Dive Brief:
- The annual Inside Higher Ed Survey of College and University Admissions Directors highlights the increasing difficulty of meeting enrollment targets, and the rising anxiety that comes with it.
- The survey also showed that 32% of the admissions directors admitted to recruiting students who were already committed to other colleges and universities, which violates principles of good practice for the profession.
- A similar survey by KPMG found that 85% of higher education leaders responding were either very or somewhat concerned about maintaining their enrollments, up from 14% last year.
Dive Insight:
In the Inside Higher Ed survey, 61% of the admissions directors reported that they hadn’t filed their fall class by May 1, the typical deadline, up from 60% last year. For private baccalaureate schools, the missed deadline figure was 71%, compared to 59% last year. More than 80% of the schools that use the Common Application had issues due to its technology problems, and most are bothered by the pricing of the admissions system. With the KPMG survey, 66% of the respondents said the parents/students’ inability to pay tuition was the top factor affecting their enrollment.