Recruiting Intelligence

We have developed a unique university and college system as well as a unique admissions process in the United States.  This unique enrollment and application process appears arbitrary, opaque and difficult to master. As a result independent admissions counselors have become a critical intermediary in many countries, not to mention the United States. *For full disclosure, Lisa works as an independent admissions counselor. 

Many admissions officers will say: I wish that I had this problem. We are hearing more frequently from university officials concerns about having too many Chinese students with the consequence of isolation and limited contact with American students.  

Prediction # 3: The range of programs and teaching channels for universities will increase to include more offline and professional programs as well as auxiliary services.

 We hear a great deal about endangered programs. Philosophy, history and language programs are shutting down due to the lack of students and financial resources. In contrast, I believe that universities will actually offer more, not fewer, services and programs, in more teaching formats, length and channels in the future. Universities will strive to find additional revenue sources. Executive training programs will be just one of many examples. Colleges will want to build a continued relationship with alumni exceeding current alumni fundraising focused activities.

Prediction #2: Universities are expanding their marketing to broader geographic areas.

We notice a tendency among our clients to broaden their geographic recruiting area. This broadening is driven by three distinct factors:

Prediction 1: Marketing channels and interactions are dramatically shifting to digital channels.

 It's a platitude that our rising high schools students are digital natives and their information gathering behavior is centered on digital activities and channels. College education is by far the biggest investment and purchase decision high school students will have made so far in their lives. Online research, social media interactions and information gathering will be at the center of their research.  The Google Research chart below shows the current resources used by prospective students.  Five of the eight most frequently used resources are digital.

“It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future,” as the quote goes by Yogi Barra & Niels Bohr.  I was reminded of this quote as I read an article on trends in liberal arts colleges. "Since 1990, the number of liberal arts schools in the U.S. has dropped from 212 to 130, a 39 percent decrease". This information came from a study by Roger Baldwin from Michigan State University "Are liberal arts colleges disappearing"  The author states that only a handful of colleges have gone out of business, but many have added vocational programs in nursing and business and have changed their focus so dramatically that they no longer retain a liberal arts identity. It's a shift of great magnitude without any major headlines for the outside world to notice. I strongly feel that education will continue to change without dramatic public headlines.

 I want to discuss five predictions and analyze how these changes will affect student recruitment and marketing activities.