How to Increase College Enrollment: 7 Creative Strategies
In the increasingly competitive world of higher education, colleges and universities must adopt innovative tactics to attract applicants and increase undergraduate enrollment. As institutions strive to distinguish themselves from the competition, developing unique and engaging strategies that resonate with potential students becomes increasingly important.
By understanding future students' diverse needs and interests, you can tailor your approach to create a lasting impression. This blog will explore seven innovative tactics to achieve student enrollment goals.
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Why You Need Innovative Strategies to Attract Prospective Students
Higher education institutions need innovative enrollment strategies to attract applicants and increase undergraduate enrollment due to several factors, including increasing competition, shifting demographics, and changing student preferences.
A study by Ruffalo Noel Levitz found that 75% of prospective students rated a college's website as important or very important in their decision-making process, and 63% of students said they eliminated a college from consideration based on the quality of its website. To stand out from the competition, you must showcase your unique offerings and create personalized experiences that resonate with potential students, helping them envision themselves as part of your community.
By embracing innovative strategies to attract aspiring students, your academic institution can better address the changing needs and preferences of today's students, ultimately increasing enrollment and ensuring the long-term success of your institution.
So, let's dive in and learn how to increase college enrollment!
Seven Strategies to Increase Student Enrollment
Strategy 1: Social media contests
Social media contests have become a popular and effective way to engage with potential students, increase brand awareness, and showcase the unique aspects of your school. Here are some ideas on how to create successful social media contests that will help boost your school's visibility online and, ultimately, student enrollment.
Photo and video contests
Encourage potential enrollees to submit photos or videos that showcase their creativity, talent, or passion for a specific subject related to your institution. For example, you could ask potential students to create a video discussing why they want to attend your college or share a photo that represents their favourite aspect of your school.
Essay contests
Organize essay contests that challenge future students to write about a topic related to your educational institution. The essay could be about their future goals, the importance of higher education, or their innovative idea for your institution.
Partner with student organizations
Collaborate with student organizations to create social media contests that promote their clubs or initiatives. Partnering with student organizations helps showcase the vibrant student life at your college or university and encourages current students to engage with potential enrollees on social media.
Strategy 2: Unique scholarship opportunities
According to Times Higher Education, high-quality teaching and the availability of scholarships are the two most important factors when prospective students are choosing what institution they want to attend. Offering unique scholarship opportunities is an excellent way to attract talented and diverse students to your school. By providing financial assistance based on specific interests, backgrounds, or achievements, you can target a broader range of potential students and make your institution more appealing. Below are some unique scholarship opportunities your institution can offer to increase college enrollment.
Leadership and community service scholarships
Recognize students who have demonstrated exceptional leadership skills or made significant community contributions through volunteer work, service projects, or activism. These scholarships encourage students to continue community involvement while attending your academic institution.
Underrepresented group scholarships
Establish scholarships for students from underrepresented groups, such as first-generation college students, ethnic or racial minorities, or students with disabilities. These scholarships promote diversity and inclusivity and financially support students facing unique challenges accessing higher education.
Entrepreneurship and innovation scholarships
Offer scholarships to students who have demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit or innovative thinking through starting their businesses or developing new ideas or inventions. These scholarships attract forward-thinking students who will contribute intellectually to your institution.
Strategy 3: Influencer partnerships
Leveraging the power of influencer partnerships can be a valuable strategy for boosting college enrollment rates. By collaborating with current undergraduate students, faculty, student body members, and alums, you can create authentic connections with aspiring students and showcase the unique aspects of your school. Here are some ways to increase student enrollment with influencer partnerships.
Current students
Current students can be powerful influencers and speak to your institution's academic and social opportunities. Encourage students to share their experiences and successes through social media, blog posts, or videos. You can also create a formal student ambassador program, where students represent the school at events, give campus tours, or participate in online discussions with potential enrollees.
Faculty involvement
Faculty members are key influencers in your institution, as they are experts in their fields and can showcase the academic strengths of the institution. Encourage faculty to participate in webinars, write articles, or create video content that highlights their expertise and the unique programs offered at your college. By showcasing faculty achievements and research, future students will better understand the high-quality education they can expect to receive.
Alumni engagement
Alums are a valuable resource for increasing enrollment, as they can provide testimonials, share their success stories, and offer mentorship to prospective enrollees. Develop an alum ambassador program encouraging graduates to share their experiences, attend college fairs, or participate in virtual events to connect with potential students. By highlighting the accomplishments of alums, you demonstrate the long-term value of the education provided by your institution.
Strategy 4: Virtual reality campus tours
Virtual reality (VR) technology can revolutionize campus tours by increasing student interest and enrollment and providing a more immersive and engaging experience for potential enrollees. By offering virtual tours, colleges and universities can reach a wider audience and give prospective enrollees a firsthand look at student life, even if they cannot visit your particular school in person. Here is the four-step plan for creating successful virtual reality campus tours to increase your college enrollment:
Showcase key campus locations
When developing your virtual reality tour, be sure to include key locations that are of interest to potential enrollees. Highlight any unique architectural features, state-of-the-art facilities, or notable landmarks that make your institution stand out. The tour could include academic buildings, residence halls, athletic facilities, libraries, student centers, and green spaces.
Incorporate interactive elements
To make your virtual reality tour more engaging, incorporate interactive elements that allow potential enrollees to explore your institution at their own pace. For example, include clickable hotspots with additional information, videos, photos, and options to view different angles or zoom in on specific areas. Providing a more interactive experience can help potential enrollees feel more connected to your institution and better envision themselves attending your school.
Include interviews with faculty, staff, and students
One of the most valuable aspects of an in-person tour is speaking with faculty, staff, and current students. To replicate this experience in your virtual reality tour, include interviews or testimonials from members of your college community. Interviews can help potential enrollees gain insights into the institution's culture, academic programs, and extracurricular activities, as well as hear firsthand about the experiences of current students.
Highlight unique programs and extracurricular activities
Showcase the unique academic programs, research opportunities, and extracurricular activities available at your college within your virtual reality tour. Highlighting these programs will help potential enrollees discover programs or activities that align with their interests.
Several software and platforms can help postsecondary institutions create and deliver virtual reality tours. These tools vary in features, pricing, and ease of use, so choosing the one that best meets your school's needs and budget is essential. Here are some popular options to consider:
YouVisit is a platform that specializes in creating interactive virtual experiences for schools. It offers a range of features, including guided virtual tours with narration, interactive hotspots, and multimedia integration. YouVisit also provides analytics to help institutions track user engagement and optimize virtual experiences.
CampusTours is a platform that offers virtual tour solutions specifically designed for schools. They provide interactive campus maps, guided virtual tours, and customizable experiences tailored to your college or university's unique needs. CampusTours also supports VR headset compatibility for an immersive experience.
Matterport is a powerful platform for creating immersive 3D virtual tours. Its user-friendly interface lets users capture, edit, and share virtual tours using 360-degree cameras or smartphones. Matterport also supports VR headsets, offering a fully immersive experience for potential students.
Strategy 5: Themed open houses and events
Organizing themed open houses and events can make your school stand out from the competition. Hosting engaging and unique events creates memorable experiences for prospective enrollees and their families. These events could be about academic programs, extracurricular activities, or student interests. Here are some themed events you can organize to increase student enrollment:
Academic-themed open houses
Organize open houses around specific academic programs or departments, allowing prospective enrollees to learn more about their areas of interest. Offer workshops, lectures, or panel discussions led by faculty members, and provide hands-on experiences, such as lab demonstrations or art exhibitions, to engage attendees.
Extracurricular-themed events
Host events highlighting extracurricular activities like clubs, organizations, or sports teams. Offer interactive workshops or demonstrations, and allow potential enrollees to meet current members or try out activities themselves.
Diversity and inclusion events
Celebrate diversity by hosting events that showcase different cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives. These events could include cultural performances, food tastings, or panel discussions that explore essential topics related to diversity and inclusion.
Career-focused events
Organize events that highlight the career opportunities and resources available to students at your institution. These events could include career fairs, networking events, or presentations from successful alums sharing their experiences and insights.
Strategy 6: Early college programs
Early college programs offer high school students the opportunity to earn college credits while still attending high school, giving them a head start on their postsecondary journey. These programs can help increase college enrollment by exposing students to the college experience, making academic institutions more accessible, and reducing the overall cost and time required for high school graduates to complete a degree. Here are some ideas for implementing and promoting early college programs to increase student enrollment:
Collaborate with local high schools
Establish partnerships with local high schools to create early college programs tailored to their needs and interests. Work closely with high school administrators, counsellors, and teachers to develop a curriculum that aligns with the high school and college requirements and ensure that students receive appropriate support and guidance throughout the program.
Create pathways to degree programs
Establish clear pathways from your early college program to degree programs at your college, making it easier for students to transition from high school to higher education. Offer advising and guidance to help students choose courses that will fulfill degree requirements and provide information on transfer options, financial aid, and other resources available to help them continue their education.
Host informational sessions and events
Organize informational sessions and events for high school students and their families to learn more about your early college program. Offer presentations, panel discussions, or Q&A sessions with program administrators, faculty, and current or former students to provide valuable insights and answer questions about the program.
Strategy 7: Showcase unique programs
Highlighting the unique programs offered by your college can help you stand out from the competition and attract applicants with specific interests or career goals. Showcasing these programs requires a strategic approach that combines creativity and targeted marketing efforts. Here are some ideas for showcasing your unique programs to attract students and increase college enrollment:
Create dedicated web pages for unique programs
Develop dedicated web pages for each unique program on your institution's website, providing comprehensive information on curriculum, faculty, student experiences, and career outcomes. Include multimedia elements such as videos, photos, and testimonials to make the content more engaging and visually appealing.
Develop engaging content and storytelling
Develop a content marketing strategy around your unique programs that showcase their value and impact on students' lives. Content could include alum success stories, faculty member profiles, student projects and research examples. Share these stories through various content formats, such as blog posts, videos, or podcasts.
Leverage social media and digital marketing
Utilize social media and digital marketing channels to promote your unique programs and reach a wider audience. Share engaging content, testimonials, and success stories across your institution's social media accounts, and target prospective enrollees with interest-based advertising on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Attract Prospective Students to Your Institution
Attracting potential students to your college or university requires more than traditional marketing strategies. By implementing these seven creative strategies, you can effectively engage with prospective students, showcase the unique aspects of your institution, and increase college enrollment.
The key to success lies in leveraging digital marketing, social media, and innovative approaches to stand out in the competitive world of higher education. Check out our blog post on boosting your lead-generation strategy to attract and convert quality applicants to your institution.
If you're looking to develop unique and engaging strategies for student recruitment that can set your higher education institution apart, we offer customized, full-service higher education marketing services that will fill your pipeline with quality prospects and applications. You can schedule a free consultation with one of our experts to learn more about our services and how they can help your school grow!
Who We Are
Noetic Marketer is a higher education digital marketing agency that supports universities and colleges in many aspects. At the heart of Noetic Marketer are a team of strategists, designers, and analytic minds focused on achieving your school's enrollment and student and alums engagement goals.
Over the past few years, our team has created and implemented complete digital marketing solutions for higher education institutions across North America.
Our services include digital strategy, search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, social media advertising, content marketing, website design, email marketing, CRM implementation, and conversion rate optimization.
About the Author
Krystal Wiltshire first entered the digital marketing world when she interned at a small agency in Montreal, Quebec, where she discovered her knack for blog writing.
Since then, she has continuously improved her skills, working closely with small business owners and marketing teams in larger-scale businesses.
As a Digital Marketing Coordinator at Noetic Marketer, Krystal strives to create content that positions our clients’ brands or companies in a positive light and uplifts them to become industry leaders.
When she’s not working, Krystal loves to break into spontaneous dance sessions, look up new cooking recipes, and watch her favourite crime shows on Netflix.
