Boosting Recruitment in Challenging Times

Shifting demographics and lower birthrates in the U.S. have been taking a toll on enrollments across colleges and universities. With that in mind, many higher education institutions in the U.S. have made significant efforts to court international students, and their work has met with much success. But, now that avenue for new students is softening. 

Falling Enrollments

Declining campus enrollments rates are a troubling trend. For the fall 2018 semester, the number of students enrolling in colleges and universities was 1.7% lower than it was the previous fall. According to research from the National Clearing House, enrollments decreased 15.1% among four-year for-profit institutions and two-year public institutions enrollments fell 3.2%, while four-year public institutions enrollments where virtually unchanged.

 Decline of Foreign Learners on U.S. Campuses

The news for international students who have been a growth strategy for many higher educations is no better. While the U.S. hosts over a million international undergraduates, after years of growth, the fall of 2016 saw international student registrations level. Likewise, for the first time, international enrollments sank 6.6% at American universities in the academic year 2017-18 compared to the year before, marking the second straight year in declines in new enrollments, according to new data from the annual Open Doors survey as reported in Inside Higher Ed. 

According to the Institute of International Education, the U.S. hosted 24% of all international students in 2017, down from 28% in 2001. And since most international students pay higher tuition, this decline can significantly impact an institution’s budget.

The border closing rhetoric from the white house, changes in immigration and visa policy and concern that the U.S. is not as hospitable to international students as it once was all seem to all be playing into this fall off. The cost of tuition and competition from universities in other countries are also factors in the drop in international enrollments.  

Waning enrollment rates coupled with high fixed costs, mounting deficits and declining government support make it a challenging time for higher education. Finding your best fit student is even more critical than ever.

Jenzabar Recruitment

Competition for the best students is fierce, and prospective students are aggressively recruited by mail, email, internet campaigns, and social media from your peer institutions. Jenzabar Recruitment is the industry’s leading constituent relationship management (CRM) platform that helps you spend less time on administrative tasks and more time engaging with your prospective students and their families. It’s the competitive advantage your school needs to thrive. 

Jenzabar Recruitment helps you personally connect with students, increasing the efficiency of your staff, and ensuring no prospective student falls through the cracks. Give your admissions counselors and prospective students what they need, when they need it, and accept applications from your best-fit students. 

• Personalized Communications — Featuring the most powerful email communication tool in higher education, Jenzabar Recruitment allows you to create cascading email tracks determined by your prospect’s individual information and responses to earlier communications. Allow student group chat and student interest groups, and communicate with personalized messaging, helping you focus on students who will likely enroll.

• Successful Event Management — The powerful events interface allows prospects, students, parents, and alumni to search and register for interviews, campus tours, open houses, and any other events you’re hosting. You can even create tasks in Jenzabar Recruitment for each admissions counselor—ensuring prospective students get the right attention at the right time. 

• Easy Online Application — Students benefit from easy application submission with the customizable online application tool, which allows students to see a checklist of admissions requirements and track their progress at any time, right from their computer or mobile device. The application decision tool facilitates online/offline review of applications and related documents and aligns your admissions process with score and review automation. 

• Powerful CRM — Get anytime, anywhere access to all the tools you need to optimize and streamline your recruitment campaigns. Jenzabar Recruitment handles it all—list management, personalized communication creation and send, progress monitoring, information capture and update, event creation and management. Automated workflows, based on interactions with your prospective students, can assign and send out follow-up communications and tasks without manual work. The real-time funnel report helps drive your activities, so you can focus your efforts where they have the greatest impact.

 “This year we increased our applications and enrollments and exceeded our goals. A big part of the reason we were so successful was that Jenzabar Recruitment helped us develop relationships sooner and more effectively with students, guidance counselors, and other constituents,” Sarah Gibbs, Director of Admissions, Grove City College.