•• Noel-Levitz Report on Undergraduate Enrollment Trends 2010 E-Recruiting Practices and Trends at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions Is your Web site ready for today’s “secret shoppers”? This report documents the upward trend in “secret shopping” among today’s prospective student Web users, along with the latest changes in electronic communications technologies used by college and university admissions offi ces. The report is based on a survey of college and university enrollment and admissions offi cers across the U.S. in March 2010. For context, trend data from similar polls conducted in 2008 and 2006 are also included in this study, along with fi ndings from a 2010 report on prospective students’ perceptions and behaviors. Among the highlights: • “Secret shoppers” are becoming more prevalent in higher education, as now fully one- third of students applying to public institutions are waiting until they apply to make themselves known to the institution. In addition, one-quarter of applicants to private institutions are doing so. • Many colleges and universities are offering links to social media resources like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, but prospective students believe even more institutions should be getting on board with social media. • Colleges and universities are now using the Web, cell phones, and e-mail more regularly to communicate with students and parents. • Text messaging has become more popular at private institutions but less popular at public institutions. • Budgets for maintaining admissions-specifi c Web content are increasing at private institutions, while budgets at public institutions are generally being kept in check. For suggestions on how to respond to the changes, see an accompanying article at www.noellevitz.com/e-recruitinganalysis. Contents See how your institution stacks up on… How are student behaviors changing? “Secret shoppers” ….……......….................………………………………. 3 For additional insights into student Use of Web forms …………………………….......................……………… 4 perspectives and behaviors, this Social media and other e-recruiting tools …………….....…..........……. 5 report includes a few selected fi ndings from Noel-Levitz’s Cell phone usage …………….……………………..............................…. 6 2010 E-Expectations Report, available at Bulk/blast e-mails ……………….............................……..…….….....… 7 www.noellevitz.com/ E-ExpectationsSeries. E-mailing to parents ………………........................………….…........…. 8 Electronic applications …………………..................………….….......…. 10 Budget for admissions-related Web content ……………..............……. 11 The source of data This benchmark report for higher education is based on a national poll conducted by Noel-Levitz via e-mail between March 2, 2010, and March 17, 2010. The poll asked undergraduate enrollment and admissions offi cers from accredited four-year public institutions, four-year private institutions, and two-year public institutions to respond to questions about their use of cell/mobile phones, Web pages, and other e-recruiting tools, as well as questions about admissions data collection and the cost of maintaining admissions-specifi c content on the Web. To minimize the time spent completing the poll, respondents were urged to provide their best estimates rather than track down perfectly correct answers. For a list of participating institutions, please see page 12. View more reports online To access the entire series of benchmark poll reports from Noel-Levitz, including E-Recruiting Reports from previous years, visit www.noellevitz.com/Benchmarks. 2 © 2010 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • 2010 E-Recruiting Practices and Trends at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions “Secret shopping” on the rise as more students wait until they apply to make themselves known Respondents reported that a growing percentage of their applicants for fall 2010 had made no previous contact with the institution prior to applying. Why inquire when you can browse? As shown below, two-year and four-year public institutions were the most likely to receive an In a separate application as the fi rst known point of contact. The upward trend in this area is occurring at four- 2010 study year private institutions as well. (see sidebar on As most college administrators are aware, this is a change from recent years as, traditionally, page 2), 74 students inquired before they applied. The “secret shopper” trend has signifi cant implications percent of for recruiting strategy, as it has the effect of “fl attening” the traditional admissions funnel. current, college- Approximately what percent of your applicants are currently submitting an application bound high (electronic or otherwise) as their fi rst known point of contact with your institution? school seniors said they have 2-Year Public 4-Year Public 4-Year Private found the address for and 2010 median response 36.5% 34.5% 25.0% gone directly 2008 median response 25.0% 30.0% 20.0% to a college or university Web “Secret shoppers” are becoming more prevalent in higher education, as now fully one-third of students site. With more applying to public institutions are waiting until they apply to make themselves known to the institution. In addition, one-quarter of applicants to four-year private institutions are doing so. information available online, Although other factors may be at play, the emergence of the Web and electronic media are widely considered to be responsible for this emerging trend (see right). as documented on pages 4 and 5, it appears that Most campuses using source codes to track fi rst contact with students fewer students As shown below, most respondents indicated they use source codes to track how their fi rst are fi nding it contact is made with an applicant, consistent with the fi ndings from two years earlier. Four-year necessary to private institutions led the way in this area, with 92 percent of respondents from that sector inquire before reporting they follow this practice. applying. Does your campus track its fi rst known point of contact with a l l applicants, electronic and otherwise? Yes or No. 2-Year Public 4-Year Public 4-Year Private Yes—2010 53.6% 73.6% 92.2% Yes—2008 55.2% 80.9% 90.5% Between 74 and 92 percent of respondents from four-year institutions reported using source codes to track their fi rst contact with students, and half of respondents from two-year public institutions reported doing so. © 2010 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • www.noellevitz.com 3 Making Web forms available to students increasingly popular As shown in the table below, admissions and enrollment teams are increasingly using the Web to provide necessary forms and information to students. This was especially true at four-year public institutions, with a higher proportion of respondents It’s important to from that sector reporting they used forms for applications, fi nancial aid, campus visit requests, have a great Web and housing. site. In a separate Among the biggest changes from two years ago was a dramatic rise in the use of course registration 2010 study, forms and in the use of the Web to confi rm acceptance across sectors. Among other items worth 24 percent of noting: The use of inquiry forms dipped, especially for public institutions. current, college- Can your prospective students or families submit or view any of the following over the Web? bound high Please check all that apply. school seniors reported they had removed a 2-Year Public 4-Year Public 4-Year Private specifi c college 2010 2008 2006 2010 2008 2006 2010 2008 2006 from their list of Inquiry forms 70.0% 75.9% 64.4% 87.5% 94.1% 90.9% 91.3% 92.9% 90.0% potential schools because of their Application forms 96.7% 91.4% 88.9% 98.6% 86.8% 100.0% 96.6% 78.8% 95.4% experience on Electronic catalog 90.0% 93.1% 91.1% 94.4% 79.4% 100.0% 94.7% 71.2% 91.5% the college’s Web Financial aid forms 80.0% 84.5% 57.8% 86.1% 72.1% 85.5% 81.2% 56.5% 73.1% site. In addition, Campus visit request form 53.3% 43.1% 53.3% 88.9% 75.0% 83.6% 87.0% 55.3% 77.7% 65 percent of the students said Housing application 33.3% 27.6% 22.2% 77.8% 64.7% 61.8% 72.9% 42.9% 50.8% their opinion of a Course registration forms 63.3% 39.7% 53.3% 76.4% 50.0% 60.0% 40.6% 24.1% 34.6% college improved Confi rmation of acceptance 23.3% 5.2% NA 63.9% 33.8% NA 28.5% 9.4% NA because of their Deposit forms 13.3% 3.4% NA 50.0% 16.2% NA 52.7% 14.1% NA experience on the college’s site. Parent contact forms 13.3% 3.4% NA 9.7% 10.3% NA 18.8% 7.1% NA Many more institutions are confi rming acceptance via the Web and posting forms such as applications, housing forms, and campus visit request forms. Among the most noteworthy changes from 2008 are the increasing availability of course registration forms (across sectors), and the declining use of inquiry forms by public institutions. Facebook is rising in popularity In a separate 2010 study, 76 percent of current, college-bound high school seniors said they use Facebook, a signifi cant increase from a year earlier. In contrast, My Space has fallen off in popularity. YouTube and Twitter are also on the rise. In addition, 76 percent of current, college-bound high school seniors said they think colleges should create their own private social networks. See next page for additional social media fi ndings. For more details on students’ expectations, visit www.noellevitz.com/E-ExpectationsSeries. 4 © 2010 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • 2010 E-Recruiting Practices and Trends at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions IM and blogging fall off in popularity, social media running full steam ahead but still lags behind student expectations The 16 e-recruiting tools and practices listed below drew a mix of responses. Although many tools Students expect have become more popular for certain sectors, others have fallen off in their popularity compared colleges to have with two years earlier. a greater social Among the tools that have fallen off in their popularity compared to two years ago are instant media presence. messaging, blogging, and podcasting. One area showing widespread, increased usage—but only Links to social for four-year institutions—is the use of personal portals for applicants. media resources like Facebook, Social media resources like Facebook and Twitter are being used by more than one-third of four-year private institutions, by one-fourth of four-year public institutions, and by seven percent of two-year Twitter, or public institutions, though students would like even greater rates of participation (see right). LinkedIn are currently being Does your campus use any of the following e-recruiting tools? Please check all that apply. offered by less than 40 percent 2-Year Public 4-Year Public 4-Year Private of colleges and universities. 2010 2008 2006 2010 2008 2006 2010 2008 2006 However, in a Virtual tours 3.3% 19.0% 28.9% 26.4% 38.2% 47.7% 16.9% 40.6% 50.9% separate 2010 Blogging space 0.0% 8.6% 4.4% 22.2% 32.4% 22.3% 21.3% 41.8% 20.0% study, 74 percent Instant messaging 3.3% 6.9% 4.4% 20.8% 33.8% 27.7% 15.0% 39.4% 25.5% of current, college-bound Personal portal for applicants 10.0% 10.3% 17.8% 52.8% 33.8% 17.7% 34.8% 30.6% 38.2% high school Social media resources like Facebook, Twitter, and 6.7% 10.3% NA 38.9% 27.9% NA 26.1% 32.4% NA seniors said they LinkedIn think colleges Chat rooms 6.7% 1.7% 17.8% 40.3% 27.9% 29.2% 27.1% 28.8% 36.4% should have a presence on Flash/media player pages 3.3% 8.6% 6.7% 33.3% 36.8% 21.5% 18.8% 21.8% 27.3% social media Virtual fi nancial aid estimator 0.0% 13.8% 4.4% 9.7% 14.7% 11.5% 7.7% 21.2% 29.1% sites, and 81 Tuition calculator 3.3% 12.1% NA 23.6% 22.1% NA 7.7% 14.7% NA percent of Podcasting 0.0% 5.2% 4.4% 11.1% 14.7% 4.6% 6.3% 12.9% 7.3% these students acknowledged Message boards 3.3% 3.4% NA 13.9% 14.7% NA 10.1% 7.6% NA that they are RSS/XML syndicated feeds 3.3% 1.7% 0.0% 12.5% 8.8% 4.6% 7.2% 11.2% 7.3% looking for for sharing information both offi cial Content management system (CMS) to update or edit Web 3.3% NA NA 22.2% NA NA 15.9% NA NA and unoffi cial site content content about Web site analytics resources 3.3% NA NA 22.2% NA NA 17.4% NA NA colleges when such as Google Analytics they go online. Search engine optimization process to improve organic 0.0% NA NA 13.9% NA NA 13.0% NA NA search results Pay-per-click ads or promotions to improve search 0.0% NA NA 4.2% NA NA 6.3% NA NA engine results Many colleges and universities are offering social media resources like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, but students believe even more institutions need to get on board (see right). © 2010 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • www.noellevitz.com 5 Approximately three-quarters of admissions teams now collect applicants’ cell/mobile numbers Many students welcome texting. The fast-rising popularity of cell phone contact in admissions is unmistakable, as 73 percent to 92 In a separate 2010 percent of respondents reported collecting cell/mobile numbers from applicants, as shown in the table study, 78 percent below. The sector that increased its collection of applicants’ cell phone numbers most dramatically of current, college- was four-year private institutions, climbing to 92 percent from 34 percent four years earlier. bound high school Do you collect cell/mobile numbers from your applicants? Yes or No. seniors indicated they currently 2-Year Public 4-Year Public 4-Year Private send or receive text messages Yes—2010 73.3% 73.6% 91.7% and, of these, Yes—2008 69.0% 67.6% 84.0% 33 percent Yes—2006 46.7% 50.9% 34.4% indicated they would encourage, A great majority of admissions offi ces are now collecting students’ cell/mobile phone numbers. or have encouraged, a college Relationship-building remains the most common purpose for ringing a cell representative to send them a To identify purposes for using a prospective student’s cell/mobile number, respondents were given text message. the four choices listed in the table below. Of these, the most commonly identifi ed purpose was “simply to build a relationship,” led by nearly 86 percent of four-year private institutions—up from 80 percent for that sector two years earlier. For two-year and four-year public institutions, about half of respondents indicated this choice, representing little or no change from 2008. The least common purpose for using a student’s cell/mobile number varied by sector. Among respondents from two-year public institutions, only 9 percent indicated using students’ cell/ mobile numbers for calls from telecounseling call centers, down from 17 percent in 2008. Among respondents from four-year public institutions, only 9 percent of respondents indicated using text messaging, down from 11 percent in 2008. For four-year private institutions, the least common Students indicated purpose was text messaging, though 28 percent of respondents reported texting, nearly double they would be the 16 percent that reported texting in 2008. open to receiving text messages How do you use cell/mobile numbers? Please check all that apply. from a college representative after 2-Year Public 4-Year Public 4-Year Private getting to know the Calls simply to build a relationship person, or if they 50.0% 54.7%* 85.7% between the caller and the student need a fast answer Notifi cations of impending dead- to a question or 31.8% 32.1% 47.1% lines, events, acceptance, etc. are seriously Calls from telecounseling 9.1% 43.4% 32.3% interested in call centers learning about Text messaging 22.7% 9.4% 27.5% a school. Text messaging has become more popular among private institutions but less popular among public institutions compared to two years ago. * In a separate fi nding, smaller four-year public institutions were more likely than larger four-year public institutions to use cell/mobile phone numbers to build relationships. 6 © 2010 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • 2010 E-Recruiting Practices and Trends at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions Bulk/blast e-mails now used more frequently by four-year institutions; two-year institutions show no change in bulk e-mails to students The frequency with which institutions send out bulk/blast e-mails to prospective students increased among four-year institutions and remained minimal among two-year institutions. Leading the way with 15 scheduled bulk/blast e-mails per recruitment cycle (at the median) were four-year private institutions, followed by 12 at four-year public institutions. Both fi gures were up signifi cantly from two years earlier. In contrast, respondents from two-year public institutions reported sending only two bulk/blast e-mail contacts per recruitment cycle, the same rate as two years earlier. About how many bulk/blast e-mails does a typical prospective student receive from your institution over the course of a recruitment cycle? 2-Year Public 4-Year Public 4-Year Private 2010 2008 2006 2010 2008 2006 2010 2008 2006 First quartile of respondents 1 0 NA 7 4 NA 10 5 NA Median 2 2 8 12 8 6 15 10 10 Third quartile 6 4 NA 20 20 NA 25 17 NA A typical prospective student now receives 15 bulk/blast e-mails from a four-year private institution, 12 from a four- year public institution, and two from a two-year public institution based on the median response for each sector, though signifi cant variability was evident at the 25th and 75th percentiles. Most students fi nd e-mails helpful. In a separate 2010 What’s the best way to deliver bulk/blast e-mails? study, 79 percent Respondents split on response of current, college- bound high school To identify how campuses are delivering bulk e-mails, respondents were given the three options seniors indicated shown below. Of these, the top response from respondents at four-year public and private institutions was a third-party vendor and the top response from respondents at two-year public the information institutions was a campus-based system. they received by e-mail was helpful Among those who selected “other,” the most frequently cited delivery system was a campus- in learning about based CRM. a college they Note that no comparative data for this item were available from previous years. were considering. How do you deliver bulk/blast e-mails to prospective students? Please check all that apply. 2-Year Public 4-Year Public 4-Year Private We use a campus-based system 46.7% 31.9% 31.9% such as Outlook We use a third-party vendor 30.0% 52.8% 75.4% Other 3.3% 20.8% 6.3% For respondents from four-year institutions, the most common way of delivering bulk e-mails is to use a third-party vendor. For respondents from two-year public institutions, the most common way is to use a campus-based system like Outlook. © 2010 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • www.noellevitz.com 7 Collecting parents’ e-mail addresses now much more common at four-year institutions; practice remains minimal on two-year campuses Half to three-quarters of four-year institutions now collect parents’ e-mail addresses, up signifi cantly from two years earlier. The practice is especially common among four-year private institutions. However, the practice remains uncommon among two-year public institutions, with only 1 in 10 respondents choosing “Yes” in response to the question below. Does your admissions offi ce collect e-mail addresses for parents? Yes or No. 2-Year Public 4-Year Public 4-Year Private Yes—2010 10.0% 50.0% 73.4% Yes—2008 5.2% 36.8% 50.6% Yes—2006 6.7% 30.9% 38.0% Many more admissions offi ces are now collecting parents’ e-mail addresses. When are parents’ e-mail addresses collected? Often when students apply Among the respondents from four-year institutions who reported collecting parents’ e-mail addresses, the most commonly identifi ed time in the admissions process for collecting the addresses was at the point of application. Note that no data for this item were available from earlier years or for two-year public institutions. The latter was due to the smaller size of the sample for the two-year public sector. If Yes (to the question above), when in the recruitment process do you collect the e-mail addresses for parents? Please check all that apply. 2-Year Public 4-Year Public 4-Year Private When students inquire NA 16.7% 20.4% When students apply NA 80.6% 85.5% When students confi rm their intent NA 8.3% 18.4% to enroll or send in a deposit When students enroll NA 13.9% 21.7% On the Web year-round, 24/7 NA 5.6% 15.8% Many admissions teams at four-year institutions collect parents’ e-mail addresses on the student application. 8 © 2010 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • 2010 E-Recruiting Practices and Trends at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions How many bulk e-mails do parents receive compared to students? Among the respondents from four-year institutions who reported collecting e-mail addresses from Many parents parents, the median number of bulk e-mails sent to parents was four, as shown in the table below. welcome e-mails This represented approximately one-third to one-fourth of the total students receive, as shown on from colleges. In page 7. a separate study In 2008, respondents from four-year public institutions reported sending four bulk e-mails to from 2008, 84 parents at the median and respondents from four-year private institutions reported sending two. percent of the Note that no data for this item were available for two-year public institutions, due to the smaller parents of college- size of the sample for that sector. bound high school seniors indicated If Yes, about how many bulk electronic messages does a typical parent that e-mail is an of a prospective student receive prior to the beginning of classes? appealing means of communication. 2-Year Public 4-Year Public 4-Year Private In addition, half First quartile of respondents NA 2 1 of the parents Median NA 4 4 said colleges should Third quartile NA 5 7 communicate The respondents who indicated they collect parents’ e-mail addresses (see page 8 at the top) directly with also reported sending four bulk e-mails to parents at the median. parents after students have inquired. For details, see page 7 of our E-Expectations study, Circling Over Enrollment: The E-Expectations of the Parents of College-Bound Students, posted at www.noellevitz. com/E-Expectations Series. © 2010 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • www.noellevitz.com 9 Accepting electronic applications increasingly common at four-year institutions; about the same at two-year public institutions As shown below, respondents from four-year institutions reported a higher use of electronic applications in 2010. However, this practice remained at about the same level as two years Sign up to receive earlier for two-year public institutions. additional reports Does your campus accept electronic applications? Yes or No. and information updates by e-mail 2-Year Public 4-Year Public 4-Year Private at www.noellevitz. com/Subscribe. Yes—2010 80.0% 100% 97.6% Yes—2008 81.0% 95.6% 93.5% Yes—2006 75.6% 96.4% 90.8% Between 80 and 100 percent of respondents reported accepting electronic applications, led by respondents from four-year public institutions. More students using electronic applications Among the respondents who indicated their campuses accepted electronic applications, most reported that a greater percentage of students were submitting electronic applications this year when compared with 2008. This upward trend was further confi rmed when the poll asked respondents to share their percentages from 2009: The fi ndings from that year were 50 percent for two-year public institutions, 83 percent for four-year public institutions, and 82 percent for four-year private institutions. If Yes (to the question above), approximately what percent of applications have come to you in electronic format so far this year … [compared to] your previous recruitment cycle? 2-Year Public 4-Year Public 4-Year Private 2010 median response 55.0% 90.0% 88.0% 2008 median response 50.0% 80.0% 72.0% 2006 median response 50.0% 75.0% 61.0% Almost 9 of every 10 students applying to a four-year institution now use an electronic application, and over half of the applicants for two-year public institutions do so. 10 © 2010 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • 2010 E-Recruiting Practices and Trends at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions