Advancement Associates

Articles & White Papers

7/1/2008

AN ENROLLMENT CHECKLIST

By Richard L. Gerig, Principal Advancement Associates, Inc.

Is your school meeting its enrollment goals?  Are you using strategies that can make the most difference?  When I assess an enrollment program, I look for these 15 key indicators.  How does your school measure up?

  1. A quality, distinctive program – Are mission and vision consistent?  Understood?  Appealing?  Being achieved?  This is crucial.
  2. Retention and recruitment – Enrollment includes keeping current students as well as recruiting new students.  Are you attentive to both?
  3. Enrollment goals – Who sets them?  Are they realistic?  Are they being reached?
  4. Enrollment plan – Do you have a written enrollment plan that includes measurable goals, objectives and activities?
  5. Understanding and applying marketing principles – The goal is finding, attracting and keeping families your school best serves.  Can you identify your primary and secondary markets?
  6. Prospect segmentation – Among your prospective students, which are the most likely to enroll?  Are you giving them greatest attention?
  7. Visitation program – Do you have enough visit events?  Are they of high quality?  Do they include parents as well as students?  Are they offered at the right time of year?
  8. Recruiting parents – Realizing that parents make most of the final enrollment decisions, how do you recruit parents?
  9. Communication plan – Do your newsletters, website and news releases complement the enrollment program?
  10. Pro-active retention – What is your retention rate and patterns overall and among grade levels?  What kinds of students are most likely to struggle and leave your school?
  11. Application process – Is it smooth, clear, timely, prompt, friendly?
  12. Financial assistance – Do policies reflect your mission?  Is application process simple and understandable?  Are awards made promptly?
  13. Data collection, reporting – What enrollment information do you collect?  When do you prepare reports?  Who receives them?
  14. Involving others in enrollment – Staff, students, parents, alumni, pastors, donors, board members—are these groups involved in enrollment at your school?
  15. Professional development – Are those with enrollment responsibilities given a chance to learn and grow in their work?

Use these indicators as a mirror for your enrollment program and a template for improvement.  It will make a difference!