> Skip to content
FEATURED:
  • The Evolution of Race in Admissions
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
Sign In
ADVERTISEMENT
News
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Show more sharing options
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Copy Link URLCopied!
  • Print

How One University Extended Its Reach

By  Jeffrey J. Selingo
February 12, 2017
2017-02-08-future-of-enrollment-1

Here is an excerpt from a new, in-depth report on enrollment from The Chronicle. To buy the report, go to: chronicle.com/futureofenrollment

Saint Louis University’s first-ever strategic enrollment plan, assembled seven years ago, was part of an
effort to reposition the Roman Catholic institution as a national research university and to prepare for the changing demographics of its primary recruitment market, which was predicted to experience a steep decline in high-school graduates.

We’re sorry. Something went wrong.

We are unable to fully display the content of this page.

The most likely cause of this is a content blocker on your computer or network. Please make sure your computer, VPN, or network allows javascript and allows content to be delivered from c950.chronicle.com and chronicle.blueconic.net.

Once javascript and access to those URLs are allowed, please refresh this page. You may then be asked to log in, create an account if you don't already have one, or subscribe.

If you continue to experience issues, contact us at 202-466-1032 or help@chronicle.com

2017-02-08-future-of-enrollment-1

Here is an excerpt from a new, in-depth report on enrollment from The Chronicle. To buy the report, go to: chronicle.com/futureofenrollment

Saint Louis University’s first-ever strategic enrollment plan, assembled seven years ago, was part of an
effort to reposition the Roman Catholic institution as a national research university and to prepare for the changing demographics of its primary recruitment market, which was predicted to experience a steep decline in high-school graduates.

The plan called for the university to have some reach in all 50 states, and global coverage. By analyzing the three previous years of graduating classes, Saint Louis looked for students who finished on time with high satisfaction scores. Admissions officers found that half of the students were Catholic, and that they had the highest satisfaction scores. Nearly 80 percent majored in health care, business, or STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines. The best students were involved in community service.

Now the university’s goal was to find students just like them in markets where it didn’t recruit heavily already. Officials matched those qualities with high-school students across the country using data from the College Board.

“Looking at the demographic trends is important to see where there is a volume of students, but the psychographics helped us identify the types of students who would succeed and be satisfied,” said Jay Goff, vice president for enrollment and retention management.

ADVERTISEMENT

The result of the effort was a plan that focused on a group of eight primary markets: Dallas, Houston, Southern California, San Francisco, Denver, Boston, expanding the Chicago presence, and adding a “Southern states champion,” Mr. Goff said.

In the admissions office, the university added three positions and relocated three others. Those recruiters focused on specific high schools, and Saint Louis invited counselors from those schools to “fly ins” to visit the campus. The university also bought advertising that ran before the previews in movie theaters in key markets and relied heavily on internet advertising.

ADVERTISEMENT

Since Saint Louis put its enrollment plan into effect, the peer group of institutions with which it competes for students shifted from those like Truman State University and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, both within three hours’ driving time, to more regional and national institutions, such as Marquette University, Loyola University Chicago, the University of Dayton, and Creighton University.

In 2000, 50 percent of the students at Saint Louis University were from Missouri. By the fall of 2016, only 33 percent were. In addition, retention and graduation rates improved, as did the university’s overall academic profile.

“We not only moved to new markets,” Mr. Goff said, “but we found students who were a stronger fit, a better match.”

A version of this article appeared in the February 17, 2017, issue.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Jeffrey J. Selingo
Jeffrey J. Selingo, a former editor of The Chronicle, is the author of Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions (Scribner, 2020). He is a special adviser at Arizona State University and founder of the ASU/Georgetown University Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Explore
    • Get Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Blogs
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
    Explore
    • Get Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Blogs
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
  • The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Write for Us
    • Talk to Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Site Map
    • Accessibility Statement
    The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Write for Us
    • Talk to Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Site Map
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
    Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
    Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2023 The Chronicle of Higher Education
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin