Well before the pandemic, higher education institutions were confronted with a challenge with numerous causes — a disruption in student enrollment. The shrinking high school graduate population, lack of academically prepared prospects, and increased skepticism about the value of a college education had created a formidable dilemma. Now, COVID-19 has exacerbated the issue. In 2020, undergraduate enrollment declined 4.4 percent nationally and first-year enrollment fell 13 percent.
At the same time, the increase in online learning, cross-registration, and hybrid institutions means that institutions have more competition for the same pool of students. In fact, the number of students taking online classes is projected to double globally by 2025, representing $75 billion in spending.
But there’s good news: despite an uncertain future, innovative technology solutions are available now to help institutions fortify and improve their recruiting capabilities.
Exceeding expectations
To successfully target and attract the right students, more institutions are turning to comprehensive, efficient recruitment systems, like Ellucian’s CRM Recruit. This flexible platform offers student prospects a modern, user-friendly way to engage, apply, and enroll as they move through their journey — critical for students who today expect a simple, elegant, and consumer-like experience in everything they do.
More than 2,700 higher ed institutions in 50+ countries rely on Ellucian’s technology to enhance operations and enrich the education of 26 million students. In the recruiting realm, Ellucian’s CRM Recruit is a cloud-based application designed to help institutions connect with best-fit applicants and improve enrollment yield. CRM Recruit streamlines outreach and delivers personalized experiences while empowering efficiency and impact for recruitment staff through automated processes and actionable data.
Turning admissions into advantage
Designed specifically for the needs of higher education, CRM Recruit gets results. One in 3 CRM Recruit customers saw an increase in their enrollment yield, and almost half saw an increase in their overall enrollment.
At Southeast Arkansas College, director of recruitment, Deborah Pyland, is enthused by CRM Recruit’s ability to help them optimize their efforts. “It’s exciting to look at our various recruitment initiatives and see where we’re getting the biggest bang for our efforts.”
To learn more about CRM Recruit, visit ellucian.com/Recruit.