Back to School: Evaluating the Impact of College Re-enrollment
Three years removed from the pandemic, we are noticing a positive trend in re-enrollments across the country. Let’s dive into the data to reveal why the trend is reversing and show some compelling tactics colleges and universities can use to their benefit.
The importance of re-enrollment
According to a 2023 Deloitte study, college admissions will reach their peak in 2025. There are a myriad of reasons why this is happening but two specific examples are: the total population of prospective 18-year-old students will decrease and foreign-born students have more options for education outside of the US than they ever had before.
But, there’s a hidden opportunity that colleges aren’t taking advantage of: reaching out to SCNCs, or “some college, no credential” students. If colleges wish to keep their enrollment numbers stable they need to turn their focus on re-recruiting those SCNC students that left. As we recover financially from the pandemic, a pool of over 40 million SCNCs nationwide provides a wide net that can be cast for possible re-enrollment. The bottom line, there is a huge financial opportunity for institutions to pursue these candidates.
Who are the best candidates for re-enrollment
Of course not all 40 million of these students are willing to return. So where should colleges focus their recruiting efforts to maximize gain? The first group is called “potential completers.” They consist of former students with 2+ years of academic progress. These SCNCs are valuable because they are very close to leaving with a credential, as opposed to a student who left with less than two years remaining. The second group is referred to as “recent stop-outs.” They are the students who were probably most impacted by the pandemic and are looking to return now that life is somewhat back to normal. Re-enrollment isn’t just for four-year schools, junior colleges and trade schools can also see a positive impact from returning students to receive a credential.
Typical tactics colleges use to bring students back
Every college across the country has a website with a re-enrollment page. Some are done better than others, but none of the campaigns draw a prospective re-enrollee to the page, they leave it to the student to find them. For example, Cal State Fullerton developed a unique land page called “Bring Back Titans” that is cleanly designed and answers immediate questions for each group of students interested in re-enrolling. It’s a great message, but the campaign only re-enrolled ~200 kids to a university with 40,000+ students. Pace University in New York did better by making re-enrollment a part of their admissions web page, asking SCNCs to “pick up where you left off” accompanied by compelling statistics students to digest. It also helps to meet students where they are by offering more night classes, online courses and allowing interdisciplinary credential programs.
How Heavy can help amplify re-enrollment campaigns
We’re in the story-telling business. And the best way to reach prospective re-enrollees is to provide them with material that speaks to their current situation, to humanize their position and give them the opportunity to find that spark and finish what they’ve started. Heavy accomplished this with our campaign for Southeastern Community College, which was reeling during the pandemic. By telling relatable stories about students with unique backgrounds or academic situations, we appealed to a wider audience that there’s never a wrong time to change direction in life. If you’re interested in work that carries weight, contact us today.