For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the current state of higher education enrollment is brightening. While competition for student recruitment and retention remains serious and budgets continue to be low, undergraduate enrollment is growing. Let’s explore the most effective ways to conduct student recruitment campaigns in the current climate.
Challenges & Hope for Student Recruitment
As of 2021, there were nearly 4,000 degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the U.S. And with less money available overall, most university budgets don’t stretch to extensive recruitment and retention campaigns.
In addition, higher education institutions are facing increased student support needs, legislative restrictions, free speech challenges, and the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence. Therefore, school marketing departments must make the best possible use of the resources at their disposal.
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
–ALBERT EINSTEIN
The good news is that while the total number of undergraduates is still well below 2018 levels, undergraduate enrollment grew 1.2% in fall 2023 - the first increase since the pandemic.
- Over two-thirds of states saw undergraduate enrollment growth.
- Growth was highest at community colleges, which gained 118,000 students (+2.6%).
- The recent trend of high school students taking dual-enrollment courses continued to bolster these community college enrollments.
- Public and private nonprofit 4-year institutions saw smaller increases of 0.6 percent (+38,000 and +16,000, respectively).
- Enrollment in associate degree programs and undergraduate certificate programs increased notably.
- Freshman enrollment grew, but at a slower rate than undergraduate enrollment overall. This growth was driven by community colleges, which added 17,000 (+2.3%), and by older freshmen (age 21 and above, +6.3%, +18,000).
- Undergraduate enrollment increased among all major ethnoracial groups except white and Native American students.
- Women’s enrollment stabilized this year after large pandemic-era declines, while men’s enrollment continued to grow.
Effective Tactics for Student Recruitment
Given the statistics above and the media habits of today’s teens and young adults, here are some of the most effective ways to conduct student recruitment campaigns in the current climate.
Target Audience Reboot
The target audience for student recruitment is wider today than ever before. From high school students considering dual enrollment programs to young adults who chose to delay college enrollment to older adults looking to change or advance careers, many people of multiple generations are interested in obtaining postsecondary education. Furthermore, college campuses are becoming increasingly diverse.
+ Reach younger students to increase enrollment.
+ Discover eight ways to reach adult learners.
Powerful Messaging
Thomas Brock, director of the Community College Research Center at Columbia University’s Teachers College, states that students today are very practical minded. “Many of them really are thinking about postsecondary education primarily for their career ambitions, looking at opportunities to acquire skills that they can use to get better jobs, to move ahead,” he said.
According to a recent Georgetown University study, for most people, advanced levels of education are directly correlated with higher lifetime earnings. In fact, “bachelor’s degree holders earn a median of $2.8 million during their career, 75% more than if they had only a high school diploma.” This is a crucial message to share with young people and those who influence them. While skipping post-secondary education to start a career now may seem smart, it’s often not the best move in the long run.
Sharing the benefits of training, certification, and a diploma (rather than pushing the proverbial college lifestyle) with young adults who are currently pursuing other paths may bear significant fruit. In addition to 4-year degree programs, recruiters should market associate degree programs and undergraduate certificate programs. They would also be wise to highlight reduced enrollment barriers and available support programs that increase student success.
Integrated Marketing Solutions
An integrated marketing strategy for student recruitment incorporates traditional campus advertising, digital marketing tactics, and public relations (PR). By combining tactics from these three marketing arenas, you can extend your reach while each part of your marketing campaign amplifies the efforts of the others.
This type of holistic plan blends appropriate combinations of traditional out of home and print advertising, display, video, search, social, earned media, influencer marketing and promotional events to produce the outcomes you're looking for. To maximize effectiveness and keep costs in line, you will want to include the right mix of paid, earned, owned, and shared media.
+ Increase enrollment with an integrated marketing strategy.
In this increasingly virtual era, digital marketing tactics are especially important. Digital ad campaigns, paid social media campaigns, and influencer partnerships build buzz for everything your organization has to offer. They also provide a broader reach than traditional ad campaigns, often at a fraction of the price.
+ Learn how digital marketing tactics drive successful college recruitment.
Spheres of Influence
While both traditional and digital advertising can be highly effective, word of mouth is also a significant factor in pushing students to enroll. Family, friends, and trusted adults exercise a great deal of influence in the choices that young adults make. Reach out, not just to potential students, but to the important people in their lives.
While private schools with national profiles may be able to coast on their reputations and ability to significantly subsidize tuition, for regional universities, local high schools are a crucial source for new enrollment. Maintaining a presence at secondary schools in your area is an excellent strategy. Participate in events like post-secondary information nights, ask faculty to give presentations on their areas of expertise to local high school classes, and run locally targeted ad campaigns.
See our complete guide: Recruiting Students – A Marketing Plan to Increase College Enrollment.
Editor's Note: This post has been fully updated as of April 2024.
Here at MSS Media, Inc., we’ve been providing Education, Government, Real Estate & Lifestyle clients with succinct, optimized, and successful marketing solutions for more than 15 years. Consider MSS Media, Inc. a full-service, one-stop shop for all your Media and Public Relations needs. Your goals are our motivation. And our mission is to propel your message, further and faster, to achieve the outcomes you’re looking for. If you found this blog post helpful, please share!
