Trustee WebinarSeptember 25, 2013

The Enrollment Picture for this Year: Recruitment and Retention

Goals for the Webinar1. Inform you about 2013-14 enrollments and explain why

traditional student numbers are low

2. Explain why students chose to attend other schools this year

3. Tell you about new steps we are taking to increase enrollments for 2014-15

4. Inform you about our Fall 2013 retention numbers and explain why traditional students chose to leave

5. Tell you about new initiatives aimed at increasing retention of traditional students

Part I - Recruitment

1. Numbers – Where are we?

2. Why our traditional undergraduate student enrollments are down (a new “normal”?).

3. What we are doing to increase enrollments for 2014-15.

Traditional Student Enrollment

Student Category

Fall 2013 Fall 2012 Five Year Range

Returning Full Time

1878 1943 1878 - 1983

New First Year 506 560 506 - 608

New Transfer 271 309 267 - 319

Total Full Time Undergraduate

2655 2812 2655 - 2900

School for Professional Studies Enrollment

Student Category

Fall 2013 Fall 2012 Five Year Range

New Accelerated Undergraduate

46 34 34 - 49

New Graduate 172 123 122 - 172

Total Accelerated Undergraduate

142 129 129 - 178

Total Graduate 310 246 246 - 310

General Factors Impacting First Year Enrollment

• Competition

• Concern about the value of a liberal arts degree

• Skepticism about the cost of private colleges and borrowing

• Demographics

The Applicant Pool

• The number of students graduating from Illinois High Schools dropped by 5% from 2012 to 2013

– This is the sharpest drop in the last 20 years

– The largest part of the decline is in the Caucasian population

• The number of students who applied to Elmhurst College was down 11% from last year

First Year Student Academic Program Choices

• The number of students who enrolled as “Undecided” was down from 69 last year to 42 this year

• The number of students who plan to major in Biology dropped from 58 to 47

• The number of students in Education majors dropped from 55 to 45 students

From a survey of admitted students(Both attending and non-attending)

• Over 66% of the non-attending students identified “net cost” as important or the primary reason for selecting another college

• 25% of the non-attending respondents said that Elmhurst’s aid package was inferior compared to 19.7% last year

• Nearly 50% of the non-attending students indicated that additional aid would have made a difference in their decision but listed $12,000 as the average additional amount necessary to change to Elmhurst

• In the narrative portion of the survey, students discussed the main reasons for going to another college. The most frequently mentioned reasons were:

– Cost/Financial Aid (50%)

– Reputation (30%)

– Location (20%)

– Academic Program (20%)

– Size (10%)

Please note total will not equal 100% as some students cited more than one reason for their choice.

From a survey of admitted students(Both attending and non-attending)

New Tactics for 2014-15Focused on Prospective Students

Direct Mail• Letter from President Ray discussing the opportunities Elmhurst offers

• New postcard to parents and students on the Net Cost Calculator

• New piece on how Elmhurst prepares students for the job market to all prospects

• New piece on how Elmhurst prepares students for graduate school to all prospects

• Letter from the Director of Career Planning about jobs and career preparation

• Letters from selected faculty chairs to major specific areas like Geographic Information Systems

Using Alumni in Recruiting

• Direct outreach to all alumni who can be reached via email asking them to refer students for Admission follow up

• Using alumni callers earlier in the recruitment cycle to contact admitted students

• Admission representatives in the Alumni Tent at home football games

Phone Contacts

• A calling campaign by Admission Counselors and Student Ambassadors to prospects who show the strongest potential of enrolling

• Financial Aid Office staff calling applicants who have missing file information

Electronic/Video

• Student blogs

• Mobile friendly home page

• New video of a campus tour that can be sent directly to students via email

• New video of the new Simulation Center that can be sent directly to Nursing majors

Recapping Recruitment

1. Traditional student enrollments at 5-year low

2. Non-traditional student (SPS) enrollments at 5-year high

3. The “new normal”: competing on net cost (discount) for shrinking pool of applicants

4. New tactics: Focus on EC success for job prep and grad school making greater use of direct mail, alumni, phone contacts and e-media, and significantly broadening the prospect pool.

Part II - Retention

1. Numbers – Where are we?

2. Why our students leave us.

3. What we are doing to increase retention this year and in future years.

Fall to Fall Retention Rates

Student Category

Fall 2012 to Fall 2013

Fall 2011 to Fall 2012

Five Year Range

New First Years 78% 78% 77% - 83%

New Transfers 79% 81% 79% - 87%

Continuing Sophomores

90% 91% 90% - 92%

Continuing Juniors

93% 94% 93% - 95%

First Year Student Retention Rate DetailsStudent Category

Fall 2012 to Fall 2013

Fall 2011 to Fall 2012

Five Year Range

Male 74% 74% 70% - 79%

Female 82% 80% 80% - 89%

African American 60% 68% 56% - 89%

Hispanic 67% 69% 61% - 85%

White 83% 82% 79% - 83%

First Year Student Retention Rate DetailsStudent Category Fall 2012 to

Fall 2013Fall 2011 to Fall 2012

Five Year Range

ACT 28 and above

84% 85% 83% - 90%

ACT 20 to 27 80% 78% 78% - 85%

ACT 19 and below

65% 68% 55% - 77%

Pell Grant Recipient

75% 67% 67% - 87%

Not a Pell Grant Recipient

81% 83% 79% - 85%

Some Comparisons – Retention at 1150 US Private Colleges: 2010 to 2011

Harvard University (97% retention rate)Illinois Wesleyan (90%)John Carroll University (89%) – highest among similar academic profiles

Baldwin Wallace University (81%)Elmhurst College (80%) – top 35% of retention rates nationallyHamline University (80%)

Carthage College (77%)North Park University (75%) – median national retention rate

Southern Virginia University (55%) – lowest among similar academic profiles

Sources of Information on Why Our Students Leave

• Fall and Spring Registration Follow Up

• Leave of Absence Form

• Withdrawal Forms

• Rising Sophomore Calling Program

Exit Data • 122 students who began in FA12 did not enroll in

FA13• General (122 students)

– 2 (2%) Conduct Dismissal

– 17 (14%) Academic Dismissal

– 103 (84%) Other

2%14%

84%

General

Conduct Academic Other

Exit Data• Breakdown of Other (103 students, 84%)

– 35 (34%) finances– 19 (18%) academic challenges– 15 (15%) closer to home– 13 (13%) no reason given– 8 (8%) physical/mental health– 8 (8%) academic offerings– 6 (6%) athletics/sports– 5 (4%) wants to attend a larger institution – 4 (4%) individual reasons – 2 (2%) family reasons– 2 (2%) college unnecessary

• Please note total will not equal 100% as some students cited more than one reason for leaving

Exit Data: Analysis of Other Reasons for Leaving (Students Citing Given Reason)

• Please note total will not equal 100% as some students cited more than one reason for leaving

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20

25

30

35

40

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1915 13

8 8 6 5 4 2 2

Retention: Existing Initiatives(Some in place since 2008)

Programs• First Year Seminar • Big Questions• First Year “Touch Base”

Calling Program• Steps to Success• Weeks of Welcome• First Year Student Success

Series• CPP 299 Course

Offerings

Resources• Students of Concern• Navigating Holds• Understanding and

Supporting Student Subpopulations Guide

• Tutoring Hours• Temporary Loans• Family Newsletter• Enhanced Learning

Experience Data

Intrusive Follow Up• Rising Sophomore

Letters from President and Dean of Students

• Sophomore Resources Postcard

• Sophomore Success Workshop

Retention: New Initiatives• President’s Leadership Academy (PLA)

• Direct Connections Peer Mentor Program

• January Term, First Year Registration Calling Program

• Growth of Fraternity/Sorority community

• Residential Learning Communities

• Summer Rising Sophomore “Registration” Calling Program

Retention Initiatives (New and Existing = 23)

Recapping Retention

1. EC retention rates are above national average—but could be better

2. Students voluntarily leave for many reasons including finances, academic challenges, and “fit”

3. Retention strategies focus on building community, spotting students at risk, and removing barriers to success

Our Goal

Every student arrives excited to be here, receives all the support they need to succeed, graduates on time, and becomes a loyal alumnus of Elmhurst College.

Part III - Discussion

We welcome your thoughts and questions.

You may use the chat feature on your screen or call by phone to

1-888-444-3010. When prompted, enter the Conference Code 207601 followed by the # key.

In the next few days, we will send you information on how to access the recording of today’s session.

Thank you for your participation.