Enrollment Management Archives - Page 26 of 27 - Ruffalo Noel Levitz Blog: Higher Education Enrollment, Student Retention, and Student Success

2010 average completion rate for public institutions near 25-year low

January 26, 2011 by Ruffalo Noel Levitz Leave a Comment

New trend data released by ACT indicates that public two- and four-year institutions are struggling with record- and near-record-low completion rates.

While both two- and four-year private institutions are managing completion rates of over 50 percent, their public counterparts are struggling to meet 40 percent for BA/BS programs and 30 percent for two-year programs.

Both types of public institutions are more than 10 points behind their highest marks over the past 25-plus years, which haven’t been seen since before 1990. With four-year institutions’ completion rate at 39.6 percent and two-years at 28.0 percent, it is clear that public institutions must do more to achieve student retention success and assist students in completing their degree programs.

Data used with permission from ACT. Download the latest report from their Web site.

The 2 formulas to increase your retention and completion rates:
P + P = R
P + P + R = C

January 19, 2011 by Dr. Tim Culver, Vice President of Consulting Services, RNL 3 Comments

Tim Culver, Vice President of Consulting Services, explains the basic formulas that allow a better understanding of student retention and student completion rates. These two formulas are the foundation for creating a measurable and successful action plan to improve overall student success.

Tim Culver, Vice President, Consulting Services

For any of you who are feeling a little uncomfortable right now because you saw two mathematical formulas in the title of this blog post, it’s okay, I promise! I thought it might be a good time to revisit these important retention concepts with you since you’ve just completed fall term and are about to begin spring term.

Many of you will soon notice or have already noticed that some of your students who were enrolled in the fall are no longer enrolled. Perhaps you already know the myriad of reasons why, or maybe you don’t, but, nonetheless, let’s chat about how you can put these formulas to work on your campus.

The formulas are nothing less than the foundations for my practice when I visit colleges and universities that are working to increase retention. Let’s talk about the four elements. Persistence (term-to-term return rates) when added to Progression (successful Persistence) theoretically allows you to predict your Retention (fall return rate).
So, if your students persist, progress, and return each fall then they will Complete (graduate, transfer, certificate, etc.) a plan of study.

Oh yes, if it were only this easy! There’s a lot of “stuff” that makes this complicated and one of the more complex aspects of the art and science of enrollment management. But the formulas do make things easier. Really.

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70% of community college students say they would re-enroll at their institutions

January 12, 2011 by Ruffalo Noel Levitz Leave a Comment

In Noel-Levitz’s 2010 National Student Satisfaction and Priorities Report executive summary, college students were asked to rate their overall satisfaction with their institution and if they would re-enroll if they were given the opportunity to do so.

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7 facts we’ve learned about students in 2010; a summary of Noel-Levitz research findings

December 21, 2010 by Ruffalo Noel Levitz 1 Comment

Noel-Levitz research has revealed many critical statistics and facts about college students in higher education for 2010. Read a summary of our research findings, as well as links to where you can download the full copies of our higher education research and white papers.

Noel-Levitz research has revealed data about student demographics and behavior that can help campuses strengthen enrollment management and student success.

Noel-Levitz conducted numerous studies in 2010 to further understand the behaviors and attitudes of prospective and current students in higher education as they related to student success, student retention, and new student enrollment. Here are some highlights from what we learned:

1. More of today’s freshmen are pursuing two-year degrees

In our 2010 National Freshman Attitudes Report, we found that, in the current economic climate, most freshmen remain motivated to earn a college degree, but more are pursuing two-year programs, consistent with the increased enrollments at two-year institutions nationally.

2. Student satisfaction on two-year public campuses has been rising for four of
the past five years

In our 2010 National Student Satisfaction and Priorities Report—which offers extensive information on student satisfaction in higher education at four-year and two-year campuses nationwide, public and private—we took a close look at the rising satisfaction levels at community colleges, including which students tend to be most satisfied and some factors that are contributing to the trend.

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Community college students cite academic advising among their schools’ top challenges

December 13, 2010 by Julie Bryant 2 Comments

The 2010 National Student Satisfaction and Priorities Report focuses on community college students, assessing their satisfaction in areas such as academic advising and the quality of learning.

Click to download the National Student Satisfaction and Priorities Report

The 2010 National Student Satisfaction and Priorities Report is now available.

The year’s report contains results from more than 745,000 students nationwide at more than 1,000 institutions, detailing how satisfied they are with their college experiences, as well as what their top priorities are. The 2010 Executive Summary focuses on the satisfaction levels of community college students and these findings stand out:

Sixty-nine percent of students at community colleges are likely to say the institution they are attending is their first choice, a key indicator in student satisfaction.
Students 25 years of age and older are more satisfied than traditional-age students with their experience at community colleges nationally.
Students cite the quality of instruction and campus climate as strengths for community colleges. They listed academic advising and the availability of classes as challenges.

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Assessing students after their first term: The value of mid-year assessment in student progression

December 6, 2010 by Beth J. Richter Leave a Comment

Beth Richter discusses why mid-year student assessment is an important part of any college student retention iniative and how that data can shape future student success efforts.

Beth Richter, associate vice president of retention solutions at Noel-Levitz, works directly with colleges and universities nationwide in student retention. In particular, Dr. Richter provides service and leadership to educators seeking to foster student success and enact early intervention programs through the Retention Management System Plus™.

In recent decades, many campuses have embraced the value of early intervention programs informed through motivational assessment. Assessing the motivations and attitudes of the incoming class helps educators connect incoming students with the most relevant campus resources – a pronounced benefit as enrollments increase at a more intense level than do the accompanying campus resources. Simultaneously, this proactive strategy helps students to acknowledge their own strengths and challenges, while gaining understanding of what is needed to secure a stronger footing as they set out on their journey through college with their goals in mind.

It’s common knowledge that the first term of college is often a transformational experience, which can swing either positively or negatively. And, given the growth and adjustment that occurs during the first term of college, it’s not surprising that attitudes and motivations can shift dramatically over the course of a few months, from the time students first arrive on campus and the end of the first term. In this era of economic uncertainty, these changes may be compounded by the shifts students are experiencing not only personally and academically in college, but also in their family, social, or financial situations.

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Several yield rate and admissions funnel trends that will affect 2011 enrollments and beyond

December 2, 2010 by Ruffalo Noel Levitz Leave a Comment

College Admission Funnel Report for 2010 is full of higher education statistics and trends that enable campuses to compare themselves to other institutions. This will allow for more-strategic enrollment management planning.

Click on the image above to download the 2010 Admissions Funnel Benchmark report from Noel-Levitz

Noel-Levitz’s just-completed study of admissions office funnel trends offers nearly 130 new benchmarks for admissions offices at four-year public and private institutions to assist campuses with accurately forecasting yield rates and enrollments.

Among the findings:

Four-year private institutions have seen freshman yield rates (admit to enroll) drop from 36 percent to 29 percent over the past seven years while yield rates for transfer students have dropped from 57 percent to 53 percent. In contrast, yield rates for public universities have either leveled off or are following no noticeable trend lines.
“Secret shopper” applicants were more numerous in 2009-2010, as one-third of freshman applicants and approximately half of transfer applicants to four-year public and private universities waited to contact their chosen institution(s) until they submitted an application.
Inquiry-to-applicant conversion rates have increased significantly over the past seven years for public and private institutions, rising 11 and five percentage points at each institution type, respectively.

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Five trends in the admissions and recruitment process on four-year campuses

December 1, 2010 by Craig Engel 3 Comments

Craig Engel, senior vice president, works directly with campuses on the effective administration of their enrollment management programs.

One of the most commonly asked questions I receive when I am working on a Noel-Levitz partner campus is, “How do we compare with other institutions?” For over 20 years, Noel-Levitz has attempted to answer this question through a series of benchmarking studies–the latest is the 2010 Admissions Funnel Benchmarks for Four-Year Public and Private Institutions. Thanks goes to 193 colleges and universities who completed our survey this fall. The data increases in value as participation increases.

What you will see when you review the data is in part the result of what you already know: colleges and universities are making it very easy for prospective students to apply. The result is that fewer students are inquiring before applying, inquiry-to-applicant conversion rates are going up (because of increased applications as the first point of contact), and yield from accepted to enrolled is dropping due to “soft,” less-committed online applicants.

This leads me to observe several patterns that are worthy of note.

Five trends I observed after reading the latest benchmarking study:
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7 ways higher education can use QR codes to connect with current and prospective students

November 24, 2010 by Stephanie Geyer, Vice President for Web Strategy and Interactive Marketing, RNL 9 Comments

Quick Response (QR) codes (or box codes) are two-dimensional codes that can be scanned by the camera on a smartphone device. Snapping a photo of a QR code will automatically connect you to text, photos, videos, music, or Web sites associated with that code.

The beauty of using a QR code on a flier, pamphlet, booklet, or anywhere else in higher education is that it creates a bridge between real-world material and online resources. There’s no need for students to memorize the address for your event’s Web page or search around your school’s Web site looking for more information. Just point, snap and connect – instantly.

Although the technology hasn’t quite become mainstream yet, QR code readers are readily available for most smartphone platforms (iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, etc). As more people begin to embrace and utilize these codes, your school should be ahead of the curve and ready to take advantage.

Are they going to take off tomorrow? Probably not. In fact, QR codes may never fully take off for the majority of students. But they’re a low-cost, low-risk way to link students to resources and information, and the people that do use them will be glad you made it convenient for them to access whatever information you linked to the codes.

We recommend that you start a pilot project now. Connect with your IT team to uncover opportunities (see the list below for some starters) and try it out. Of course, you’ll want to ensure that you have strong tracking mechanisms in place.

Here’s a list of ideas for how to use QR codes in higher education:

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New student enrollment and retention grew in fall 2010 for more than half of institutions

November 4, 2010 by Ruffalo Noel Levitz Leave a Comment

This report documents fall 2010 new student enrollment and retention in higher education at the undergraduate level, based on a national, Web-based poll Noel-Levitz conducted of college and university admissions officials.

Among the findings, this report shows that new student enrollment and retention rose on more than half of campuses again this fall.

Official fall 2010 census data from a sample of 218 colleges and universities shows that more than half of the higher education institutions met their enrollment goals for fall 2010, according to a new benchmark report from Noel-Levitz, though there was significant variability in the findings. Among the report’s highlights:

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