Transfer Enrollment: Maximize Yield, Minimize Melt Jennifer Chadwick Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management February 4, 2015

Welcome Introductions Name Institution What do you hope to gain from this workshop?

Background Began career in admissions – recruiter 17 Years ago – Georgia Southern University Admissions Recruiter Transfer Coordinator Assistant Director of Admissions Homeland Security – detour UNG –Associate Director of Admissions Interim Director of Admissions Director of Admissions Associate Vice President EM

UNG – Who Are We? Consolidation of North Georgia College & State University and Gainesville State College: Jan ,500 students Four campuses: Cumming Dahlonega Gainesville Oconee

UNG – Who Are We?

University System of Georgia Leadership institution The Military College of Georgia State’s sixth-largest public university Associate to baccalaureate to doctorate

UNG Never missed an enrollment goal Positioned UNG as 3 rd highest entering freshman class average in USG Grew enrollment by 41% (1,861) from 4,552 in 2004 to 6,413 in 2012 Grew enrollment by 6.6% (992) from 15,072 in 2012 to 16,064 in 2014 Only consolidated institution to show an enrollment increase

UNG UNG led enrollment growth state universities 3.9% 31 USG institutions, UNG achieved the 4 th largest increase in enrollment following: Georgia Gwinnett’s 11.4% Georgia Tech’s 7.6% Kennesaw’s 4.4%

Percent Change in FTE UNG also led FTE increase of all state universities: 4.7% UNG achieved the 3 rd largest increase in FTE of ALL 31 USG institutions following: Georgia Gwinnett College with 10.8%, Georgia Institute of Technology with 4.9. Of the four newly consolidated institutions, UNG had the only increase in FTE

Headcount by Sector, Year % Change 5 Year % Change 1 Year % Change Research Universities %12.2%2.3% Comprehensi ve Universities %7.1%1.5% State Universities %7.2%-0.1% UNG %34%3.9% State and Two-Year Colleges %-10.2%.3% University System Total %3.7%1.1% Note: State and Two-Year were consolidated by USG due to sector changes. UNG enrollment numbers reflect NGCSU and GSC totals.

UNG – Who Are We? Fall 2014 – 16,508 Drop/Add Enrollment: 16,064 Census Gender: 56% Female, 44% Male Full-Time: 68% Undergraduate: 15,507 (97%) -Associate: 6,709 (43%) -Baccalaureate: 8,798 (57%) -Graduate: 557 (3%)

Key to Successful Enrollment Building Relationships Must be at the center of everything you do!

Today’s Workshop Establishing enrollment goals that work for your institution Identify resources to support your transfers Marketing and message: high touch to high tech Conversion from acceptance to enrolled Focus student success-persistence to graduation To talk about transfers – need to understand who they are…….

Transfer Facts 1/3 of all college students transfer before earning a degree – National Student Clearinghouse Research Center 37% of students transfer second year of college (FYE – 2 nd yr retention – focus) 22% transfer later (fourth or fifth year) 43% transfer from a 4-year to a 2-year -Noel-Levitz

Transfers: Who Are They??? “A student who has attended a college or university and plans to continue his or her education at a different two- or four- year institution.” -Poisel & Joseph, 2011

Transfers Who are they and what are they thinking??

Why do they transfer? Transfer by design: planned on transferring, earn associate first, not admissible so began at second choice, began close to home Transfer by default: forced to transfer due to academics, need to be closer to home, financial constraints, “don’t fit in”

UNG Transfers Over 5 year period from Fall 2007 to Fall 2012: Increased new transfer enrollment by 16% Post consolidation, transfer enrollment increased by 110%, include transitioning student, 200% What did we do to assist transfers? Rapid growth?

UNG Transfers Nighthawk transition program Not Admissible – clear pathway to you university – lay it out step by step Give them a plan that brings them to you Not Admissible bacc – auto accept assoc – not admissible for selective adm – auto accept summer Transfer Institute - events Transfer Orientation Commuter events Non-trad events

Maximizing Yield Establishing enrollment goals that work for your institution (Has your institution established enrollment goals for transfer students?) Transfer enrollment goals/enrollment funnel Benchmarks for meeting these goals Proactive and reactive Take risks when necessary Tell me about your enrollment goals, tracking, recruitment tactics??

Transfer Enrollment Funnel

Recruiting Transfers Transfers tend to be overlooked: marketing and recruitment Transfer are no longer a “bonus”-focused Intensifying competition; look beyond traditional methods Puzzling: How do we recruit them? Where do we find them??

Recruiting Transfers Intentional Recruitment; stop waiting for them to come to you Satellite campuses and online offerings can be a big draw: What is your draw? Are you using it? Marketing it? Cost of attendance, financial aid available, time to degree completion and career advancement

Recruiting Transfers “Keeping in mind that these students don’t follow one single path to the application process and often aren’t exposed to key messaging received by high school students, your website may be their first contact with your university to determine whether you are transfer friendly.” –Higher Education Marketing Do you have a transfer section on your website? Are you transfer friendly?

Recruiting Transfers Are you transfer friendly? How easy is it to transfer to your institution? Challenges?

Recruiting Transfers Transfer College Fairs  Transfer Search Lists  Transfer graduates from your feeders “Eagles on the Road” Visitation to decision Transfer visitation tours/days – mini open house Transfer sessions at open house Transfer equivalency sessions

Recruiting Transfers Recruit your transfers back to you - if they didn’t return to you – UNG comm plan Stop Outs – Still active students who haven’t registered in one or more semesters – Do not leave these students out of your comm plan Drop Outs – stopped out of USG institution and now live in your region Multi-campus or multi-degree levels – associate to bacc – recruit YOUR students or someone else will

Communication Marketing and message: high touch Meaningful, purposeful communication – key What do transfer students need to know? Do not use your general/freshmen comm plan? ALL should evoke emotion and an action to be taken by the student All should include direction and next steps

Communication Think outside of the box &index=1&list=PL5E4992FF777A9EA8

Communication Which courses transfer? – Go beyond These courses transfer – here’s how they fit into our core – based on your major, you have “X” number of courses to graduation Create a clear pathway Communicate options: early morning classes, evening classes, online, credit for testing Cost? Childcare? Housing? Employment? Tutoring? Anticipated graduation?

Communication Marketing and message: high tech Never abandon “in hand” marketing materials for all high tech – major mistake Viewbooks, transfer guide, scholarships High tech – “Smart” communication plan Group Mail Pro – Old method – content DemandEngine – conversation plan Conversation flow s that respond to student actions Track and assess effectiveness

Communication Marketing and message: high tech Social media – FB, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, texting, texting, texting Dates and deadlines – allows students to sync dates to their calendars You send reminders but reminders are set on their calendars too Call center – transfers calling transfers Anxious – quick turnaround time

Communication Time to decision Assess how long from application to decision Do you know? Application to completion Completion to decision Decision to confirmation/enrollment Where can you make adjustments? Monitor your yield/improvement

Matriculation Conversion from acceptance to enrolled You’ve accepted 400 transfers – YAY! NO – not YAY!! They haven’t enrolled They SWIRL!! Communication from acceptance to confirmation to matriculation is just as important as initial communication Do your universities communicate with transfer accepts? How? Effective?

Matriculation Do your universities communicate with transfers after accepts? How? Effective?

Resources to Support Identify resources to support your transfers Connect them with a person – advisor, professor, staff – but connect them Transfer welcome center/event – resources After they transfer, they are YOUR student – refrain from forever referring to them as transfers Comm Plan – focus on tutoring services, clubs, organizations, athletics

Reverse Transfer LY Fosters and strengthens institutional relationships (Reverse transfer agreements) Increases retention rate Boosts degree completion rate which directly effects performance based funding model

Persistence to Graduation Tools Nighthawk registration Ad Astra Study- Phases – Planning Degree Audit