How to achieve a culture of enrolment in five steps

Universities today are grappling with several challenges when it comes to student recruitment and enrolment. Competition is high, and in some areas, student demand is declining. So what can universities do to encourage students to enrol?

Building a culture of enrolment is crucial for institutions to thrive, but it requires a strategic approach and institution-wide effort. So, how do we get started? Below, we cover some of the challenges facing universities and marketing departments and five ways that we can start to take positive steps to increase enrolment.

The top challenges facing universities and their marketing teams

Stagnating undergraduate numbers

Low student numbers are a rising issue for many universities. Undergraduate home students are the bread and butter of universities and form the chief revenue stream for many institutions.

While the decrease isn’t across the board and is mostly affecting certain subjects, a plan for growth needs to cover all programmes to make sure the institution is growing healthily.

Confused market offerings

Often, universities struggle to present a clear and compelling narrative about who they are and who they’re for. A lack of clarity makes it difficult for prospective students to identify with the university and understand what makes it the right choice for them.

Many universities also struggle to connect with students over which courses are best and why that university should be their top option. In fact, many universities spend disproportionate time and resources on failing courses that don’t attract high numbers. We found that over 80% of marketers admit to spending too much effort on underperforming programmes, which can detract from promoting stronger offerings.

Misaligned activities

When different departments try their hand at student outreach or marketing, it may be with the best of intentions. However, rogue outreach and even colleagues attempting to run their own advertising campaigns can lead to conflicting marketing messages that can confuse students.

Not just that, but confusion can also reach university leaders who don’t get a clear picture of how marketing efforts are benefiting the institution. This means that requests for funding to help with marketing activities are often turned down.

The consequences?

The results of all of the above issues lead to a cycle of problems. As your competition surpasses you, this results in an inability to reach a critical mass of new students on courses. And this translates into a loss of income which makes it harder to hire or retain top talent, resulting in reputational loss.

The PACE solution to building a culture of enrolment

We have developed a methodology called PACE to help you position your institution in the right place to increase student numbers.

P – Propose
A – Attract
C – Convert
E – Enable

Let’s take a closer look at each of these steps and the final step that ties it all together.

1.      Propose

Step one is to reach wide agreement about what your institution is striving for. What does it want to be known for? What is your university's core narrative?

Spend time with executive teams, marketing, and student recruitment, to craft clear, distinct messages about the institution's identity and strengths. Part of your message to prospective students revolves around the type of courses you offer and promote. Many universities enlist data experts to discover where the demand is that year, but knowing where demand is doesn’t automatically equate to growth. Remember, your competitors likely have access to that same data. That’s why you need to use that data to form a strategy to move forward.

Part of that is to review your portfolio and carefully manage your course offerings. It may involve removing underperforming courses or refocusing marketing efforts on promoting ‘hero’ courses.

2.      Attract

To remain competitive, don’t wait until students apply. To generate high-quality leads, it’s important to start building relationships with prospective students before their application. This will help to encourage students to identify with your university, so they make it their top choice, not just a filler option.

The key to this is in developing content strategy plans that target students when they make those all-important decisions about whether to attend university and which course to pick.

3.      Convert

A CRM system is crucial for managing relationships with students. But a CRM system alone isn’t a solution. Make sure it’s implemented in a way that helps teams identify key touchpoints in a prospective student’s journey. Spend time with marketing and student recruitment to map out the typical student journey and develop content plans that target those crucial moments.

When students choose your institution as a firm choice, ensure those moments receive special attention and celebration. Don’t just assume because a student has applied and named your university their top choice that they will definitely enrol.

4.      Enable

To make sure a culture of enrolment sticks, it needs to be an institution-wide focus, not just the remit of recruitment and marketing teams. Empower different internal teams across the organisation to support recruitment efforts by providing them with toolkits, resources, and guidance on how each team can support the university’s mission.

For example, this might include training for academics on effective open day presentations or guidelines for alumni on sharing their experiences with prospective students.

5.      Leadership

To tie everything together, leadership needs to be in the loop. A common problem in universities is that leadership is often in the dark about marketing efforts, which leads to additional fund requests being rejected. Loop leadership into the conversation and work with them on the strategy.

Results of a solid recruitment strategy

Creating a culture of enrolment is not an overnight process. It requires institution-wide collaboration and a willingness to change current practices where necessary.

However, if you can set your proposition clearly, work on how to attract high-quality leads, put steps in place to convert those leads across key touchpoints, and enable your internal teams to work together with leadership, you can achieve a culture of enrolment.

This unified approach not only improves recruitment outcomes but also enhances the overall student experience, from first contact through to graduation and beyond. By focusing on these strategies and fostering a culture of enrolment, universities can better navigate the challenges of higher education today to attract the right students and build a more sustainable institution for the future.

We have found that institutions that join us on a 12-month structured programme are seeing longer-term student recruitment results. To learn more, book a chat with us today.

Penny Eccles is a marketing consultant specialising in Higher Education marketing and student recruitment.