capture + Madonna university Case Study
How Oklahoma Baptist University drove 25.3% of its enrolled class from just 2.5% of its
inquiry pool
Oklahoma Baptist University is a private Christian liberal arts institution in Shawnee, Oklahoma, offering more than 80 areas of study to approximately 1,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Ranked among the top regional universities in the West by U.S. News & World Report for 31 consecutive years, OBU is known for integrating academic excellence with an intentional Christian community. Oklahoma Baptist University has been a Capture partner since June 2024, and they partner with Capture to drive growth for undergraduate, graduate, and transfer populations.
The challenge
With an undergraduate inquiry pool approaching 46,000 students, OBU had no shortage of top-of-funnel volume. Rather, they needed a reliable way to prioritize their time, budget and resources to have the biggest impact on enrollment.
The approach
OBU partnered with Capture to deploy a full-funnel approach rooted in reaching, identifying, and converting high-intent prospects across paid advertising, email, and their website, while integrating with Slate to meet prospects with the right message at the exact moment they were researching.
Out of 45,890 total undergraduate inquiries, Capture identified 1,160 highly-engaged prospects. While that is only 2.5% of the pool, those 1,160 students produced 294 enrollments, accounting for 25.3% of the entire enrolled undergraduate class.
- Capture-engaged prospects applied at a rate of 62.1% versus 7.0% for the overall pool
- The inquiry-to-enrollment rate was 25.3% versus 1.1% overall, making a 23x improvement in conversion efficiency from first touch through enrollment
For graduate and transfer, the efficiency metrics are equally as notable:
- Capture-engaged prospects represented 34.5% of the graduate inquiry pool and accounted for 25.5% of enrolled graduate students
- Of 64 accepted Capture-engaged graduate students, 62 deposited and 36 enrolled, for a deposit-to-enrollment rate of 58.1%
- On a small transfer segment of 27 prospects, 22 applied, 21 were accepted, and 19 deposited and enrolled, amounting to a 70.4% inquiry-to-enrollment rate!
23x
Higher conversion rate vs. non-Capture leads
25.3%
Share of enrolled class made up by Capture-engaged prospects
62.1%
Application rate of Capture-engaged students
“The platform allows us to see how ads are performing through the entire funnel and to look into prospective student behavior on the website, which helps inform admissions counselor activities and communication. Also, the team is great to work with and always goes above and beyond to help us with strategy.”
– Paula Gower, Assoc VP Marketing & Communication