Explores challenges in graduate admissions and ways in which to recruit and engage graduate students.

1. Graduate Admissions Challenges
Presented by:
Carrie Shoemaker
February 16, 2017

2. Agenda
 Challenges in Graduate Admissions
 Personal Admissions Philosophy
 Recruitment Strategies

3. Challenges
 Explosion of competition
 Counter cyclical nature of graduate enrollment
 Demographics
 Costs
 Not enough focus on inquiries
 Lack of personal relationship building with prospective students

4. Challenges:
Explosion of Competition
 All schools are trying to grow graduate enrollment and can no longer just
increase tuition and expect to get a class.
 Everyone is your competition
 state schools, other private schools, for profit institutions, players in market that aren’t
traditional colleges (Skillshare, Coursera, Lynda.com, etc.), employers, etc.
 Not unusual for traditional schools’ competitors to have more recruitment and
marketing savvy and more “flexible” product.
 More institutions vying for smaller, flat pool where growth has stagnated.
 Other institutions are engaging the prospective students you want.

5. Challenges:
Counter Cyclical
 When job opportunities decreased during recession, interest in graduate
school increased.
 When economy is strong, graduate programs may encounter difficulties in
attracting students.

6. Challenges: Demographics
 Declines in population result in smaller number of potential candidates
 massive growth of graduate education in ‘70s and ‘80s coincided with baby
boomers coming of age

7. Challenges: Cost
 Cost of tuition has gone up more than inflation
 Stafford loan hasn’t gone up much (was sufficient for covering tuition, books, overage for housing, etc.; now cost can be so high that it may
not fully cover tuition)
 Institutions can’t just raise tuition constantly and expect people to come
 Opportunity costs with leaving full-time job along with tuition costs are often too high (more and more students will be “part-time” and
“non-traditional”)
 Potential students may be scared off due to student loan debt crisis
 Reports of students having difficulties securing employment and repaying loans post-graduation
 Institutions are under pressure to demonstrate that degrees lead to jobs, and institutions have to show value of the degree(s)
 Employer benefits are declining

8. Challenges: Top of Funnel
 Focus more on inquiries
 Look to undergraduate admissions as an example – proactively build inquiry
pool (referrals, travel, solicitation, etc.)
 No “info-dumping”  truly take time to counsel prospective students.

9. Challenges: Building Relationships
 Build personal relationships early.
 Engage prospective students continuously and proactively during all stages
of funnel.
 Let prospective students know they are wanted.

10. Importance of Robust Graduate
Professional Enrollment
 Less resource intensive (adjunct faculty, less campus services such as
housing, meal plans, etc.).
 Broad access to federal aid (Stafford loan)

11. Graduate Students…
 Increasingly sophisticated in the process of selecting an institution
 Pragmatic consumers
 Have different needs and expectations than undergraduate students
 Have higher expectations on service
 Carefully weigh financial aid offers
 Generally know what they want
 More mature and oftentimes they are working professionals

12. Personal Admissions Philosophy
 Create a proactive and superior service for students.
 Whether objective is more students, higher caliber of students and/or a
combination, the solution is always the same: engaging students proactively
and continually  leads to higher conversions across recruitment funnel.
 Through this strategy, you have better informed and better supported
students which benefit both the student and institution.

13. Recruitment Best Practices
 Providing an exceptional service experience by engaging students (and, in some cases, their families) in
meaningful discussions and truly counseling them.
 Goal is to build strong relationships with students so that they are well-informed before applying.
 Cultivate relationships through a contact strategy that keeps prospective students continuously engaged
(phone calls, triggered email blasts, campus visits, text messaging, events, etc.).
 Leverage admissions counselors to proactive outreach within target populations.
 Manage enrollment pipeline more tightly.
 Leverage financial aid, scholarships, assistantships, fellowships, etc. (packaging aid so it will facilitate meeting
new student enrollment objectives, for example, student achievement, diversity, etc.)

14. Evidence-Based & Broadly Inclusive
 Evidence-based and broadly inclusive (faculty, staff, students, alumni…)
 An approach that works in every scenario
 Creating a plan that is entirely evidence-based and build recruitment
strategy around audience and goals
 Information gathering – determine distinguishing attributes of reasons
students are at the institution and then turn it into positioning strategy and
compelling message
 asking faculty and key staff about feelings of programs
 Focus groups – students, alumni (experience through admissions process, other
competition, reasons they choose institution)

15. Priority Recruitment Strategies
 Broaden the net
 What opportunities exist to expand reach (evidence-based)
 Determine whom we aren’t targeting
 Cultivate interest leading to application and enrollment
 Relationship phase is so important in showing institution is truly student-focused

16. Recruitment Strategies
 Boost numbers through efficiencies in admissions process (shorter time
frame, higher yield).
 Develop strategies for full recruitment funnel.
 Build personal relationship with prospective students early. Let them know
they are wanted.
 Address students’ priorities in recruitment materials (quality, cost, career
pathways, ROI in terms of future career).

17. Admission Requirements
 Play a part in recruitment strategy.
 Admission requirements become part of the product.
 Evidence-based decisions and crafting admissions criteria that are appropriate (ex. determine if someone is a good
fit)
 Ensuring that we are not arbitrarily requiring applicants to do things because that is the way things have always been
 Keeping requirements that have value.
 Barriers to students applying become part of product (in some cases, for example, GRE, letters of recommendation)
 What info are we gleaning from requirements?
• Advocate for changes that make sense - evidence-based approach in creating a product that is truly competitive (quality and flexible)
 Students who graduate and are successful builds a stronger brand.

18. Recruitment Strategies:
In-Reach Campaign
 Competitive advantage of traditional universities over professional schools
and for-profit institutions that is often not leveraged enough.
 Promote graduate programs to undergraduates all over campus

19. Measuring Success
 Meeting enrollment objectives
 Improving access, retention, and graduation
 Improving processes and efficiencies

20. References
Best Practices in Graduate Student Recruitment. (2014, August). Retrieved February 12, 2017,
from http://hanoverresearch.com/media/Best-Practices-in-Graduate-Student-Recruitment-1.pdf
Goodstine, L. (n.d.) The Challenge of Recruiting the Best. Retrieved February 12, 2017, from
http://gradschool.psu.edu/faculty-and-staff/practices/recruiting
Mahan, S. (2012, November6). Navigating new challenges in recruitment. Retrieved February 10,
2017, from http://blogem.ruffalonll.com/2012/11/06/navigating-challenges-graduate-
recruitment/
Selingo, J. J. (2015, April 13). Are master’s degrees on their way out? Alternatives grow as
enrollment fades. Retrieved February 12, 2017, from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/gradate-point/wp/2015/04/13/are-masters-degrees-on-
their-way-out-alternatives-grow-as-enrollment-fades/?utm_term=.a0cd1ee1d03a

21. THANK YOU!!!
Questions?