perspective it is one of life’s greatest purchases — in a market rich with options.

In the near future, enrollment teams will be recruiting a different student population — one that is predominately “minority.” How near? By the time this year’s recruits graduate from college, more than half of the nation’s children will be part of a minority or ethnic group.