Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 1 Student-View © Report October, 2011

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 2 Executive Summary Eastern Michigan University should be an acceptable- or preferred option for 40-95% of Michigan students based on preferences for individual attributes including college size, setting, distance, tuition and non-sectarian status. When these factors are considered together, however, the University is a “perfect match” for about 13-16% of students. This is largely unchanged from Eastern Michigan University’s overall awareness score is 2.19, up from 2.05 in 2010, and its overall perception score is 2.12, up from 1.98 last year. EMU remains ranked 9 th in overall market position and continues to have a perception gap. Segmentation continues to show areas of strength and weakness which are generally consistent with last year. A few notable changes include: –The University’s market position strengthened among Asian students and students from the South East region and Macomb County. –Eastern Michigan’s position weakened among students from western and northern Michigan as well as students intending to major in business. –A modest correlation of the University’s market position to family income is new this year. Supplemental attribute ratings show that Eastern Michigan’s top rated attribute is availability of majors, followed by tuition, social life, and size. However, only tuition is an advantage when compared to a benchmark average of Michigan public universities. EMU’s lowest rated attribute, campus safety, is also its largest disadvantage, followed by academic strength.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 3 Survey Overview

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 4 Survey Methodology Online survey of Michigan high school seniors –Conducted in January - April, 2011 –Incentives included several random drawing scholarships –Promoted through mailing to high school guidance counselors and scholarship search sites Responses were generally reflective of the student demographics –1,374 total responses from 223 high schools in Michigan –Distribution generally matched population distribution. Some sample biases include: Females comprise about 66% of responses Estimated mean combined ACT scores about 24, somewhat higher than the average national- and Michigan score –Margins of error Margins of error for overall awareness and perception are approximately +/- 5- 6% at a 90% confidence level Margins of error for segmented data vary by type of segmentation A Margin of Error bar is shown on slides to provide a visual reference

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 5 Survey Response Distribution ZIP Code Each pin represents a ZIP code from which at least one response was received. Many ZIP codes had multiple responses.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 6 Market Size Analysis

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 7 College Selection Factors How important are the following factors when choosing a college? Students in Michigan, as well as across the U.S., rate five key attributes as most important when choosing a college or university. These attributes, except for tuition cost, are difficult to measure and are largely determined by personal qualitative judgment. Several lower-ranked variables are more definitive and therefore also play an important role in choosing a university. Preferences for these variables are shown in the following pages. Somewhat Unimportant Very Unimportant NeutralSomewhat Important Very Important

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 8 Drive Zones 30-, 60-, 120- and 180 minutes around Ypsilanti, MI

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 9 Market Size Distance Preference Thirty percent of students have no preference regarding the distance between home and college. These students from throughout Michigan should find Eastern Michigan University to be an acceptable distance from home. A 60 minute drive zone around Ypsilanti includes about one half of the Detroit and Flint metro areas and all of several secondary metro areas. Approximately 13-17% of students from this zone would prefer the distance to Eastern Michigan. A broader 120 minute drive zone includes the remainder of the Detroit and Flint metro areas as well as portions of the Lansing and Grand Rapids metro areas. Nineteen percent of students in this zone would prefer the distance to Eastern Michigan University. Beyond the 120 minute zone are the rest of the Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo metro areas, several secondary metro areas, and largely rural areas. Eight to twelve percent of students in this region prefer the distance to Eastern Michigan. What distance from home do you prefer college to be?

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 10 Market Size College Size Preference Forty three percent of students have no college size preference and would find Eastern Michigan University to be acceptable. Another 19% of students would like to attend a college such as EMU that has more than 10,000 students. What size school do you prefer to attend?

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 11 Market Size Religious Preference Fifty one percent of students have no preference regarding a college’s religious affiliation. These students would be comfortable attending EMU. Another 24% of students prefer a secular university such as Eastern Michigan University. What religious affiliation do you prefer?

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 12 Market Size Setting Preference Thirty one percent of Michigan students prefer an urban university such as Eastern Michigan. Another 43% of students have no preference and would find EMU’s location to be acceptable. What college setting do you prefer?

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 13 Market Size Tuition Expectation What do you expect to pay ANNUALLY for college tuition? Consider only the published tuition rate not including any form of financial aid that you may receive. EMU’s published tuition is $7,368. (US News, 2011). Thirteen percent of students expect to pay $5,000 – 10,000 per year and another 9% have no expectation. These students would find Eastern Michigan’s tuition acceptable. Seventy three percent of all students expect to pay more than $10,000 per year and would find EMU’s tuition preferable.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. Consolidated Market Opportunity Tuition Screen Size Screen Setting Screen Religious Preference Screen Distance Screen All Students The consolidated market opportunity examines all student preferences, showing the percentage of students who find Eastern Michigan to be acceptable or preferred on all key variables. The University is acceptable or preferred on all attributes by just 13-16% of students. In fact, this number is likely overstated since only a portion of these students would have ACT scores that were in Eastern Michigan’s typical range.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 15 Awareness and Favorability Overall Ratings

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 16 Awareness Distribution Awareness levels among students who have heard of Eastern Michigan University Very Unfamiliar Somewhat Unfamiliar NeutralSomewhat Familiar Very Familiar Among students who have heard of Eastern Michigan University, 33% are somewhat- or very unfamiliar with the University, while 48% are familiar to some degree. In addition to students who have heard of Eastern Michigan, some students indicated that they had not heard of the University at all. The percentage of students who have not heard of EMU, the school’s Invisibility Index©, is approximately 12%. This number is lower than in 2010, but is solidly within the normal range for a large non-flagship public institution. It is worth monitoring this number in subsequent years to confirm the range of results.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 17 Index Calculation Awareness Index is the average of all survey respondents’ familiarity levels Numeric assignments for awareness –Very Unfamiliar = 0 –Somewhat Unfamiliar = 1 –Neutral = 2 –Somewhat Familiar = 3 –Very Familiar = 4 Perception Index is the average of all survey respondents’ perception ratings Numeric assignments for perception –Very Unfavorable = 0 –Somewhat Unfavorable = 1 –Neutral = 2 –Somewhat Favorable = 3 –Very Favorable = 4

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 18 Awareness Index Very Unfamiliar Somewhat Unfamiliar Neutral Somewhat Familiar Very Familiar Margin of Error EMU’s awareness rose from 2.05 in 2010 to 2.19 in The University remains in 8 th place overall, in a tight cluster with UM – Dearborn and Oakland University. All three institutions gained some ground versus the top five universities, which registered slightly lower awareness scores on average in the past year.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 19 Perception Distribution Perception levels among students who have heard of Eastern Michigan University Very Unfavorable Somewhat Unfavorable NeutralSomewhat Favorable Very Favorable Eastern Michigan received somewhat or very unfavorable scores from 30% of students and somewhat or very favorable scores from 39%. It’s important to note that overall favorability encompasses more than just academic strength. Respondents were prompted to consider all attributes of each college, including tuition cost, facilities, campus safety, academic strength, social life, and other factors important to them.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 20 Perception Index Very Unfavorable Somewhat Unfavorable Neutral Somewhat Favorable Very Favorable Margin of Error Eastern Michigan’s perception score rose from 1.98 to 2.12 in the past year. This roughly matched the average increase among benchmark competitors. Eastern Michigan remains tightly clustered with SVSU and Ferris State in overall favorability.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 21 College Position Matrix Awareness Favorability Eastern Michigan improved both its awareness and perception in the past year and is modestly in the zone of above-neutral awareness and perception. It remains somewhat below the best-fit line which suggests that the University has a gap in favorable perception. (More detail about this can be found in the supplemental attribute analysis.)

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 22 Extra-Curricular Activities

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 23 Extra-Curricular Activities Which activities, interests, and hobbies would you like to pursue in college? Study abroad and sports remain the most popular activities. In the last year, interest levels in watching or participating in team sports declined, as did interest in performing arts, religious organizations and media activities. In contrast, interest in pre-professional organizations has increased. These changes are modest, but could be the beginning of a trend. Further monitoring is recommended.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 24 Basic Segmentation

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 25 Awareness Index Gender Very Unfamiliar Somewhat Unfamiliar Neutral Somewhat Familiar Very Familiar Margin of Error Awareness of the University remains highly similar among male and female students.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 26 Perception Index Gender Very Unfavorable Somewhat Unfavorable NeutralSomewhat Favorable Very Favorable Margin of Error Perceptions of Eastern Michigan do not differ notably by gender.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 27 Market Position Matrix Gender Awareness Favorability The University’s position does not differ significantly by gender. This is highly consistent with prior year findings.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 28 Awareness Index Race Very Unfamiliar Somewhat Unfamiliar NeutralSomewhat Familiar Very Familiar Black students continue to have the highest awareness of Eastern Michigan University. Awareness has improved most notably among white and Asian students in the past year.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 29 Perception Index Race Very Unfavorable Somewhat Unfavorable Neutral Somewhat Favorable Very Favorable Black students also have the most favorable view of the University. Perceptions among Asian students increased the most in the past year.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 30 Market Position Matrix Race Awareness Favorability Consistent with prior year results, EMU enjoys a significantly stronger position among black students.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 31 North/U P West Central East South East Wayne Oakland Macomb Geography The following geographic regions were selected by Student Insights for use in subsequent segmentation analysis.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 32 Awareness Index Geography Very Unfamiliar Somewhat Unfamiliar Neutral Somewhat Familiar Very Familiar Margin of Error Awareness of the University is highest in the South East region and Wayne County, and much lower in the western and northern portions of the state.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 33 Perception Index Geography Very Unfavorable Somewhat Unfavorable Neutral Somewhat Favorable Very Favorable Margin of Error Perceptions are also least favorable in the western and northern parts of the state.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 34 Market Position Matrix Geography Awareness Favorability The University continues to enjoy its strongest position in Wayne County. In the past year, it appears that EMU’s position has strengthened considerably in the South East region and Macomb County. The University’s weak position in the western and northern portions of the state weakened further in the past year.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 35 Awareness Index ACT Scores Very Unfamiliar Somewhat Unfamiliar Neutral Somewhat Familiar Very Familiar Margin of Error Eastern Michigan University continues to be best known among students with lower ACT scores.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 36 Perception Index ACT Scores Very Unfavorable Somewhat Unfavorable Neutral Somewhat Favorable Very Favorable Margin of Error Perceptions are also generally more favorable among students with lower ACT scores. EMU’s perceived favorability jumped from 2010 levels among students with ACT scores of 17 or less.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 37 Market Position Matrix ACT Scores Awareness Favorability Eastern Michigan’s market position is clearly strongest among students with a 20 or less on the ACT test. This is consistent with 2010 results, although market position has strengthened among students with scores of 17 or less and weakened among students with scores of The University’s market position also improved among students with scores of

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 38 Awareness Index Family Income Very Unfamiliar Somewhat Unfamiliar Neutral Somewhat Familiar Very Familiar Margin of Error Awareness is moderately higher among students from families earning $50K or less per year.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 39 Perception Index Family Income Very Unfavorable Somewhat Unfavorable Neutral Somewhat Favorable Very Favorable Margin of Error Perception is also somewhat more favorable among students from lower income families.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 40 Market Position Matrix Family Income Awareness Favorability In 2010, there was little difference in market position based on family income. This was surprising since institutions with a stronger position among students with lower ACT scores often have a stronger position among students with lower incomes as well. The 2011 results are more expected, since the University does show greater strength among lower income students. Based on the margins of error and relatively large changes in the two lowest income segments, it is recommended to monitor this analysis in the future to determine the normal range of results.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 41 Awareness Index Intended Major Very Unfamiliar Somewhat Unfamiliar Neutral Somewhat Familiar Very Familiar Margin of Error Students majoring in education have the highest awareness of EMU, while art majors have the lowest.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 42 Perception Index Intended Major Very Unfavorable Somewhat Unfavorable Neutral Somewhat Favorable Very Favorable Perceptions of the University are most favorable among students majoring in education and nursing, but are otherwise similar within the margins of error. Margin of Error

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 43 Market Position Matrix Intended Major Awareness Favorability Eastern Michigan enjoys its strongest position among education majors, and to a lesser extent, nursing and social/behavioral science majors. This is similar to 2010 results, although it appears that the University’s position among business majors weakened.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 44 Awareness Index Parental Education Very Unfamiliar Somewhat Unfamiliar Neutral Somewhat Familiar Very Familiar Margin of Error Awareness does not differ significantly based on parental education levels.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 45 Perception Index Parental Education Very Unfavorable Somewhat Unfavorable Neutral Somewhat Favorable Very Favorable Margin of Error Perceptions also do not differ significantly.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 46 Market Position Matrix Parental Education Awareness Favorability The University has only modest differences in position based on parental education levels. Nevertheless, there is a consistent pattern of stronger position among students whose parents have not earned a college degree.

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 47 Supplemental Analysis Attribute Ratings

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 48 Attribute Rating 2.40 Average of ratings for all attributes Eastern Michigan receives its highest scores for availability of majors and notably lower scores for campus safety. Very Unfavorable Somewhat Unfavorable Neutral Somewhat Favorable Very Favorable

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 49 Attribute Ratings Eastern Michigan Ratings versus Benchmark Competitors DisadvantageAdvantage Compared with a benchmark average of public universities, Eastern Michigan enjoys a modest advantage in tuition cost and financial aid. In contrast, the University has a moderate deficit in nearly all other key attributes, most notably campus safety and academic strength. (NOTE: The full Level Three report includes comparisons between EMU and each individual competitor.)

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. Additional Market Research Opportunities Level Three Report (Available immediately) –Advanced segmentation by student preferences for college size, setting and tuition –Detailed attribute ratings for Eastern Michigan and benchmark competitors. Attributes include academic strength, tuition cost, residence facilities, academic facilities, social life, campus safety, and job opportunities for graduates –Consideration levels for attending the University and key competitors –Differences in perspectives of Eastern Michigan by applicants and non-applicants Level Four Report (Available immediately) –Open-ended descriptions of the University –Barriers to considering enrollment at the University –First-heard analysis showing how students first learn about the University –Communication gap analysis showing communication priorities –Momentum Index showing whether Eastern Michigan is considered to be improving or declining Level Five Report (Available immediately) Ratings of EMU’s communications with students Students’ top-of-mind recommendations for improving EMU’s communication National communications report Custom Research – Student Insights can provide affordable, effective custom research for all constituencies including current students, adult learners, employers, faculty and staff, parents of potential students, and others

Copyright © All rights reserved to Student Insights. 51 Thank you!