The most recent college enrollment numbers are in. And for large schools, things look rosy. For smaller schools, however, blame is being cast around for why their enrollment performance is waning, and why it could be potentially devastating for them.
More on this in a moment.
First, it’s expected that 19 million students will be enrolled in college this fall, matching the post-pandemic high back in 2022.[1] What’s better, a survey from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center showed that first time students are re-enrolling for a second year at a rate not seen in a decade.[2]
Yet, with overall enrollments rebounding, and second year students returning at a level not seen in about ten years… some small colleges are still struggling to fill seats.
And they’re blaming the botched FAFSA rollout.
Today, Conversion Media Group, a nationwide leader in higher education enrollment initiatives will show you why FAFSA is probably not to blame, but poor marketing of small schools and their programs, just may be.
Now, a recent article in EDSCOOP may have put the entire situation best by saying, “University enrollment is up nationally, but some smaller institutions are reporting cuts as their numbers stagnate.”
But why?
Inside Higher Ed places the blame squarely on the poor rollout of FAFSA saying, “FAFSA Fiasco Forces Cuts at Small Colleges.”[3]
It goes on to say, “The rollout of the new Free Application for federal Student Aid was delayed by months, and when the form debuted it was riddled with errors, setting back student completion rates and undermining colleges’ yield predictions.”
Which, according to some small schools, has forced cutbacks in programs and staff. Unfortunately, this could be potentially devastating.
However, while problems with FAFSA did likely cause some issues with enrollments, it doesn’t explain why large colleges are seeing growth in their student bodies. Afterall, one would think that what’s bad for the goose would be bad for the gander.
But clearly, it hasn’t been.
And this is one logical reason why Conversion Media Group believes larger schools are outpacing smaller schools in enrollment growth for one big reason…
Marketing.
Or, for smaller schools, the lack thereof.
As you know, large institutions have larger marketing and recruitment budgets. But this doesn’t mean smaller schools, especially smaller schools that offer fully online programs cannot compete.
They just need to compete, smarter.
And that’s where strategic partnerships come in. You see, by partnering with an enrollment initiative expert like Conversion Media Group, your school has a chance at leveling the playing field, even the without massive marketing budgets enjoyed by large universities.
Meaning it is possible for your school’s enrollment to grow, rather than shrink.
Here’s how…
We, CMG, physically speak with hundreds, sometimes thousands of prospective college students on the phone, every week. We chat with them about their needs, their desires and their educational goals…
All while pointing them in the direction of schools like yours. Once they do show genuine interest in your school and/or its programs, we can transfer the phone calls live to your enrollment department as “live transfers.”
Now, many of the students we speak with are interested in going to college fully online. This means that even for small schools, boosting remote enrollment is not only quite possible, but potentially economically beneficial.
But what’s better, because of the value of our services, your school could experience a budgetary edge, even with a comparatively smaller marketing budget.
You see, with “live transfers”, we could potentially increase your remote enrollments by 50, 100, 1,000 new students or more. It all depends on how many new enrollments you’re looking for, or how many calls with real prospects your enrollment department can handle.
All you have to do is give us a call and we’ll explain all of our marketing programs, our history of producing…
And what we can do for you.
Yes, you can compete against “the big” guys for new students. You just need the right strategy.
Call us now at (+1) 800 419 3201.
Or feel free to contact us HERE, and an enrollment expert will get back with you ASAP.
[1] 2024 Back-To-School Stats And Facts – Forbes Advisor
[2] Persistence & Retention | National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (nscresearchcenter.org)
[3] FAFSA woes lead to budget cuts at small colleges (insidehighered.com)