Attracting out-of-state prospects is a difficult but critical endeavor, particularly in today’s world. Student demographics are expected to plummet in two years’ time and questions about the value of higher education continue to grow louder.
Amid declining enrollments, growing applications, and increasing competition, standing out in inboxes, mailboxes, and on screens is not easy.
Once a reliable indicator of enrollment interest, campus visits have become somewhat of a wild card in student recruitment. Since the pandemic began to recede, many institutions have reported lackluster attendance, even among admitted students.
In fall 2022, first-year enrollment at community colleges increased by 6.1% over the previous year according to the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC). This marks the first increase in a longstanding annual decline.
In the current enrollment cycle, more than 1,800 four-year colleges and universities are test-optional or test-blind according to The National Center for Fair and Open Testing. Broadly sparked by pandemic necessity, most institutions have extended their testing policies beyond the pandemic, often signaling a wish to remove barriers of access to higher education.
Colorado College and RISD recently made news by pulling out of the U.S. News and World Report rankings. Their decisions follow those of Harvard and Yale law schools, among others, that made this same announcement last year.
