The Home Stretch of Student Recruitment

How colleges are reinventing the post-admission process

The numbers of students who accept an offer of admission or even place a deposit but then don't show up on campus have risen in recent years, and the trend is causing major headaches for colleges. To reel in more accepted students and keep them on track to matriculate, some colleges are embracing an evolving mix of old-school and high-tech strategies. 

For this report, The Chronicle's Eric Hoover, the nation's leading reporter on college admissions, spoke with experts at three-dozen institutions that have been redefining what it takes to recruit and enroll a student during this increasingly crucial final stretch of the admissions cycle. Sources at small private colleges, historically Black institutions, as well as regional public, flagship, and research-intensive universities share their insights on the changes they've made and what they've learned.

Read this report to better understand:

• The many causes of the leaky enrollment pipeline, which is resulting in declining yield rates and accelerating summer melt.
• How enrollment leaders are reinventing campus visits and rethinking student engagement in the last stages of the admissions cycle to foster a greater sense of belonging among admittees.
• How some admissions and enrollment leaders are bringing fresh perspective to some of the long-held practices that have unintentionally undermined their goals, and how they're enlisting the help of colleagues from across campus.
• How some leaders are using technology to create a more-personalized experience.

Date: May 2025
Pages: 58
Digital file size:  16.5 MB

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