Dennis Pruitt, CBMI 2015 - Enrollment management

Enrollment Management
Dr. Dennis Pruitt
Vice President for Student Affairs,
Vice Provost and Dean of Students
University of South Carolina
College Business Management Institute, 2015
Email: dpruitt@mailbox.sc.edu
Text message: 803-603-8721

This presentation can be
viewed online at:
slideshare.net/UofSC_SA
AS

To Class Participants:
This interactive session will present enrollment
management in light of the “new normal” and the
new pressures facing institutions of higher
education. Our conversation will focus on gaining
an understanding of the important, essential role
the recruitment, retention, and graduation of
students has in the financial and brand stability of
our institutions.
Participants will acquire an introduction and
orientation to the philosophical, operational, fiscal,
and practical aspects of enrollment management.
The session is filled with stories and practical
examples that bring life to the material. Bring your
own stories and questions to contribute to our
learning.3

Learning Outcomes for CBMI
Participants
 An overview of the philosophical and
operational approaches to enrollment
management
 Exposure to trends and issues impacting
enrollment management on college campuses
 An understanding and appreciation for the
complexity of the “assumption of risk and
consequence of error” that enrollment
management plays in institutional reputation
and financial stability
4

….the challenges
 Fiscal support is decreasing
 Costs are rising
 Family incomes are flat or falling
 Demographics are changing
 The admissions arms race is escalating
 Expectations for demonstrating our value are
growing
- Whiteside and Verzyl
(2012)
5

Higher Education “New Normal”
Traditional public higher education model
unsustainable
• Increased competition for enrollment
• Essential net tuition revenue
• Performance funding metrics
• Resource allocation priorities and efficiencies
• Program necessity
Limits on tuition price increase
• Political and market forces
Demand remains strong but with limits
• Quality and price
Comprehensive universities in small markets with
limited drawing power are under the greatest stress
6

A little bit about you…
 Who are you?
 At what type of institution are you
employed?
 What do you want/need to learn from
this presentation to advance your own
work?
7

Defining Enrollment Management
Enrollment Management is a process that
brings together the often disparate
functions having to do with recruiting,
funding, tracking, retaining, and replacing
students as they move toward, within, and
away from the university.
- Maguire, 1976
9

EM is an organizational concept and systematic
set of activities designed to enable educational
institutions to exert more influence over their
student enrollments. Organized by strategic
planning and supported by institutional research,
enrollment management activities concern
student college choice, transition to colleges,
student attrition and retention, and student
outcomes.
- Hossler and Bean,
1990
10

SEM is the systematic evolution of an institution’s
competitive market position, the development of
research-based definition of the desired or
preferred strategic market position relative to key
competitors, and then marshalling and managing
institutional plans, priorities, processes, and
resources to either strengthen or shift that market
position in pursuit of the institution’s optimal
enrollment, academic, and financial profile.
- Kalsbeek, 2003
11

Evolution of Enrollment
Management
Age of
Recruitment
Age of Structure Age of Academic
Context
1970s – Mid 1980s Mid 1980s – Early 2000s Early 2000s - Present
Focus on
increasing
enrollment,
enhanced
recruiting, and
financial aid
leveraging
Organizational
structure became
important and
enrollment
management
divisions began to
be defined
The need to
include academic
divisions became
evident as
institutions realized
EM is an institution-
wide responsibility
(Black, 2001; Henderson,
2005)
12

What’s Next?
Anticipatory Enrollment
Management
“AEM is a mindset and work schedule that
asks enrollment managers to add to their
basic enrollment and retention management
programs another layer of activity:
anticipating new and future enrollment that
can introduce additional revenue streams by
creating new academic programs or by a
new and creative use of technology.”
(Dennis, 2012)13

Anticipatory Enrollment
Management
 Research trends inside and outside of education
 Connect trends to future enrollment
opportunities
 Grounded in Customer Relationship
Management
 Diversify and increase revenue stream by
anticipating new markets (Dennis, 2012)14

In the September 1989 issue of Change, Richard
Chaite, Executive Director of the National Center
for Postsecondary Governance and Finance at the
University of Maryland, describes the following
memorandum:
To: The Dean of Enrollment Management
From: President (or Faculty Senate)
Welcome aboard. Please recruit more and better students
from a smaller and weaker pool of prospects without
increased costs, more financial aid, or drastic program
changes. Would like to see the results reflected in next
year’s class. Best wishes.
15

Fast forward to 2012. A similar memo could read:
To: Dean of Enrollment Management
From: President (or Faculty Senate)
Welcome aboard. You may attend one conference this
year and it will be the annual meeting of the World Future
Society. You may only read one report and it will be data
from the recent U.S. Census, and before you send any
recruiter abroad, I would like to review a copy of the
Stratford report. I would like you to identify three new
national and international markets and recommend two
new academic programs based on recent market analysis.
Would like to see the results reflected in the next
academic year. Best wishes.
(Dennis, 2012)16

Basic Expanded Comprehensive
 Admissions &
Recruitment
 Financial Aid
 Orientation
 Registration and
Records
 Enrollment
Research
 Retention
Pre-College
Programs
First Year
Programs
Academic
Support
Programs
Academic
Advising
Career Services
Institutional
Research
Institutional
Marketing
Community
Relations
Alumni
Relations
Parent
Programs
Composition of EM Organizations
(Adapted from Bontrager, 2004)17

Enrollment Management Structural
Continuum
(Bontrager,
2004)
18

Why is EM Important for Institutions?
“Enrollment management was a logical
response for higher education when suddenly
the marketplace changed from seller to buyer
and admissions directors transitioned from
gatekeepers to salesmen. Simply stated, it
was all in the numbers.”
Initially…
(Kurz & Scannell,
2006)
19

Helps us manage a complex and changing
environment
 Declining federal and state resources
 Changing student demographics
 Fewer number of high school graduates
 Need to balance discount rates/scholarships
 Impact of enrollment statistics on university
rankings, accountability, and perception
 Introduction of for-profit institutions as legitimate
competitors
 Influence of enrollment profile on BOND
RATINGS
Why is EM Important for Institutions?
20

21
Importance to Institutions
 College rankings
 Financial stability
 Programs of study
 Recruit Seniors/graduates
 Delivering on the promise
 Recruiting the next class
 BOND RATINGS

22
Enrollment Profile
Environment
• Program capacity
• Student retention
• Market/recruitment
effectiveness
• Auxiliary income
• Pricing
• Financial aid
• Cost of student
populations
Net Operating
Revenue
Operational
Expenses
From: Noel-Levitz. “Data and Fiscal Analyses to Support Strategic Planning”

Are you ready for the next generation of
students?
Kodi Smit-
McPhee
Elle Fanning Gabby Douglas
Kendall
Jenner
Harry Styles
Cody Simpson
Jaden Smith
23

Who are the next generation of
students?
 The high school class of 2014 is projected to
have approximately 3.2 million graduates. This
number is expected to slowly decline during the
next 3-5 years.
 There is wide variation in the projected
increase/decrease in high school graduates by
state.
 There is also variability among racial/ethnic
groups. (U.S. Dept. of Education, 2014)24

Characteristics of this Generation of
College Going Students
25

http://www.wiche.edu/info/publications/knocking-
8th/ch2.pdf
26

http://www.wiche.edu/info/publications/knocking-
8th/ch2.pdf

(NCES, 2015)
What are students studying?
30

What jobs will be available in 2030?
 Body part maker: Create living body parts for athletes and
soldiers.
 Elderly wellness consultant: As an aging population
increases in size, we’ll need folks to tend to their physical
and mental needs.
 Vertical farmers: The future of farming is straight up.
Vertical farms in urban areas could significantly increase
food supply.
 Virtual lawyer: As international law grows to supersede
national law, lawyers will be needed to handle cases that
involve people living in several nations with different laws.
 Classroom avatar manager: Intelligent avatars will
replace classroom teachers, but the human touch will be
needed to properly match teacher to student.
 Narrowcasters: As in, the opposite of “broadcaster.” Media
will grow increasingly personalized, and we’ll need people
32

Challenges and Issues Facing
Institutions of Higher Education
 Admissions and Recruiting
 College choice
 Changing demographics
 Stealth applicants
 Arms race
 Quality/Diversity/Headcount tensions
 Brand management
 Personalization
 Consumer behavior
 “Shopping” for best investment
33

Challenges and Issues Facing
Institutions of Higher Education
 Financial
 Decreased Federal and state funding
 Increased reliance on tuition revenue
 Student debt / Return on investment
 Cost of attendance
 Merit vs. Need based institutional aid
 Ability of institution to provide accurate cost of
attendance
 Must manage in fluctuating economy
 Fewer students with the ability to pay
 Learning outcomes and accountability
measures34

Science
Craft
35

What factors influence college
choice?
 Academic reputation
 Job placement of graduates
 Financial assistance
 Campus visit (amenities and “fit”)
 Cost of attendance
 Good reputation for social activities
 Size
 Admission to top graduate and professional
schools
(CIRP, 2011)36

What factors influence college
choice?
 Parental influence
 Close to home
 National rankings
 College or university website
 Early decision/early action
 Could not afford first choice college
(CIRP, 2012)37

Enrollment Funnel
Prospects
Inquiries
Applicants
Completed Applicants
Admits
Deposits
Enrolled
Continuing
Students
Graduat
es
(Adapted from Noel-Levitz, 2009)38

Top Tips for Enrollment Managers
 Focus on fully canvassing the enrolled student
population- but remember the real target is non-
enrolling students who resemble current enrollees.
 Remember that prospective students will enter the
funnel at a time and manner of their choosing, and
design communication strategies accordingly.
 Deliver a Web site experience that encourages
students to begin a conversation with your campus,
personalizing that experience as much as possible.
 Be prepared to replace general messaging with
increasingly targeted communications based on
students’ expressed interests using a combination of
direct mail and electronic contacts. (Noel-Levitz, 2009)39

Example 4-Year Enrollment Funnel
40

Admissions “Arms Race”
 Students applying to more colleges
 75% apply to 3 or more
 25 % apply to 7 or more
 65.5% average acceptance rate
 41% average yield rate
 Average cost to recruit
 $585 per applicant
 $806 per admit
 $2,408 per enrolled student
(NACAC, 2011)41

 Colleges and universities are more image and
public relations conscious as well as more
“customer oriented.”
 Extensive marketing plans and budgets are in
place.
 Steady increases in promotion budgets to attract
students.
 Direct mail more sophisticated—buy names from
various sources.
 Well-conceived and developed web sites more
commonplace. (Noel-Levitz)42

Colleges are finding strategies to ensure they meet
target enrollment goals in terms of size, profile,
and diversity
 Use of waitlist – 48% of colleges
 Early decision and early answer
 Competitive scholarship offers to “woo”
students
 Marketing and recruiting segmentation
 Predictive modeling
(NACAC, 2011)43

Effective Enrollment Strategy
 Know Yourself
 Institution’s mission, vision, strategic directions
and clientele
 Know your Enemy
 Top competitors and aspirants
 Know the Ground
 Campus culture, limitations, barriers and
opportunities, priorities, traditions, structures and
politics
 Know the Weather
 External environmental factors that may impact
your institution’s enrollment outcomes
(Black, 2008)44

Effective Enrollment Strategy
 Take action based on strategic insights
 Manage enrollment operations with a focus on
continuous improvement of all aspects of the
operation
 Intentionally manage relationships with all
internal and external constituents
 Manage knowledge to ensure accuracy and
quality service
 Make innovation the cornerstone of the
enrollment enterprise
(Black, 2008)45

Effective Recruitment Techniques
 Integrated marketing
plan
 Purchase prospective
student lists
 Direct mail
 Internet /Web presence
 Telecounseling
 Publications
 Regional recruiters
 Involve alumni and
 Leveraging
 Institutional
scholarships, grants,
work, discounts
 CPRS (cost per recruited
student)
 Campus visits
 College fairs (college
night programs)
 Campus events
 Social networks
46

Eight Truths of Effective Recruitment
 There is no substitute for a good image or
reputation.
 An institution will succeed or fail in its primary
market.
 The campus visit is now of the best conversion and
yield strategies.
 Recruitment is a campus-wide responsibility.
 Communication is the key to successful conversion
and yield rates.
 All inquiries are not equally important, so grade and
qualify early and often.
 Effective financial aid packaging leads to optimum
yield.
 Personalize, personalize, personalize.
(Noel-Levitz)47

Market Segmentation through
Predictive Modeling
The students who
fall within this area
are the ones you
need to focus
marketing and
recruiting efforts.
These
students
will not
enroll
regardless
of what you
do
These
students
will enroll
regardless
of what you
do
(Adapted from Noel-Levitz, 2012)48

Contemporary Approach to Marketing
•
•
Source: Topor & Associates
49

Branding Equity Generates Values
BRAND
EQUITY
Reduced Marketing Costs
Trade Leverage
Attracting New Customers
• Create Awareness
• Reassurance
Time to Respond to Competitive Threats
Anchor to Which Other Associations Can
Be Attached
Familiarity – Liking
Signal of Substance/Commitment
Brand to Be Considered
Reason-to-Buy
Differentiate/Position
Price
Channel Member Interest
Extensions
Help Process/Retrieve Information
Reason-to-Buy
Create Positive Attitude/Feelings
Extensions
Competitive
Advantage
Brand
Awareness
Perceived
Quality
Brand
Associations
Other
Proprietary
Brand Assets
• Interpretation/
Processing of
Information
• Confidence in the
Purchase Decision
• Use Satisfaction
Provides Value to
Customer by Enhancing
Customer’s:
Provides Value to Firm
by Enhancing:
• Efficiency and
Effectiveness of
Marketing Programs
• Brand Loyalty
• Prices/Margins
• Brand Extensions
• Trade Leverage
• Competitive Advantage
(Aaker, 1991)
Brand
Loyalty
50

Keys to Enrollment Success
 Set realistic enrollment goals – not
projections
 Identify and secure sufficient resources to
meet enrollment expectations
 Develop a well-conceived, endorsed, and
executed enrollment management plan
 Develop a longer-term strategic
enrollment plan
51

Keys to Enrollment Success
 Build a comprehensive database and an
inquiry pool that is developed by design
rather than by choice
 Track the results of each marketing and
recruitment strategy and activity
 Develop a well-conceived and executed
communications flow
52

Where do student/parents get their
information?
 College websites (internal and external to the
institution)
 College publications
 Post admission communication
 Electronic communication
 Financial aid communication
 Visit to campus
 Contact with current students (in person and
social media)
(College Board, 2011)53

Controversy in Admissions
 Image of college admissions process
 Special admits
 Recruiting graduates rather than freshman
 College readiness
 College rankings obsession
 Diversity/Affirmative action
 Out-of-state enrollment
 Transferability
 International students
55

Student (and their Family)
Consumer Issues
 Precise/exact cost of education
 Educational amenities to support persistence
towards degree
 Length of time to degree
 Graduation rates
 Placement
 Manageable debt
 Valued added educational benefits
 Actual return on the investment of their college
cost56

Effect of the Economy on College
Choice
25%
47%
38%
24%
44%
34%
21%
53%
38%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Visit fewer college campuses
Work while attending college
Obtain a larger loan
Change from private to public
Rely more heavily on…
Attend in-state college
Live at home while attending…
Enroll in a less expensive…
Attend college closer to home
(Longmire & Company,
2009)
58

College is Still a Good Investment
 The earnings premium for a college degree
relative to a high school degree has
nearly doubled in the past three decades.
 Government statistics show that the jobless
rate is 4.4% for college grads and 7.6% for
people who attended college but didn't
achieve bachelors degrees.
(Avery & Turner, 2012)61

Student Debt
 The number of students who have to go into debt
to get a bachelor’s degree has risen from 45% in
1993 to 94% today.
 There is now more than $1 trillion in outstanding
student loan debt in the United States.
 Over the last 10 years, tuition and fees at state
schools have increased 72%.
 This year, national, state and local spending on
higher education reached a 25-year low.
(Avery & Turner, 2012)62

Ten Tips for Managing Your
Enrollment in a Down Economy
1) Formulate an economic outlook to guide
your planning
2) Identify potential shifts in student
participation patterns
3) Quantify the financial exposure of your
students and their families
4) Devise new financing strategies to help your
students initially attend and remain enrolled at
your school
5) Moderate your tuition increases (Noel-Levitz, 2008)64

Ten Tips for Managing Your
Enrollment in a Down Economy
6) Plan on more applications and lower yield
rates
7) Invest in student retention and aggressively
manage your stop-outs
8) Strengthen messaging around your most
valuable benefits
9) If you must cut costs, don’t cut equally
10) Don’t forget the human cost of economic
troubles
(Noel-Levitz, 2008)65

Characteristics of Undergraduate
Institutions
18 million undergraduates
6.38
7.34
2.58
1.7
4-year public 2-year public
Private (non-profit) Private (for-profit)66

Enrollment Management is:
 A comprehensive institutional process that
extends beyond the recruitment and
admissions functions
 A complex and holistic approach to
analyzing and influencing enrollment from
inquiry generation through graduation
 A campus-wide process that integrates
often disparate functions and personnel,
including recruitment, financial aid,
institutional research and planning,
teaching/learning, and student services
(Noel-Levitz)67

Functions
 Academic support
services
 Admissions
 Advertising
 Advising
 Alumni relations
 Career services
 Financial aid
 Freshman year
seminar
 Institutional research
 International student
services
 Marketing
 Market research
 Orientation
 Parent programs
 Pre-enrollment programs
 Recruitment
 Registration
 Residence life
 Retention programs
 Student life
 Student success center
 Social media
 Special population
recruitment
 Testing services
 University relations68

Dependant on Tuition and Fees
69

Average Expense per Student
70

More Challenges and Issues
Facing Institutions of Higher
Education
 Transparency and accountability
measures
 New metrics for measuring success
 Meeting student’s demands
 An expectation of real outcomes and
benefits resulting from the education
received
 Delivering on the promise!
71

72
Appropriate Role of Financial Aid
 Financial aid is not a reason to attend your
institution; it is part of a solution to a cost problem.
 Remember to project quality and value in all of your
institution's communications (outcomes,
experiential learning, special facilities, and other
benefits of attendance).
 Make the institution affordable to targeted students
who are willing to pay.
 Know and understand the “price tag” of the
institutional wish list.
From: Noel-Levitz. “Keys to Enrollment Success”

73
Purposes of Investing Dollars In
Student Financial Aid
 To make it possible for students of all incomes and
backgrounds to attend.
 To overcome price disparity in your marketplace.
 To generate the necessary tuition income.
 To attract a diversified student body.
 To maintain a high academic profile.
 What do you hope to accomplish?
From: Noel-Levitz. “Keys to Enrollment Success”

74
Financial Aid
 Determine Student Budget/Cost of Attendance:
 Tuition and Fees
 Books and Supplies
 Transportation
 Room and Board
 Miscellaneous
 Categories of Aid
 Gift Assistance
 Grants/Scholarships
 Self-Help
 Loans/Employment

75
 Source of Funding
 Federal
 State
 Institutional
 Private Sector
 Shifting Financial
Aid Sources
 Federal Grants
 Subsidized Loans
 Institutional Aid
Financial Aid

76
Trends In Financial Aid
 Increased gap between cost of attendance and ability to
pay
 Offering aid to students that does not hinge on federal
funds
 Lack of coordinated awarding philosophy by federal, sate,
and institutional agencies
 Increasingly difficult to self-determine financial aid eligibility
 Self-investments in education – the loan and borrowing
business
 Using aid to mold the institutional demographic profile
 Discounting and tuition waivers
 Consolidated loans
 Dependency on state lottery funded aid
 Institutional aid for students from families with the lowest
SES
 National Direct Student Lending

Student-Loan Default Rate Rising
 The U.S. Department of Education, demonstrating the toll
the sour economy is taking on recent college graduates,
reported a jump in the student-loan default rate to
6.9% in 2009, from 5.2% a year earlier.
 Raising the stakes for consumers and taxpayers, the
amount that students are borrowing for their
education has been increasing dramatically in recent
years, with half a trillion dollars in federal student loan
debt now outstanding.
 Robert Shireman, a senior adviser to Secretary of
Education Arne Duncan, says he expects the default rate,
which reflects the early part of the recession, to continue
to rise.
SOURCE: Wall Street Journal 77

What is Retention?
 Retention is the retaining of a student for
consecutive regular semesters.
 Retention refers to students who enroll at a
college or university and stay enrolled until they
graduate.
 Retention rates are generally measured by the
percentage of first-time, full-time students who
return for the following semester.
79

Keep in mind, students are…
 The most important people on the campus.
Without students there would be no need for the
institution.
 Not cold enrollment statistics but flesh and blood
human beings with feelings and emotions like
our own.
 Not people to be tolerated so that we can do our
thing. They are our thing.
 Not dependent on us. Rather, we are dependent
on them.
 Not an interruption of our work, but the purpose
of it. We are not doing them a favor by serving
them. They are doing us a favor by giving us the
opportunity to do so.
80

Importance of Retention
 Increased enrollments
 Increased tuition dollars/funding
 Increased student learning
 Higher graduation rates
 Improved image
 Improved student and faculty/staff morale
 Improved recruitment and retention of faculty and staff
 Improved focus on staff development
 Improved teamwork among various work units and
divisions
 Improved accountability measures
 Improved services for students
 Improved working environment for staff
 Improved institutional efficiency and effectiveness
81

Retention Funnel
Orientation
First year
Second year
Third year and
beyond
Graduation
82

Retention Stats
 Nationally, 59% of first-time students who sought
bachelor’s degrees full-time in fall 2007 completed their
degree at their original institution within six years.
 More than one-third of students leave their institution
prior to graduation.
 Of the students who leave, more than half withdraw prior
to beginning their second year.
 Departure rates vary by admissions selectivity and
institutional control.
(Department of Education, 201583

Institutional Selectivity
Selectivity
Level
ACT
Middle
50%
SAT
Middle
50%
Definition
Highly
Selective
25-30 1710-
2000
Majority top 10% HS class
Selective 21-26 1470-
1770
Traditional 18-24 1290-
1650
Liberal 17-22 1230-
1530
Majority bottom 50% HS class
Open 16-21 1170-
1480
Open to all with HS diploma
(ACT, 2014)84

First-to-Second Year Retention
Four- Year Public Institutions
Selectivity BA MA PhD
Highly
Selective
93.5 90.5 89.7
Selective 83.5 80.5 83.0
Traditional 68.7 69.0 73.4
Liberal 71.5 62.3 64.3
Open 53.9 55.4 61.0
(ACT, 2014)85

Four-Year Private Institutions
Highly
Selective
93.8 93.2 94.8
Selective 81.2 80.0 84.5
Liberal 58.1 62.8 77.4
Open 53.1 62.1 60.0
(ACT, 2014)86

Persistence to Degree Rates
Four-Year Public Institutions
Highly
Selective
84.5 72.0 80.8
Selective 65.8 63.4 62.0
Liberal 46.0 34.5 43.9
Open 19.5 25.8 26.56 years for a
BA
(ACT, 2014)87

Persistence to Degree Rates
Four-Year Private Institutions
Highly
Selective
89.5 83.3 87.5
Selective 68.8 64.8 68.9
Liberal 38.4 45.5 59.8
Open 29.3 42.3 65.06 years for a
BA
(ACT, 2014)88

Retention and Graduate Rates
Two-Year Institutions
1st-2nd Year
Retention
Persisten
ce to
Degree
Public 54.9 19.6
Private 64.3 31.1
3 years for an Associates
Degree
(ACT, 2014)89

Impact of Improved
Ratin
g
Fall 2002
Retention
Fall 2003
Retentio
n
Gain/Los
s
# of
Students
Enrolled
Fall 2003
Averag
e
Net
Revenu
e
Studen
t Gain
Net
Rev.
Gained
I 78% 79% 1% 169
$12,
152
2
$24,30
4
II 75% 81% 6% 129 $14,377 8
$115,01
6
III 70% 75% 5% 110 $15,374 6
$92,24
4
IV 56% 72% 16% 105 $18,609 17
$316,3
53
V 57% 66% 9% 73 $20,923 7
$146,4
61
Total 68% 76% 8% 586 $17,359 40
$694,3(Noel-Levitz)90

Cumulative Impact of
Previous Improvement
Retention Rate
Retention
Rate/Number of
Additional
Students
Average Net
Revenue
(5% Annual
Increase)
Financial
Impact
First- to second-
year (actual)
76% (40) $17,359 $694,378
Second- to third-
year (projected)
88% (35) $18,400 $644,000
Third- to fourth-
year (projected)
94% (32) $19,320 $618,240
Total $1,956,618
(Noel-Levitz)91

Common Retention Myths
 Retention means lowering standards
 Retention efforts are primarily remedial
 A goal should be zero attrition
 Dropouts are flunkouts
 Students drop out for reasons mostly out of institutional
control, such as finances, work, or personal
 Retention is primarily the responsibility of student
services
 Retention and graduation rates will improve without
changing attitudes and behaviors
 Students bring a cogent map of college success to
higher education
92

What Leads to Student Departure?
 Vincent Tinto has identified five major causes of
student withdrawal:
 Academic difficulty
 Adjustment difficulty (incongruence and
isolation)
 Goals: Uncertain, narrow, or new
 Commitments: Weak and external
 Financial inadequacies
 The decision to leave is not so much cost, but
the perceived quality and value of what a student
is receiving for the cost. (Tinto, 1975)93

What Leads to Student
Departure?
 Financial reasons
 Dissatisfied with social
life
 Problem with
roommates or housing
 Lack of guidance or
support
 Did not like size
 Confusion about
career and major goals
 Missed family
 Academic programs
 Not challenging
 Quality
disappointing
 Course content not
satisfied
 Attending another
college
 Desire to relocate
 Lonely94

Key Retention Concepts
 Retention encompasses virtually everything an institution
does to improve the quality of student life and learning
 Retention is not the goal
 Retention is complex and multi-variant
 Some attrition is inevitable and acceptable
 Some attrition is predictable and even preventable
 The best non-cognitive predictors of student persistence
are:
 Motivation
 Desire to persist
 Engagement/affiliation
 Time-on-task, energy, and effort (Noel-Levitz)95

Key Retention Concepts
 Many students have misconceptions about what it takes
to persist, as well as the actual likelihood of persisting
 Increases in retention and graduation rates are a function
of the current state of retention efforts and a more
comprehensive and systematic approach
 There are identifiable “conditions” or “critical success
factors” of successful retention programs
 Quality educational programs/services, while important,
cannot compensate for the absence of competent,
caring, and concerned faculty and staff
 Retention is a campus-wide responsibility and requires a
coordinated and collaborative approach to improving the
quality of student life and learning
 The teaching/learning process is at the core of all
successful retention programs
(Noel-Levitz)96

Insights About Retention
 The freshman year is the most crucial period
in student retention.
 Degree completion requires more than four
years for more students.
 The eventual degree completion rate (at
private and public schools) for entering
freshmen is estimated at 66%.
 Retention and graduation rates are
consistently higher for women.
(Noel-Levitz)97

Insights About Retention
 More selective institutions generally have
higher retention and graduation rates.
 Institutions with a higher percentage of part-
time undergraduate enrollment have lower
retention and graduation rates.
 Students attending private institutions
graduate earlier and at a higher rate.
(Noel-Levitz)98

Best Practices
 Highest ranked practices in 2011 included widely-used
practices such as academic support and first-year student
programs as well as a few practices that were only used by
about half or less of respondents.
 Honors programs and mandatory advising were among the
top-ranked practices.
 The general trend in cohort graduation rates over the past
three years showed a stable or slightly increasing rates for
the majority of institutions.
 Just over half the respondents reported that they identify
effective practices primarily based on outcomes measures,
with the rest reporting that they primarily use student
feedback.
(Noel-Levitz)99

10 Most Effective Practices at 4-
Year Public Institutions
% Very
Effective
%
Somewhat
Effective
%
Using
Metho
d
Honors programs for academically advanced 58 33 79
Academic support program or services 44 50 99
Programs designed specifically for first-year
students
40 48 94
Programs designed specifically for conditional
admits
39 25 67
Programs designed specifically for at-risk
students
33 40 91
Using a CRM software application to help
track students
33 25 19
Giving students practical work experiences in
major
31 53 94(Noel-Levitz)100

Year Private Institutions
% Very
Effective
%
Somewhat
Effective
%
Using
Metho
d
students
45 44 93
Giving students practical work experiences in
major
39 43 95
Institution wide emphasis on undergraduate
learning
37 48 92
Mandatory advising, one-on-one and face-to-
face
34 51 84
Early-alert and intervention system 34 50 92
Programs designed specifically for at-risk
students
30 54 88(Noel-Levitz)101

Year Private Institutions
% Very
Effectiv
e
%
Somewhat
Effective
%
Using
Method
Institution wide emphasis on undergraduate
learning
35 51 77
students
27 53 90
Providing each continuing student with
academic plan
24 37 67
Title III or Title IV funding 23 48 60
Using web-based course engagement tools 22 59 95
Honors programs for academically advanced
students
21 40 48
Academic advising program 20 60 97
(Noel-Levitz)102

Other Practices
 Using web-based tools such as Blackboard to engage
students
 Social networking to engage students in online
communities
 Requests for permissions to remain in contact with
students who are leaving
 Programs specifically designed for veterans
 Programs specifically designed for second-year students
 Using student engagement assessments to make changes
to the way faculty and staff interact with students
 Interviews or surveys with students who are withdrawing
 Requests for intended re-entry dates from students who
are leaving
 Using established communication procedures to regularly(Noel-Levitz)103

Traits of Top Retention Plans
 Update their retention plan annually
 Have a designated retention leader of
good or excellent quality
 Have a committee of good or excellent
quality
 Have a committee that was empowered
to make decisions that affected multiple
areas of campus
(Noel-Levitz)104

Elements of Successful
Retention Programs
 Collect, compile, and analyze pertinent retention/attrition
data and research
 Monitor and address student expectations and levels of
satisfaction
 Conduct periodic audits of key program and service areas
 Create programs and services based on meeting students’
individual needs and differences
 Exceed student service requirements and expectations
 Emphasize benefits of class attendance
(Noel-Levitz)105

 Concentrate energies on the importance of the teaching
and learning and academic advising processes
 Provide faculty/staff training and development programs
 Improve academic support services
 Mandate assessment and course placement
 Provide enriched or accelerated academic experiences
 Increase frequency of out-of-class contact among faculty,
staff, and students
 Establish an organizational structure/mechanism for quality
of student life and learning issues and an institutional
change process
Retention Programs
(Noel-Levitz)106

Retention Programs
 Implement early identification/alert and intervention
strategies
 Address students affective, as well as cognitive, needs
 Emphasize a deliberate strategy of student engagement
and involvement
 Develop a comprehensive approach to undecided/
exploratory students
 Respond more systematically to the needs of “high-risk”
student groups
 Enhance the quality of residential life
(Noel-Levitz)107

Retention Programs
 Modify the financial aid program
 Develop a student-centered institution
 Implement an extended orientation program or first-year
seminar
 Commit to both “front-loading” and “progressive
responsibility”
 Revise admissions materials and procedures to improve
student/institutional fit
 Make improvements to the physical plant
 Validate administrative support and commitment to the
student retention process model
(Noel-Levitz)108

Best Practices in Retention for
Specific Subpopulations
 Orientation programs customized for each population
 Academic support programs for adult learners that are
available earlier in the morning and later in the evening
 Ensuring classes are offered in a sequence that allows
students to graduate on time and has some back-up plans
 Articulation agreements that match students’ prescribed
curriculum at the previous institution and provide an easy
transfer process
 Identifying classes with highest D, F, or W grades and
determining highly interactive and intrusive activities to
ensure students complete the course with expected
learning outcomes (Noel-Levitz)109

Delivering on the Promise
 Improving the quality of student life and learning needs
to be a continuing and important priority.
 Engaging in a quality of student life and learning
(retention) initiative should provide an approach to
organizing a systematic effort, while at the same time
enhancing overall institutional quality, effectiveness,
and student success.
 Persistence depends upon the extent to which an
individual has been integrated into the academic and
non-academic components of the campus environment.
110

 Retention tools, systems, staff development activities,
computer software, and professional consultation can
make a significant contribution to an organized retention
effort.
 Increases in retention rates are a function of the current
state of efforts to improve the quality of educational
programs and services. Most institutions engaging in a
systematic and comprehensive retention effort should be
able to expect a “lift” in cohort graduation rates and
improvement in annual retention rates.
111

 Retention strategies already in place can serve as an
excellent foundation for developing an ongoing, more
systematic approach to improving the quality of student
life and learning (retention).
 Retention is a key component of a comprehensive
enrollment management program.
 Dropouts are expensive, and improvements in retention
rates can add to the annual operating budget.
112

 Attrition is a problem for which there is a solution, and
retention is one aspect of an enrollment management
program over which an institution can exert
considerable influence and control.
 Single causal factors of student attrition are difficult to
ascertain.
 Key to improving the quality of student life and learning
(retention) are student-centered policies, procedures,
and programs.
113

Practical Examples
 Placement exams
 ASAP programs
 Early intervention
 Class attendance workshops
 Tutorial services
 Supplemental instruction
 Faculty advisement training
 Faculty workshops introducing faculty to millennial
learners
 Student success programs
114

Practical Examples
 Freshmen/sophomore calling centers
 Financial aid strategies
 Attitudes toward transferability
 Attachment/bonding/affiliation
 Campus appearance
 Parent programs
 Lifestyle management workshops
115

Practical Examples of
Retention Research
 CSEQ (College Student Experience Questionnaire),
Indiana University Center for the Study of
Postsecondary Research
 NSSE (National Survey of Student Engagement),
Indiana University Center for the Study of
Postsecondary Research
 SSI (Student Satisfaction Inventory), Noel-Levitz
 Graduation studies
 Perception studies in residence halls
 Persistence studies by demographic type
 DFW course studies116

Trends in Retention
 Customer service perspective
 Programs for the overwhelmed
 Invisible students: Programs for students who fall
between the cracks
 High-risk student programs
 Grade inflation
 Sophomore retention programs
 First-generation student programs
 Outcome/accountability measures
 Institutional conscience
 Scholarship and aid renewal117

Reference
Much of the information in this presentation was obtained
from research and presentations by Noel-Levitz, an
enrollment management consulting group.
For more information, contact
Noel-Levitz
(800) 876-1117
info@noellevitz.com
http://www.noellevitz.com
119

Acknowledgement
Ms. Elizabeth Orehovec, M.Ed.
and
Ms. Susan Hudson, M.Ed.
and
Ms. Corley Hopkins, M.Ed.
for assistance with research and design
of this presentation
120

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