This year’s MARKETview Partner Survey Report examines the defining characteristics of the “new era” of enrollment and reveals how campus leaders are adapting to the shifting recruitment landscape.
We’ll be covering the findings from the report in a three-part series, beginning with the first segment focusing on the Enrollment Planning and Feasibility challenges enrollment teams have faced in the past year. Keep an eye out for the next two parts covering Financial Budgeting and Support, and Market Disruption and Innovations. You can also download the full partner survey here.
Enrollment Planning and Feasibility: Three Key Findings
With the rapid pace of change present in today’s higher ed landscape, enrollment leaders must carefully plan their strategies to navigate new hurdles and reach their goals. Here are three key survey findings that illuminate how institutions are meeting these challenges:
Q: How confident are you in your institution’s ability to reach its enrollment and revenue goals?
Key Finding 1: MARKETview partners are feeling confident about reaching their goals this year.
Enrollment leaders were surprisingly optimistic this year, with 74.7% of partners (Very Confident and Somewhat Confident) having a positive outlook despite a challenging cycle. This may be related to the increased insight provided by comparative data into what matters most for achieving institutional goals.
The unconfident sentiments were likely influenced by all the uncertainty in the “new era” of higher ed. It’s hard to feel optimistic about reaching goals when unpredictable problems arise so frequently.
2024 Partner Survey: Adapting to a New Era of Enrollment Management
From new technologies and accessibility concerns to shrinking student pools, FAFSA delays and more, this past cycle was one of the most challenging ever. Learn how senior enrollment leaders across the MARKETview partner base are reassessing traditional enrollment practices to keep pace in changing times.
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Q: How much of a priority is it for your institution to recruit and enroll the following types of students in future cycles?
Key Finding 2: Colleges are prioritizing Underrepresented Minority and Pell-Eligible Students.
While First-Time, Full-Time Freshman remained the biggest recruiting priorities among respondents (85.5% rated them as “Essential”), many are also looking to move the needle by focusing on Underrepresented Minority and Pell-Eligible audiences. Both demographics were rated as a “High Priority” by respondents at 59.4% and 49.3%, respectively. Institutions are still finding ways to diversify their student bodies in the post-SFFA landscape.
Pell-Eligible students are a big contributor to socioeconomic and diversity goals, especially considering the demographic shift and expanded federal aid calculations. And Underrepresented Minority Students remain a priority, showing the industry’s continued commitment to improving college access.
Q: Which of the following statements best describes your institution’s stance on the future of test-optional admissions practices?
Key Finding 3: Some institutions are starting to question test-optional policies.
In this year’s survey, there was a larger year-over-year percentage that reported being undecided on their testing policy (4.1% in 2023 versus 14.6% this year).
This could usher in a shift back toward requiring test scores. Recent data has shown test-optional students generally yield and retain at lower rates than those who submit scores, so it makes sense that there is growing uncertainty on the topic.
We hope you found these key insights from the first part of the MARKETview Partner Survey Report helpful in navigating the “new era” of student enrollment. Parts two and three will be arriving in the weeks ahead, where we’ll examine the changing higher ed world in even greater depth.
If you would like to see the complete range of data insights from our 2024 Partner Survey, you can download the full report here.
To learn more about how MARKETview’s proprietary data set can help your institution effectively meet goals in the “new era,” sign up for a live demo here.