Use of Data in the Recruitment Planning Process

Transcription

1 Use of Data in the Recruitment Planning Process, Senior Consultant, Noel-Levitz 1

2 College admissions offices are relying more on data to make good decisions 2

3 Data-driven decisions can help an institution run smarter Yield Revenue Profile 3

4 It is hard to determine which reports are most critical to success 4

5 Having solid reports helps drive good decision-making Admissions Financial Aid Faculty Salaries 5

6 Adopt three new initiatives for determining reporting needs 6

7 Initiative 1 Determine what areas of your admissions funnel could benefit from better data Prospect Inquiry Applicant Acceptance Confirmation Enroll One of the first principles to understand is that we don t have to treat all students the same. In the absence of unlimited resources, it is necessary to consider both students ability and willingness to pay the costs of attending your institution when determining how and where to invest institutional aid. We must carefully consider the trade-offs between improving quality and shaping the student body, and the net revenue available for operations. 7

8 Understand the various stages of the admissions funnel Although we do not recommend treating all students the same (financially), we do insist that an institution award similar quality students with the same type of financial aid packages. 8

9 Prospects 9

10 Inquiries 10

11 Applicants 11

12 Admits 12

13 Enrolled 13

14 Confirmed 14

15 Initiative 1 Determine what areas of your admissions funnel could benefit from better data Prospect Inquiry Applicant Acceptance Confirmation Enroll One of the first principles to understand is that we don t have to treat all students the same. In the absence of unlimited resources, it is necessary to consider both students ability and willingness to pay the costs of attending your institution when determining how and where to invest institutional aid. We must carefully consider the trade-offs between improving quality and shaping the student body, and the net revenue available for operations. 15

16 Initiative 2 Understand how different types of reports will assist your office 16

17 There are reports that can help assess every stage of the admissions funnel Another similar finding is that we are awarding more financial aid to lesser academically qualified students. 17

18 Student searches Market Names Purchased Inqs Resp % Apps Conv % Enrolled Yield % IL 05 20,388 2, % % 16.7% Market % 3 2.4% 0 0.0% Market 2 1, % 4 2.3% 0 0.0% Market 3 2, % 5 1.9% 0 0.0% IL 04 20,191 2, % % 12.5% Market 1 1, % 2 2.0% 0 0.0% Market 2 1, % 4 2.8% 0 0.0% Market 3 2, % 3 1.3% 1.4% The school in this slide purchased over 10,000 names in two years, which generated 21 applications and ONE enrolled student They stopped searching these three Illinois markets 18

19 Historical analysis Major Est Business Inquiries 2,207 2,407 2,620 2,694 2,635 Apps Deposits Biology Inquiries Apps Deposits Tracking interest by major field of study 19

20 Operations research and reports Source Inqs. Apps Conv. % Deposits Yield % Campus Visits % % High School Visits % % College Fairs 3, % % Phone Calls % % Mail Inq % 1 0.8% Athletic Ref % 2 2.2% PSAT Search 1, % % Minister Ref % 2 1.0% ACT Scores % % SAT Scores % 8 5.3% Private Colleges % % College Outlook % 0 0.0% Again, we use the statistical package to help us find relevant financial aid breaks for your student population. 20

21 Tracking student contacts No. of Contacts Inquiries 13,244 3,972 1,744 1, Apps 1, Deposits Conv. Rates Inqs/Apps 8% 24% 47% 62% 74% 81% 88% 89% Inqs/Deps 2% 8% 16% 23% 31% 36% 40% 40% 21

22 Campus visit programs 22

23 Evaluating admissions travel Cost/Benefit Analysis of Four Primary Travel Programs Program Students Seen Applicants Enrolled College Fairs 2, High School Visits Off-Campus Receptions Totals Average Cost* 203 3,424 $9.03 *Based on $30,933 in travel expenditures $ $

24 Evaluating high school visits Contacts Total Inqs ,223 Apps Conv. % Enrolled Yield %

25 Evaluating student telecommunications Late winter telecommunications program Completed calls to inquiries 2,593 Number who applied 38 Conversion rate 1.5% Number who enrolled 6 Yield rate 0.2% This is an example of the communications program for just one calling project. Each program needs to be evaluated in an effective program 25

26 Evaluating early financial aid estimating EFC Range Year 1 Forms # Applied Conv. % Year 2 Forms # Applied Conv. % $1,000 5, % % $5,001 10, % % 10,001 15, % % $15,001 25, % % $25, % % Total 1, % % Between year one and two this institution began providing detailed award estimates, including merit scholarship offers Previously, they had only provided the family s EFC 26

27 Selected written communications 27

28 What other reports? 28

29 An outcome of good operations research is the ability to effectively grade and qualify the inquiry pool Using the ERMS approach we want to shift our thinking about our pool and allow our yield rates to drive communications. 29

30 The distribution of student interest Will not enroll at your school no matter what you do. Influence C Will enroll at your school no matter what you do. A B Students falling in this area will not enroll unless your institution does something to influence their decision. Understanding past student behavior and the effectiveness of various strategies enables an institution to focus scarce resources on those students who are most likely to apply and enroll 30

31 Means of qualifying and grading your funnel Research findings Tracking student contacts Telecommunications Personal contact Written communications (reply cards) Predictive modeling 31

32 Goals of predictive modeling Focus marketing resources on individual prospective students who collectively are the most likely to enroll Marketing to the individual 32

33 Predictive modeling and resemblers Profile of enrollee Prospective students 33

34 How models are built Client Data Names/Addresses Appended Data From Noel-Levitz Analyze relationship between Appended and Client Data Test and Adjust Formula Identify attributes with the greatest explanatory value; select and weigh data in unique formula or algorithm Final Unique Algorithm(s)

35 The model s output You get a powerful, double-digit score for each student, so you can rank your inquiries and purchased list names from hottest to coldest (The students below are actual 2006 Carroll College inquiries.) Anne Sherwood 1.00 RED-HOT Travis Poor.85 RED-HOT April Sanchez.81 RED-HOT Sean Rabe.72 SIZZLERS Anthony Lewis.68 SIZZLERS Lisa Tidwell.56 FENCE-SITTER Brandy Ley.43 FENCE-SITTER Eric Playstead.28 LONG SHOT Suzie Hinman.21 LONG SHOT 35

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38 Predictive modeling: Sample 2004 results 4-Year University Enrollment 9,900 4-Year College Enrollment 2,800 Model Score Inqs Apps Conv. % Inqs Apps Conv. % ,164 1, % % , % % , % % , % 1, % , % 1, % , % 1, % , % 2, % , % 2, % , % 1, % % % Total 43,159 4, % 13,542 1, % 38

39 As our worlds become more bottom-line-driven, it is becoming imperative that we be able to qualify and quantify the actions of our staff 39

40 Sample College Admissions Counselor Weekly Activity Report Submitted By: Expenses For Week (If Off-Campus): For Week Ending: Destination For Week (If Off-Campus): Activity Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Total # Of High School Visits # Of Students Seen # Of College Fairs # Of Student s Seen # Of Total Phone Calls # Of High School Visit Notifications # Of Calls To Inquiries # Of Calls To Apps/Apps In Process # Of Notes/Letters/Materials Sent # Of Messages Sent # Of On Or Off Campus Interviews # Of Referrals Made (coach, faculty member, etc.) # Of Admissions Folders Reviewed # Of Inquiries Qualified High Interest (C, E) Medium Interest (V) Low Interest (K) No Interest/Drop (D) Tracking staff activity is also good for showing the amount of work we do 40

41 Initiative 1 Prospect Inquiry Determine what areas of your admissions funnel could benefit from better data Applicant Acceptance Confirmation Enroll One of the first principles to understand is that we don t have to treat all students the same. In the absence of unlimited resources, it is necessary to consider both students ability and willingness to pay the costs of attending your institution when determining how and where to invest institutional aid. We must carefully consider the trade-offs between improving quality and shaping the student body, and the net revenue available for operations. 41

42 Initiative 2 Understand how different types of reports will assist your office 42

43 Initiative 3 Get started with tracking as soon as possible The third take away is the look for ways to award our merit scholarships to students much earlier in the admission process. 43

44 Identify a member of your staff who can champion our data needs 44

45 Seek staff members who Have research interests and are unafraid of evaluation 45

46 Seek staff members who Possess high-level analytical skills and can interpret data 46

47 Seek staff members who Will constantly seek new and better ways to do things 47

48 Seek staff members who Are well-organized and detail-oriented 48

49 Seek staff members who Understand and appreciate advanced computer systems 49

50 Understand your needs and start there 50

51 Understand how you plan to use research before you undertake a project 51

52 Obtain good hardware and software systems 52

53 Develop senior staff appreciation for the importance of database management 53

54 Develop periodic reporting schedules that are linked to the planning cycle 54

55 Create a well-organized central depository that is easy to access (e.g., a directory on the network) 55

56 Link the enrollment management database to an institutionwide database 56

57 Demand officewide computer training and orientation 57

58 Adopt three new initiatives for determining reporting needs 58

59 Initiative 1 Determine what areas of your admissions funnel could benefit from better data Prospect Inquiry Applicant Acceptance Confirmation Enroll One of the first principles to understand is that we don t have to treat all students the same. In the absence of unlimited resources, it is necessary to consider both students ability and willingness to pay the costs of attending your institution when determining how and where to invest institutional aid. We must carefully consider the trade-offs between improving quality and shaping the student body, and the net revenue available for operations. 59

60 Initiative 2 Understand how different types of reports will assist your office 60

61 Initiative 3 Get started with tracking as soon as possible 61

62 A final comment Your recruitment database is key to your success. You don t need a sophisticated database to get good enrollment data. Many data issues are data entry issues, not system issues. If you can download a flat file to an Excel spreadsheet, you can generate most of the reports mentioned today. Track everything that moves! 62

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