Distant Early Warning: Prediction Helps University Exceed Enrollment Goal

Last Spring, one of Capture Higher Ed’s partner institutions learned through their Envision enrollment model that they weren’t on track to make their class. Without a model, they might not have determined until too late that they were off track.

Fortunately they still had time to take action, and Capture came armed with a strategy. It involved using Capture’s tools to convert admits, freeze deposits, encourage visits and set the table for more admits.

To convert admits, Capture recommended targeting communication efforts toward admits who had not yet deposited but who had a high predicted probability from their Envision model, or who had been engaged on the school’s website as demonstrated by a high Capture Affinity Index (CAI). These are the students most interested in the school who just needed a little nudge toward depositing.

To freeze deposits, Capture recommended targeting communication efforts toward students who deposited but then showed little engagement with the school’s website as measured by a low CAI.

To set the table for future admits, Capture recommended increasing the number of pages tagged on the school’s website, stepping up Capture Behavioral Engagement (CBE) dynamic content and communicating to students with high CAI scores like they would communicate with an inquiry.

While those three strategies would be recommendations for any school, the fourth recommendation — to encourage campus visits by admitted students living within 300 miles — was specific to this one partner. Because campus visits were the most important factor in their enrollment model that the school had some control over, it was the thing they should emphasize the most.

Ultimately, with an early warning from their enrollment model and a solid yield strategy, the school was able to decrease their melt year-over-year, increase their yield year-over-year and ultimately hit their enrollment target.

Do you want to find out how an Envision enrollment model can keep your recruitment cycle on track? Let us run your data for free and we’ll show you the difference. Take the Envision Challenge.

By John Foster, Senior Data Analyst, Capture Higher Ed