How to Increase College Enrollment: Five Keys to Strategic Enrollment Management

The primary goals of enrollment management plans are to recruit, enroll, and graduate students throughout their educational journey. University leaders and enrollment managers can achieve these goals by implementing strategic strategies that incorporate robust oversight and continuous improvement methodologies. 

The best enrollment management strategies address the competitive nature of distance education in today’s environment.  As more institutions seek to grow their online enrollment numbers, online enrollment tactics have to engage the culture of the institution as these tactics will impact many internal departments and functions throughout the student cycle. Strategies must align with the institution’s brand messaging, student demographics, student success goals, and technological capabilities.

Reducing the gap between ambitious goals and the attainment of those goals depends on effective enrollment management services. 

To be effective, your strategic enrollment management plan should:

1. Assess the demand for your offerings from both a prospective student’s viewpoint and from an employment standpoint
   on the national, state, and local levels. 
2. Clearly communicate services, processes, and procedures for all staff, current students, and prospective students. 
3. Research and anticipate changing demands and emerging needs at the program level, with enrollment solutions tailored to each program.
   This includes asking students qualifying questions regarding why they want to go to school, pursue a degree or enroll in a certain program. 
4. Leverage technology to meet the needs of both the student and the institution. Expanding the use of mobile enrollment solutions
   is a good case in point, since mobile devices are rapidly becoming the preferred communications channel for students. 
5. Be data-driven to inform sound decisions and evaluation. This includes making changes in the enrollment process for students if needed.
   If using mobile enrollment, for example, enrollment managers can see where students are getting stuck — say, on financial aid — and provide
   resources to help them move forward.

Perdia Education offers a patent-pending mobile enrollment management solution called Emma™ that provides significant improvements over the entire admissions and enrollment process. This technology represents a radical departure from existing enrollment management tools, and positions institutions to meet their ambitious goals for online enrollment growth.