Key Takeaways
- “Repurposed & Recycled Recruitment” (“R & R”) involves utilizing resources your institution already possesses and leveraging them to meet your graduate enrollment goals.
- Strategies informed by the wide range of data at your disposal have the potential to significantly increase enrollment.
- Using the right CRM to deliver targeted communications helps to reengage former undergraduate and graduate students.
- Surveying enrolling and declining applicants lets those individuals know their feedback is important and taken into consideration.
- Liaison has extensive data on application fees and best practices for application fee management.
- Liaison GradCAS, a centralized application service endorsed by NAGAP and the Common App, facilitates the application process for students and institutions alike.
Back in 2017, I had a “eureka” moment. I was leading recruitment at the “New Jefferson,” the result of the recent merger of Philadelphia University and Thomas Jefferson University. Traditional undergrad, transfer, grad, domestic, and international were all part of my scope. My eureka moment was a shared moment, the result of a brainstorming session with the grad team—a great team. I always had great teams during my 11-year run at PhilaU/Jefferson.
Then it dawned on me, “What if we auto-admitted our own undergraduates to grad programs?” Direct admission wasn’t a thing then. The concept was outside of the formal accelerated programs Jefferson already had as part of the academic portfolio. The idea here was to take a graduating senior with a specified GPA majoring in business, design, engineering, or other discipline and admit them into any number of aligned graduate programs.
The seat would be saved for a specific period of time. All applications, transcripts, recommendations, test scores, essays, etc. were waived. If they accepted the offer, they identified and confirmed their program selection through a simple online form. If they didn’t respond within the time allotted, they could still pursue graduate study but would need to do so like any other applicant.
We called the program Jefferson RISE and partnered with University Marketing to promote it. We wanted to make it a big deal. During the consideration period, Jefferson RISE signs adorned campus. Beautiful glossy invitations were sent to campus and home addresses. Information sessions with top-notch refreshments were conducted. It seems like this may have been expensive, but it wasn’t. And the ROI was through the roof.
I’m happy to report that Jefferson RISE remains a strategy used by my former colleagues to this day, and is no doubt improved each successive cycle. Afterall, I may no longer be there, but Jefferson still has great teams!
I showcase Jefferson RISE here as an example of what I call “Repurposed & Recycled Recruitment” or “R & R” for short. R & R is a simple concept, and many GEM professionals use R & R all the time even though they may not know it as such. It is a strategy that involves utilizing something the institution already possesses and leveraging it to meet your graduate enrollment goals. In the case of Jefferson RISE, they are leveraging the customer loyalty they already have to help enroll their current undergraduates into graduate study.
Here is what is so fascinating to me. For the last eight years, my career has consisted of almost daily conversations with GEM professionals. Usually, I am being asked to help solve specific problems and help make the work of meeting grad enrollment goals less challenging. I immediately ask questions about R & R strategies. How are you leveraging information, data, and resources you currently have?
Typically, I am encouraged by many of the strategies and tactics being used. The GEM profession is full of smart and resourceful practitioners. NAGAP is a big reason why this is so as the association focuses so much on education and professional development. That said, when it comes to R & R, there is a lot being left on the table.
This article presents several real examples of R & R strategies at work, as well as additional quick ideas to get you started. Once you’ve had a chance to digest the information here, I encourage brainstorming R & R possibilities with your teams. There are endless possibilities to be had by leveraging what you already possess into purposeful graduate recruitment efforts.
R & R at Clark University
In a recent conversation with Dr. Alyssa Orlando, director of graduate admissions at Clark University, she said something that immediately resonated. “Using data to your own advantage is a lost art,” she said. “We have so much data at our fingertips…but it doesn’t seem there are many people using that data to actually change their habits. If there were, I think we would see a lot more people reporting increases in domestic enrollment, and we’re not.”
Anyone who knows Alyssa is aware that she doesn’t use this phrase lightly. She is data driven, and also self-aware enough to include herself in this group from time to time. She went on to note that there are many who are quick to chase after the shiniest new recruitment tool or super glossy campaign, and yet they are leaving troves of data unutilized in their efforts. To be clear, there is always space and room for really good marketing and edtech options to enhance and improve enrollment strategy, but they should always be used in partnership with the often low-cost tactics that come with leveraging your own resources.
Clark University is no stranger to leveraging the power of brand loyalty. Well-served undergraduate students make for high-intent graduate prospects. Additionally, with a diversified portfolio of graduate credentials, degrees, and certificates, Clark actively recruits its graduate education alumni as well. Utilizing its CRM, Clark deploys communications to reengage these former undergraduate and graduate students. To Alyssa’s point, repurposing domestic student data in this way can shore up potential declines in this vital student segment.
R & R at Georgetown University Biomedical Graduate Education
Renee Barton, director of recruitment and partnerships for Georgetown University Biomedical Graduate Education (BGE), uses data from a detailed survey regimen she deploys each year. She has some clear advice for GEM professionals: “Make the intentional time…to know what people are saying in terms of application submission or enrollment decisions and have those data sources readily available so you can do something meaningful with that feedback.”
To be clear, this is not your simple one-and-done enroll/decline survey. Renee starts there and then dives deeper for both enrolling and declining admits. The successive rounds of surveying let the responder know their initial feedback was considered and valued. The additional questions provide deeper insights into their specific decision-making process.
The responses also provide Renee with valuable data she uses to inform her persona development and customer segmentation. As she works to build relationships with the next cycle of prospective graduate students, she can now tailor messages based on the feedback received from like applicants. Doing so helps meet applicants where they are and shows a level of understanding and personalization that is critical in establishing and cultivating connections with future Georgetown BGE students.
R & R at East Tennessee State University
At East Tennessee State University (ETSU), Tom VerDow, coordinator of graduate recruitment, repurposes app fee data and yield rates to make proactive decisions on application generation strategy. “Our data shows that universally waiving the application fee artificially increases our applicant pool and lowers our yield,” he says. “It’s better to strategically use application fee waivers for specific populations like veterans or current undergraduate students.”
At Liaison, we have a trove of data on application fees and best practices for application fee management. In addition to being highly regarded for our enrollment marketing, CRM, and predictive analytics tools, Liaison is perhaps best known as the company providing Centralized Application Services, or CAS. Liaison GradCAS (endorsed by NAGAP and the Common App) is a common application for graduate education and includes a modest application processing fee. Some of our participating members lower their institution application fee to compensate, and others decide to use variable fees based on student segment—such as domestic vs international, in-state vs out-of-state, and even differentiating app fee structure by program.
According to Tom, “It’s all about moving the levers to encourage the actions you want certain prospects to take, and at the same time, meeting them where they are, understanding that recruitment doesn’t end at the point of application. Using data to make these decisions is important, but don’t be afraid to try new things. When you do, you’ll produce new data and learn more about what works and what doesn’t.”
Tom knows that engaging with prospective students works. He has developed a 1,120-day comm flow that includes over 25 touch points, with 10 of the touch points delivered in the first 90 days. “Graduate prospects can take years to apply. Most take less, but we’re prepared to tell our story a bit longer if we have to.”
ETSU will soon be deploying a new campaign to graduate learners who stopped out. “I’ll run the data on those who stopped out over the last five years,” Tom says. “I’ll then deploy a campaign of six touch points encouraging them to re-enroll. You have to leverage and repurpose your data to find those who already know you and welcome them back to your community. This effort will do just that.”
R & R Strategies You Can Leverage Today
Of course, you can also do what Clark University does and never let them go! For over 20 years, Clark has provided free graduate tuition to qualifying undergraduate students. Alyssa says that 175 students took advantage of this benefit last year, and the yield rate on this program is 100%. Alyssa also knows that not every institution can do this as it is resource intensive. She says, “It’s a challenge to have a lot of resources. We’re fortunate that we do, but the same challenges present themselves, just differently. You still need to find ways to maintain the relationship through the entire recruitment journey.”
Clark, Georgetown, and ETSU provide some great examples of R & R strategies. Here are some others you can start working on immediately.
- Re-engage prior prospects who didn’t enroll. Pull data as far back as five years. Borrow from Renee and survey these folks. Invite them to reconnect. Engage personally and purposefully with those who raise their hand once more.
- Partner with undergraduate admissions. Many of those suspects and leads from four, five, and six years ago are now grad ready. Survey them. Discover where they went to undergrad if not at your institution. Learn if they may be ready to reconsider you for a graduate-level education.
- Undergraduate admissions also has a trove of parent/family data. These family members could be excellent candidates for your graduate offerings, particularly your online degrees and certificates. If nothing else, they’ll learn about your graduate offerings and may share that information with their current undergrads or recent alum.
- Think of all of those people providing recommendations for your graduate applicants. Create a campaign, tell them about your programs, and drive them to an online form inviting them to recommend your programs to others.
In short, think of all the data you have at your disposal from all sources. Let yourself consider the options available to you in repurposing and recycling it to drive your graduate recruitment efforts!
Final Reflections
Renee made a great point toward the end of our conversation. While Georgetown BGE does so much with R & R strategies, she also knows it is important to stay abreast of the offerings of an ever-changing graduate recruitment marketplace. “Being aware of your own capacity is important,” she says. “I engage companies like Liaison to learn and see if there is something that can be gained by exploring offerings that complement my work.”
My hope is that this piece has provided you with many examples of ways you can move the needle right now to support your graduate recruitment efforts. Repurposed and Recycled recruitment strategies work and make so much sense. Be creative. Test and iterate. Learn and discover what works and what may not.
I also recommend following Renee’s lead. So many of us working for enrollment services and support companies have been exactly where you are. If it has been a while since you met with one of us to kick the tires on a challenge or opportunity, reach out. As I always say, I am not in the business of solving problems that don’t exist. If nothing else, you can learn about what is new in the GEM space and about the external resources available to you if needed.
You’ve now done the work of reading this piece, and as I mentioned earlier, I encourage you to brainstorm the R & R possibilities with your team. And if you find you still have a vexing challenge or two, take Renee’s advice. Know your own capacity, identify where you may need help, and reach out. We’re standing by.
About the author
Jack Klett is AVP, graduate enrollment management solutions at Liaison. Jack considers graduate education his professional playground, having spent 20 years of his higher ed career working with graduate students, faculty, and staff. His roles as chief graduate enrollment officer and associate dean of graduate studies position him well to do what he loves—helping graduate education stakeholders solve problems to better their institutions, programs, and students. Jack also enjoys teaching students in his associate faculty role at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. You can connect with him at jklett@liaisonedu.com.