A10: Strategies for Recruiting
High-Ability Students
Michael Hovland, ACT, IA
Mark Dunn, Yale University, CT
Ron McFall, Indiana University–Bloomington, IN
Jonathan Wehner, Case Western Reserve University, OH
Matthew Ellis, Arizona State University, AZ
Focus of Today’s Session
• We’ll discuss how home location, family income,
level of parent education, and student degree goals
affect the enrollment preferences and the enrollment
behaviors of high-ability students
• We’ll look at the academic interests of high-ability
students
• We’ll discuss college environments where highability students thrive and recruitment strategies to
attract them
Pool Size for Research
• High School Graduating Class of 2012
– 1,666,017 ACT-tested students
– 1,172,602 enrolled in college (70.4%)
– 213,426 ACT-tested with ACT Comp. Score of 28-36
– 184,571 enrolled in college (86.5%)
• We have indications that the number of students
scoring 28-36 has grown significantly in the past
several years
Definition of Selectivity for This Research
The approximate mid-point ACT Composite Score for
Enrolled Students:
• Highly selective
ACT Comp >=28
• Moderately selective
ACT Comp 24-27
• Less selective
ACT Comp <=23
• Test score not required
– Combination of open admission and a few test
optional
Limitations of the Research Behind
Today’s Presentation
• A high percentage of high-ability students enroll at
highly selective institutions
• But we don’t have data on where students apply and
whether or not they are admitted
• So, we don’t know whether some high-ability
students did not attend highly-selective institutions
because they chose not to apply or because they
weren’t admitted.
Enrollment Intentions and Behaviors of
High-Ability Students
• We’ll be looking at ways we can identify student
enrollment intentions and how the intentions carry
through to actual enrollments
• Institutions can use this information in two ways:
– (1) You can target students more likely to enroll at
your institution, or
– (2) You can actively try to change the enrollment
behaviors of high-ability students less likely to enroll
Differentiating Characteristics Among
High Ability Students
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Student home location
Family Income
Level of parent education
Lifetime degree plans
Selectivity Index Scores by
ACT Composite Score Ranges
0-1.1
1.2-2.0
2.1-2.8
2.9-3.8
3.9-5.0
1-15
60
29
4
0
0
16-19 20-23 24-27 28-32 33-36
36
4
0
0
0
49
18
3
0
0
30
49
16
1
0
2
23
46
27
1
0
0
9
64
28
Selectivity of College Attended by ACT
Composite Score, 2012
61
Highly
Selective
Moderately
Selective
Less
Selective
0
1
3
28
3
22
13
3…
42
41
25
14
29
11
35
35
4
74
53
Test Score
Not Required
34
1-15
16-19
20-23
21
24-27
ACT Composite Score Range
12
28-32
6
33-36
The Relationship Between Student Ability and
College Selectivity
• The data suggest clearly that as ability levels rise,
students are more likely to attend more selective
institutions
• When that doesn’t happen, what are possible
explanations?
– We get important clues from differences in student
enrollment intentions when examined by (1) where
students live, (2) family income, (3) level of parent
education, and (4) degree plans
Home Location Is Predictive of Enrollment
Behavior
• There are clear differences in student enrollment
preferences and behaviors by these locations:
– Rural
– Town
– Suburban
– Urban
When we use the term “home location” in this presentation,
we refer to the location of a student’s high school.
Students with ACT Comp 28-36: Selectivity of
Enrolled College by Home location
Rural
Town
Suburban
Urban
Tests Not
Required
12%
13%
10%
11%
Less Moderately Highly
Selective Selective Selective
20%
44%
24%
22%
42%
23%
9%
37%
43%
9%
39%
40%
Characteristics of High-Ability Students from
Rural Areas and Smaller Towns
• In contrast to students from urban and suburban
areas, high-ability students from rural areas and
small towns:
– Have lower median miles to enrolled college
– Are less likely to enroll out of state
– At all income levels, less likely to attend:
• a highly selective college
• a college out of state
• a 4-year private college
Parent/Guardian Level of Education Is
Predictive of Enrollment Behavior
• As parent/guardian level of education increases…
– The percent of students who prefer to attend and
attend out of state increases
– Students prefer to attend and attend college farther
from home
– Students are more likely to attend selective and highly
selective institutions
Students with ACT Comp 28-36: Selectivity of
Enrolled College by Level of Parent Education
Not
Required
No College
16%
Some College
16%
Bachelors Deg
11%
Graduate Deg
9%
Less
Moderately Highly
Selective Selective Selective
21%
35%
28%
22%
40%
22%
14%
44%
31%
9%
39%
42%
Student Degree Aspirations Are Predictive of
Enrollment Behavior
• As student degree aspirations increase…
– The percent of students who prefer to attend and
attend out of state increases
– Students enroll farther from home
– The percent of students who prefer to attend a 4-year
private college increases
Intended Educational Majors
• High-ability students have very different educational
major interests than lower-ability students
Intended Major Categories by Frequency Rank for ACT Composite 28-36
Search Criteria to Identify the Enrollment
Intentions of High-Ability Students
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Student geographical location
Preferred distance from home to campus
Parent/guardian level of education
Highest degree expected
Family income
Keys for Recruiting High-Ability Students:
Less Selective Institutions
• Less selective institutions will have more
recruitment success with high ability students:
– Who live in-state and who live closer to campus
– Who prefer to attend college closer to home
– Who live in rural areas and smaller towns
– From lower and middle-income families
– With lower levels of parent education
– With lower degree goals
Keys for Recruiting High-Ability Students:
More Selective Institutions
• More selective institutions will have more
recruitment success with high ability students:
– Who prefer to attend college farther from home
– Who live in suburban and urban areas
– From higher income families
– With higher levels of parent education
– With higher degree goals
• All of the above are especially true if you are
recruiting out-of-state students
Yale University
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Mark Dunn ’07
Director of Outreach & Recruitment
Yale University Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Outreach Context
Search: ~100,000 prospects per class (nearly all domestic)
PSAT + ACT – 70%
Cappex + Zinch - 15%
Other Inquiries – 10%
QuestBridge – 5%
Applicants: ~ 30,000 freshman applicants per class
Admitted Students: ~2,000 (6.8% admission rate)
Freshman Class: ~1,350 (68% yield rate)
Student Outreach Experience
In-Person
- Campus Visit
- Evening Information Sessions
- School Visits
Mail + Web
- Search Letter
- Viewbook
- Email Campaigns
- Social Media + Virtual Tour
Themes:
• Authoritative but
authentic student voice.
• Accessibility of
resources.
• Peers as Yale’s best
resource.
My Mantra:
“Talk to them like adults.
Fun adults.”
Student Outreach Experience
In-Person
- Campus Visit: ~15,000-20,000 prospects annually
3 Part Campus Visit Experience:
1. Information Session (No script. No PowerPoint.)
2. Campus Tour (No script. No assigned route. )
3. Student Forum (No parents. No admissions officers.
No trained students. “Discuss amongst yourselves”)
The Secret Sauce? Trust.
Student Outreach Experience
Mail + Web
- Search Letter – Mailed to ~80,000 prospects
“Talk to them like adults.”
Student Outreach Experience
Mail + Web
- Viewbook– sent to all search letter recipients.
Student voices. Separate text, stats, and images. 125 pages.
@prince_ocey says “Sifting through this junk college mail
and found something worthwhile…it’s Yale University. Best
college mail yet!!! #college #happy #yale #messy
#awesome”
Student Outreach Experience
Mail + Web
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Email Campaigns: Series of 4 to
~100,000 prospects.
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Authoritative student voice (written in
collaboration).
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Much shorter and less linear than search
letter, but still text-driven.
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Includes social media nudges.
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Capitalize on, but don’t exploit natural
curiosity about selective admissions.
“Talk to them like adults. Fun adults.”
Student Outreach Experience
Mail + Web
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Social Media + Virtual Tour:
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Facebook + Tumblr
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Produced in-house with students
and admissions officers.
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Tumbler posts = 2x Facebook.
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Active engagement with university
social media strategy.
Virtual tour
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Promoted in all emails.
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Real Yale student guides.
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Translations available.
Supplemental Campaigns
Low-Income
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2 postcards with average net price info
+ fee waiver guidelines.
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Driven by Hoxby research.
URM
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Diversity Viewbook:
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17 pages. Not solely focused on
racial/ethnic diversity
STEM
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Science & Engineering Viewbook
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45 pages. Focused on student,
alumni and professor profiles.
Our Perspective
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The Yale name can make a student open our viewbook or email. Our job
is open that student’s mind about Yale.
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Academic strength/fit isn’t given, but it isn’t these students’ sole focus
either.
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Questions we try to answer before they’re asked:
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Who goes there?
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What are classes like?
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What is the real experience like?
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What do students do for fun?
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What do you look for in an application?
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How could I ever – in a million years – afford to go there?
Current students are the best salespeople. Facilitate these interactions
and get out of the way.
Indiana University
Office of Scholarships
Ron McFall
Interim Director
Indiana University - Bloomington
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Bloomington, IN
Flagship campus
Public research university
Fall 2013 enrollment
• 31,984 undergraduates
• 58% resident
• 42% non-resident
Office of Scholarships
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Created in 2007
Result of new leadership and campus task force
Scholarships were seen as “everyone’s job and
no one’s job”
New strategy to align award administration with
changing recruitment goals
Recruitment office targeting scholarship-eligible
students
Separate from Admissions and Financial Aid
Enrollment Management Structure
Office of Enrollment
Management
Vice Provost, David
Johnson
Associate Vice
Provost &
Registrar
Administration &
Fiscal Affairs
Admissions
Admissions
Operations
Office of the
Registrar
Student
Financial
Assistance
Strategic
Planning &
Research
Student Service
Center
Strategic
Communication
& Marketing
Scholarships
First Year
Experience
Programs
Key Recruitment Strategies
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Merit scholarship recruitment
Personalized outreach
Scholar recruitment events
Regional recruitment
Merit Scholarship Recruitment
• IU Achievement Scholarships
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(new for 2014)
Assessed at time of admission
November 1 deadline
Interactive award letter
Replaces previous “automatic” model
Projected 8,000+ offers for 2014 class
• Selective Scholarship Application (SSA)
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Custom online app used by top IU schools
Built for student at time of admission
November 1 deadline
22% of admits receive an SSA invitation
Opportunity for additional offers and personal
outreach
Merit Scholarship Recruitment
• IU Foundation Scholarships
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Leverage donor funds for recruitment
Modified award process and timeline
Additional recruitment touch for yield
Flexibility in targeting key markets
New stewardship program for 2014
• Enhanced award communication
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Consolidated award letter
March 1 scholarship posting date
Focus on net cost and financial literacy
Targeting scholars with known aid
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21st Century Scholars Program
Development of dynamic award notifications
Personalized Communication
• Stripes campaign
• “You’ve Earned your Stripes”
• Web/social media/print
• Launch in late fall
• IU scarf sent to over 3,500
top scholarship recipients
• “Show us your Stripes”
photo contest
• Winner selected by current
IU scholars
Personalized Communication
• State Campaign
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Interactive map and microsite
Custom postcards
Ten target markets
National presence
Introduce and inform
Focus on key academic programs
• Scholarship Advisory Committee (SAC)
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Current IU scholars
Assist with recruitment, marketing, and
other projects
Attend events and speak with
prospective students
Personalized event follow up
Scholar Recruitment Events
• IU Game Days
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Football tailgate event for high ability rising seniors
Free tickets, t-shirts, and other IU freebies
Prospects and admits
Campus partners and admissions
Mingle with current IU students
“Snap a Scholar”
• VIP Visits
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Personalized campus visit day program
Meetings with faculty and opportunity to attend an
IU lecture
Lunch with current students and staff
Scholar Recruitment Events
• IU Scholar Receptions
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Signature yield event
Formal celebration of
scholarship recipients
Speech from Director, Vice
Provost, and current student
Highlight key academic
programs
Gifts for students and
families in attendance
Seven markets annually
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South Florida and Los
Angeles new for 2014
Regional Recruitment
• New staff (Admissions) placed in Chicago, California,
and New York
• Strengthens pipeline
• Promotes awareness of programs
• Hoosier Hospitality
• Hosted by Admissions
• Targeted populations
• Pilot year - Chicago and New York
• Dynamic region-specific messaging
• Market trends
• SAC event follow-up for multiple key markets
Outcomes
SAT Composite – Undergraduate Beginner Cohort
1230
1217
1220
1210
1206
1203
1200
1202
1199
1190
1180
1170
1174
1160
1150
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Outcomes
• Improved class profile
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2013 class is most academically talented in IU history
Coincides with overall enrollment growth
• Merit scholarship impact
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Substantial SSA growth in completed applications (24%)
Positive yield trends for targeted populations (donor funds)
• Hutton Honors College profile
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29% growth for incoming class over 2012
Largest freshman class in Honors College history (1,050)
• Influential scholar recruitment events
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Strong deposit rates for IU Scholar Receptions
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Indianapolis (81%), Cincinnati (69%), and Chicago (67%)
• Growth in key non-resident markets
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1 of of every 7 incoming freshmen now from Chicago area
17% app growth for 2013 in our key non-resident markets
Future Directions
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Development and growth of non-resident
markets
Deeper yield assessment on recipient
populations
Expanded CRM initiatives
• New parent communications
• Innovate, not saturate
Leverage changing profile
Further utilize data to shift campus
scholarship culture
4,400 undergraduate
students
Arts and Sciences;
Engineering; Nursing;
Business Management
ACT Middle 50%:
29-33
Recruiting to
Desirable Programs
Intended Major Categories
by Frequency Rank for ACT
Composite 28-36:
• Undecided
• Health Sci. & Techno.
• Engineering
• Sciences: Biological and
Physical
Recruiting to
Desirable Programs
• Less than 25% of our
students are outside the
listed range.
• Competing with other top
programs for high ability
students.
• Campaigns introduced after
dropping yield or
applications in key areas.
Recruiting to
Desirable Programs
CWRU direct mail
campaign:
• 3 campaigns: Nursing,
Engineering, Science and
Mathematics
• Fall senior year
• Multi-touch
• Focused on program
differentiators
Recruiting to
Desirable Programs
Email campaigns:
• 3 campaigns: Nursing,
Management, Pre-med
• Bi-monthly
• Highlighting program
differentiators, rankings,
current events
Applications by Category
7000
5348
6000
4888
5000
4000
3000
6645
6269
3574
4976
4292
Nursing
Engineering
Science/Math/Pre-prof
2858
2000
1000
269
495
378
529
0
2010
2011
2012
2013
Retain High-Ability
Students
Weekly email newsletter:
• Specifically to engage
first-year students
• Delivered Thursday
evening
• 9 stories, 1 video
• Focused on navigating
campus resources and
events taking place the
following week
Retain High-Ability
Students
First-year portal:
• Mirrors stories from
newsletter
• Divided into categories: live –
housing, student activities,
neighborhood life; manage –
billing, financial aid,
registration; learn – academic
programs
• Internal marketing
Arizona State University
A New American University
Matthew Ellis
Director of Freshman Admission
Arizona State University
Access
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76,000 total enrollment
54,333 undergraduates
38,712 freshman applicants
27,488 admits
10,377 incoming freshmen
58% resident / 42% nonresident
• 5 campus locations
General University Admission
Criteria
16 core competencies &
AZ Residents
Non-residents
• 63% of residents in the top quarter of their class
• 31% first generation
• 25.6% from low income households
Excellence
1,500+ freshman entering Barrett, the Honors College
4,100+ total program enrollment
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70% resident, 30% non-resident
700 National Merit, Hispanic and Achievement Scholars
Approx 230 per incoming class
Repeatedly ranked as a top honors program in the nation
5th in the nation for production of Fulbright Scholars
• Tied with Yale and UC Berkeley
Strategy
• Work like one university…think like five
• Very specific enrollment targets by program, college, campus,
Barrett, geomarket and ability bands.
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Specific National Scholar and Flinn Scholar goals
• Targeted segmentation at search by academic program,
campus environment and ability.
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+500,000 suspects – 24 ability and environment segments, then interests and
geomarket
• Integrated multi-source marketing initiatives
• Cooperative recruitment teams across university departments
• High touch personal attention
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120,000 outbound personal phone calls
• Residential college model influences experienced based
marketing initiatives
Plans
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Search
• 8 email and 2 print cycle
• Travel: 1,600 high school visits and college fairs in the fall
• 25 nationwide ASU events
Prospect
• High variable content email campaign / 7-10 mailings
• Monthly program/college communication
• VIP program
Applicant
• Multi-step rapid response personal contact model in CRM
Admit
• Combined university and admitted college communication flow
• Private social network
• Enrollment coaching program
Plans
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High ability campus visit fly-ins
Personal communication from the president and the provost
Personally selected books to top admits
College based academy programs
Experience and outcomes heavy messaging
• Top 5 university for recruiting graduates –Wall Street Journal
• Top 100 university in the world
• Center for World University Rankings
• Academic Rankings of World Universities
• 5th for Fulbright Scholars
• Undergraduate Research
• Successful alumni
• Top university for student entrepreneurship
• Phoenix as an internship capital