Webinar offers findings on enrollment

Last week, PlattForm's Tracy Kreikemeier and Leads360's Martin Lind presented, “Inquiry and Enrollment Trends – An in-depth investigation into the impact of new regulations on contact rates and enrollment.”

Click here to download a recording of the webinar and presentation. Or read on for a summary of the webinar’s findings.

First, let me say that Leads360 did an excellent job of collecting data from its education clients before and after Gainful Employment’s effective date of July 1. They culled data from more than 30 schools to see how the new GE rules have impacted admissions and enrollment. Data that was deemed insufficient and schools that made dramatic changes to their admissions processes or marketing were eliminated.

Key findings:

• Spending increased (5% in July) to push late summer/fall enrollment
• Inquiries continue to grow. However, there is a caveat.  While large schools are seeing increases, smaller schools are generally experiencing decreases in inquiries.
• Lead scrubs are down (1% on average).
• Contactable inquiries are up 18%. That said, 62% of schools saw a decrease.
• Enrollment overall is flat but experiences of schools vary greatly.  Some have seen as much as a 42% increase while others have experienced a decrease up to 61%.

Takeaways
The numbers above are scary or comforting depending on your school’s enrollment success since July 1. Without question, Gainful Employment has had an impact on our sector. However, it’s important to remember there are many other factors influencing the numbers, including shifts in media usage/consumption habits, switching interactive vendors and individual school activities.

The point is, don’t freak out or play the blame game with GE or happenings in Washington. By understanding the changing marketing landscape and the redefined roles of inquiry generation and enrollment, your school can meet its enrollment goals in 2012.