Transfer Enrollment: Maximize Yield, Minimize Melt

Jennifer ChadwickAssociate Vice President for Enrollment Management

February 4, 2015

Welcome

• Introductions• Name• Institution

What do you hope to gain from this workshop?

Background• Began career in admissions – recruiter• 17 Years ago – Georgia Southern University• Admissions Recruiter• Transfer Coordinator• Assistant Director of Admissions• Homeland Security – detour• UNG –Associate Director of Admissions• Interim Director of Admissions• Director of Admissions• Associate Vice President EM

UNG – Who Are We?

Consolidation of North Georgia College & State University and Gainesville State College: Jan 2013

16,500 studentsFour campuses: CummingDahlonegaGainesvilleOconee

UNG – Who Are We?

UNG – Who Are We?

• University System of Georgia • Leadership institution • The Military College of Georgia• State’s sixth-largest public university• Associate to baccalaureate to doctorate

UNG

• Never missed an enrollment goal • Positioned UNG as 3rd highest entering

freshman class average in USG• Grew enrollment by 41% (1,861) from 4,552

in 2004 to 6,413 in 2012• Grew enrollment by 6.6% (992) from 15,072

in 2012 to 16,064 in 2014• Only consolidated institution to show an

enrollment increase

UNG

• UNG led enrollment growth state universities 3.9%

• 31 USG institutions, UNG achieved the 4th largest increase in enrollment following:

Georgia Gwinnett’s 11.4%Georgia Tech’s 7.6% Kennesaw’s 4.4%

Percent Change in FTE

• UNG also led FTE increase of all state universities: 4.7%

• UNG achieved the 3rd largest increase in FTE of ALL 31 USG institutions following: Georgia Gwinnett College with 10.8%, Georgia Institute of Technology with 4.9.

• Of the four newly consolidated institutions, UNG had the only increase in FTE

Headcount by Sector, 2005-2014

2005 2009 2013 2014 10 Year % Change

5 Year % Change

1 Year % Change

Research Universities

79347 88595 97167 99391 25.3% 12.2% 2.3%

Comprehensive Universities

55895 65366 68959 70025 25.4% 7.1% 1.5%

State Universities

52305 61581 66091 66015 26.2% 7.2% -0.1%

UNG 10750 14453 15455 16064 49% 34% 3.9%

State and Two-Year Colleges

66041 86350 77252 77505 17.4% -10.2% .3%

University System Total

253552 301892 309469 312936 23.4% 3.7% 1.1%

Note: State and Two-Year were consolidated by USG due to sector changes. UNG enrollment numbers reflect NGCSU and GSC totals.

UNG – Who Are We?

Fall 2014 – 16,508 Drop/AddEnrollment: 16,064 CensusGender: 56% Female, 44% MaleFull-Time: 68%Undergraduate: 15,507 (97%) -Associate: 6,709 (43%)-Baccalaureate: 8,798 (57%)-Graduate: 557 (3%)

Key to Successful Enrollment

Building Relationships

Must be at the center of everything you do!

Today’s Workshop

• Establishing enrollment goals that work for your institution

• Identify resources to support your transfers• Marketing and message: high touch to high

tech• Conversion from acceptance to enrolled• Focus student success-persistence to

graduationTo talk about transfers – need to understand who they are…….

Transfer Facts

1/3 of all college students transfer before earning a degree – National Student Clearinghouse Research Center

37% of students transfer second year of college (FYE – 2nd yr retention – focus)22% transfer later (fourth or fifth year)43% transfer from a 4-year to a 2-year

-Noel-Levitz

Transfers: Who Are They???

“A student who has attended a college or university and plans to continue his or her education at a different two- or four- year institution.”

-Poisel & Joseph, 2011

Transfers

Who are they and what are they thinking??

Why do they transfer?

Transfer by design: planned on transferring, earn associate first, not admissible so began at second choice, began close to home

Transfer by default: forced to transfer due to academics, need to be closer to home, financial constraints, “don’t fit in”

UNG Transfers

• Over 5 year period from Fall 2007 to Fall 2012: Increased new transfer enrollment by 16%

• Post consolidation, transfer enrollment increased by 110%, include transitioning student, 200%

What did we do to assist transfers? Rapid growth?

UNG Transfers• Nighthawk transition program• Not Admissible – clear pathway to you

university – lay it out step by step• Give them a plan that brings them to you• Not Admissible bacc – auto accept assoc –

not admissible for selective adm – auto accept summer

• Transfer Institute - events• Transfer Orientation• Commuter events• Non-trad events

Maximizing Yield

Establishing enrollment goals that work for your institution (Has your institution established enrollment goals for transfer students?)• Transfer enrollment goals/enrollment funnel• Benchmarks for meeting these goals• Proactive and reactive• Take risks when necessary• Tell me about your enrollment goals,

tracking, recruitment tactics??

Transfer Enrollment Funnel

Transfer Enrollment Funnel

Recruiting Transfers

• Transfers tend to be overlooked: marketing and recruitment

• Transfer are no longer a “bonus”-focused• Intensifying competition; look beyond

traditional methods• Puzzling: How do we recruit them? • Where do we find them??

Recruiting Transfers

• Intentional Recruitment; stop waiting for them to come to you

• Satellite campuses and online offerings can be a big draw: What is your draw? Are you using it? Marketing it?

• Cost of attendance, financial aid available, time to degree completion and career advancement

Recruiting Transfers

• “Keeping in mind that these students don’t follow one single path to the application process and often aren’t exposed to key messaging received by high school students, your website may be their first contact with your university to determine whether you are transfer friendly.” –Higher Education Marketing

• Do you have a transfer section on your website? Are you transfer friendly?

Recruiting Transfers

• Are you transfer friendly?

• How easy is it to transfer to your institution?

• Challenges?

Recruiting Transfers

• Transfer College Fairs • Transfer Search Lists • Transfer graduates from your feeders • “Eagles on the Road” Visitation to decision• Transfer visitation tours/days – mini open

house • Transfer sessions at open house • Transfer equivalency sessions

Recruiting Transfers

• Recruit your transfers back to you - if they didn’t return to you – UNG comm plan

• Stop Outs – Still active students who haven’t registered in one or more semesters – Do not leave these students out of your comm plan

• Drop Outs – stopped out of USG institution and now live in your region

• Multi-campus or multi-degree levels – associate to bacc – recruit YOUR students or someone else will

Communication

Marketing and message: high touch• Meaningful, purposeful communication – key• What do transfer students need to know?• Do not use your general/freshmen comm

plan?• ALL should evoke emotion and an action to

be taken by the student• All should include direction and next steps

Communication

• Think outside of the box

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiCbfSXoftI&index=1&list=PL5E4992FF777A9EA8

Communication

• Which courses transfer? – Go beyond• These courses transfer – here’s how they fit

into our core – based on your major, you have “X” number of courses to graduation

• Create a clear pathway• Communicate options: early morning classes,

evening classes, online, credit for testing• Cost? Childcare? Housing? Employment?

Tutoring? Anticipated graduation?

Communication

Marketing and message: high tech• Never abandon “in hand” marketing

materials for all high tech – major mistake• Viewbooks, transfer guide, scholarships• High tech – “Smart” communication plan• Group Mail Pro – Old method – content• DemandEngine – email conversation plan• Conversation flow emails that respond to

student actions• Track and assess effectiveness

Communication

Marketing and message: high tech• Social media – FB, Twitter, YouTube,

Instagram, texting, texting, texting• Dates and deadlines email – allows students

to sync dates to their calendars• You send reminders but reminders are set on

their calendars too• Call center – transfers calling transfers• Anxious – quick turnaround time

Communication

Time to decisionAssess how long from application to decisionDo you know?

• Application to completion• Completion to decision• Decision to confirmation/enrollment

Where can you make adjustments?Monitor your yield/improvement

Matriculation

Conversion from acceptance to enrolled• You’ve accepted 400 transfers – YAY!• NO – not YAY!! They haven’t enrolled• They SWIRL!!• Communication from acceptance to

confirmation to matriculation is just as important as initial communication

• Do your universities communicate with transfer accepts? How? Effective?

Matriculation

Do your universities communicate with transfers after accepts?

How?

Effective?

Resources to Support

Identify resources to support your transfers• Connect them with a person – advisor,

professor, staff – but connect them• Transfer welcome center/event – resources• After they transfer, they are YOUR student

– refrain from forever referring to them as transfers

• Comm Plan – focus on tutoring services, clubs, organizations, athletics

Reverse Transfer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZn4mKzs-LY

•Fosters and strengthens institutional relationships (Reverse transfer agreements) •Increases retention rate•Boosts degree completion rate which directly effects performance based funding model

Persistence to Graduation

Tools

Nighthawk registration

Ad Astra Study- Phases – Planning

Degree Audit