Five Keys to Enrolling in a Crowded Online Market
Five Keys to Enrolling in a Crowded Online Market Julie Delich, MS VP of Enrollment & Student Success
LearningHouse.com (502) 589-9878
The State of Online Higher Education And how your institution can survive
Total Higher Education Demand Total U.S. Enrollment Growth Year over Year 8.0%
6.8%
7.0% 6.0% 5.0%
4.8% 3.7%
4.0% 3.0% 2.0% 1.0% 0.0% Fall 2008 -1.0%
Fall 2009
Fall 2010
Fall 2011
Fall 2012
-0.2%
-2.0% -3.0%
Source: Eduventures http://prezi.com/1_qfrg9dsniq/online-higher-ed-market-lh-june-2013/
-1.8%
Total Higher Education Supply U.S. higher education institutions 4,800
4,706 4,700
4,599 4,600
4,495
4,500
4,409 4,400
4,352
4,300 4,200 4,100 2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
Source: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d12/tables/dt12_306.asp
2010-11
2011-12
Who is the online student? • 62% female • Median age of 35 years • Median income of $55,000 What does today’s online student care about? • • •
How much will it cost me? How fast can I finish? How can I fit this into my life?
Source: Online College Students 2013: Comprehensive Data on Demands and Preferences (www.learninghouse.com/ocs2013-report)
What to do in a crowded market? • Provide stand-out service • Assess student needs and exceed their expectations
The Five Keys The secret to enrollment success is exceptional, student-focused service. These five keys can help you achieve that goal:
1. Increasing speed to contact 2. Unofficially evaluating transfer credits 3. Collecting transcripts 4. Assessing student motivation and matching them to the right program 5. Assisting in tuition planning
Key 1: Effective Contact Agents •
The role of a contact agent • •
• •
Call and email within minutes of request Stalking versus Supporting • •
•
Make it easy to request information Must have standard operating procedures and training for consistent delivery of script and style
8 in 10 10 in 13
Monitor contact rates •
3 day, 10 day, 30 day, 90 day
Key 2: Importance of Transfer Evaluations • Offer early and often • Use unofficial transcripts • Do not require a deposit or fee prior to evaluating transfer credits •
http://chronicle.com/article/Theyre-TransferStudents-Not/137935/
• Make them simple, yet informative • Include disclaimer of the “unofficial” nature of the evaluation
Sample Disclaimer Credits from previously attended Colleges or Universities will be evaluated based on institutional accreditation, level, content, quality, comparability, and degree of program relevance and those accepted will be applied to the new degree being sought, up to a maximum of 88 semester hours. However, (Institution Name) will grant semester hour equivalence only for transfer work of C- or better and only work with grades of C- or better will be applied toward graduation requirements. Up to 8 semester hours of prior major coursework may be submitted before matriculation for transfer consideration. This is an estimate and not official until verified and recorded by the Office of the Registrar.
Key 3: Assist with Transcript Collection Students will have credits from, on average, 3 to 4 institutions. Gathering transcripts can feel daunting, and even small fees can be a perceived obstacle. What can you do to help? •
Ideally, have students sign a form to allow you to pay for and collect previous transcripts on their behalf
•
Follow up on transcript requests older than 2 weeks
Key 4: Motivation Matching • Ask questions to assess students motivation
• Ensure students’ career and educational goals match the program they are pursuing • Identify potential barriers to success and discuss strategies to overcome possible challenges
Key 5: Tuition Planning Hiring a tuition planner provides: • A liaison between admissions and financial aid • A voice of reason if ccodes/verification happen • Someone to answer basic questions and review financing options • Someone to talk students “off the ledge” between being accepted and being in class Example: within 3 months, accepted to started conversion went from 34% to 71%
Questions?
Julie Delich, MS VP of Enrollment & Student Success The Learning House, Inc. [email protected]
LearningHouse.com (502) 589-9878
The State of Online Higher Education And how your institution can survive
Total Higher Education Demand Total U.S. Enrollment Growth Year over Year 8.0%
6.8%
7.0% 6.0% 5.0%
4.8% 3.7%
4.0% 3.0% 2.0% 1.0% 0.0% Fall 2008 -1.0%
Fall 2009
Fall 2010
Fall 2011
Fall 2012
-0.2%
-2.0% -3.0%
Source: Eduventures http://prezi.com/1_qfrg9dsniq/online-higher-ed-market-lh-june-2013/
-1.8%
Total Higher Education Supply U.S. higher education institutions 4,800
4,706 4,700
4,599 4,600
4,495
4,500
4,409 4,400
4,352
4,300 4,200 4,100 2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
Source: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d12/tables/dt12_306.asp
2010-11
2011-12
Who is the online student? • 62% female • Median age of 35 years • Median income of $55,000 What does today’s online student care about? • • •
How much will it cost me? How fast can I finish? How can I fit this into my life?
Source: Online College Students 2013: Comprehensive Data on Demands and Preferences (www.learninghouse.com/ocs2013-report)
What to do in a crowded market? • Provide stand-out service • Assess student needs and exceed their expectations
The Five Keys The secret to enrollment success is exceptional, student-focused service. These five keys can help you achieve that goal:
1. Increasing speed to contact 2. Unofficially evaluating transfer credits 3. Collecting transcripts 4. Assessing student motivation and matching them to the right program 5. Assisting in tuition planning
Key 1: Effective Contact Agents •
The role of a contact agent • •
• •
Call and email within minutes of request Stalking versus Supporting • •
•
Make it easy to request information Must have standard operating procedures and training for consistent delivery of script and style
8 in 10 10 in 13
Monitor contact rates •
3 day, 10 day, 30 day, 90 day
Key 2: Importance of Transfer Evaluations • Offer early and often • Use unofficial transcripts • Do not require a deposit or fee prior to evaluating transfer credits •
http://chronicle.com/article/Theyre-TransferStudents-Not/137935/
• Make them simple, yet informative • Include disclaimer of the “unofficial” nature of the evaluation
Sample Disclaimer Credits from previously attended Colleges or Universities will be evaluated based on institutional accreditation, level, content, quality, comparability, and degree of program relevance and those accepted will be applied to the new degree being sought, up to a maximum of 88 semester hours. However, (Institution Name) will grant semester hour equivalence only for transfer work of C- or better and only work with grades of C- or better will be applied toward graduation requirements. Up to 8 semester hours of prior major coursework may be submitted before matriculation for transfer consideration. This is an estimate and not official until verified and recorded by the Office of the Registrar.
Key 3: Assist with Transcript Collection Students will have credits from, on average, 3 to 4 institutions. Gathering transcripts can feel daunting, and even small fees can be a perceived obstacle. What can you do to help? •
Ideally, have students sign a form to allow you to pay for and collect previous transcripts on their behalf
•
Follow up on transcript requests older than 2 weeks
Key 4: Motivation Matching • Ask questions to assess students motivation
• Ensure students’ career and educational goals match the program they are pursuing • Identify potential barriers to success and discuss strategies to overcome possible challenges
Key 5: Tuition Planning Hiring a tuition planner provides: • A liaison between admissions and financial aid • A voice of reason if ccodes/verification happen • Someone to answer basic questions and review financing options • Someone to talk students “off the ledge” between being accepted and being in class Example: within 3 months, accepted to started conversion went from 34% to 71%
Questions?
Julie Delich, MS VP of Enrollment & Student Success The Learning House, Inc. [email protected]
