Global Company Buys Big Player in Student-Recruitment Industry

The Advisory Board Company, a global research and consulting firm with ties to higher education, announced on Wednesday that it would acquire Royall & Company—one of the biggest players in the college-admissions business—for $850-million.

Over the last 25 years, hundreds of colleges have hired Royall & Company, based in Richmond, Va., to enhance student-recruitment strategies and meet tuition-revenue goals. The Advisory Board Company, which has long served the health-care industry, recently expanded into higher education, offering colleges predictive tools designed to increase retention and graduation rates.

After the transaction is completed next year, Royall & Company will maintain its name and will “operate relatively independently,” Garen Cuttler, director of strategic marketing for the Advisory Board Company, told The Chronicle. “We see a lot of exciting synergies” between the two companies’ approaches, Ms. Cuttler wrote in an email. “Helping more students find the right school and succeed there.”